This page is dedicated to Ely

TOXIC PLANTS

CAT POISONS

CAT PROOFING YOUR HOME

OTHER CAT DANGERS

ITEMS TO HELP DETER CATS FROM OBJECTS

(Ely was lost from chewing on Spanish Moss which covered the top of a planted pot given to the owners as a present - his owners never expected this could cause his death - to try to help others prevent such a tragedy I've created this page with the help of many other breeders to educate the cat owner on some of the dangers we think about and some that we don't)

TOXIC PLANTS

*Please note that some poisonous plants may inadvertently be omitted from this list. If your cat becomes ill after ingesting a plant or you suspect your cat has ingested a poisonous plant contact your veterinarian or the Pet Poison Helpline.

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A	F	Nephytis
Alfalfa	Ferns	Nightshade (All)
Almond	Fiddle Leaf Philodendron	O
Aloe Vera	Flamingo Plant	Oleander
Alocasia	Flax	Onion
Amaryllis	Florida Beauty or Beautiful	Orange Day Lily
Andromeda Japonica	Four O'Clock	Oriental Lily
Apple	Foxglove	P
Apple Leaf Croton	Fruit Salad Plant	Peace Lily
Apricot	G	Peach Pits
Arrowgrass	Geranium	Pencil Cactus
Asian Lily (Liliaceae Family)	German Ivy	Peony
Asparagus Fern	Giant Dumbcane	Periwinkle
Australian Nut	Glacier Ivy	Philodendron (All)
Avocado	Gladiola	Plum (Plumrose) Fern
Azalea	Glory Chain	Poinciana
B	Gold Dieffenbachia	Poison Hemlock
Baby's Breath	Gold Dust Dracaena	Poison Ivy
Baneberry	Golden Glow	Poison Oak
Bayonet	Golden Pathos	Pokeweed
Beargrass	Gopher Purge	Poppy
Beech Trees	Golden Chain	Potato (Green)
Bird of Paradise	Green & Gold Nephthysis	Pathos (All)
Bittersweet (American & European)	H	Precatory Bean
Black-eyed Susan	Hahn's English Ivy	Primrose
Black Locust	Heartleaf Philodendron	Privet
Bleeding Hearts	Heavenly Bamboo	Q
Bloodroot	Hellebore	Queensland Nut
Bluebonnet	Hemlock (All)	R
Boxwood Tree	Henbane	Red Emerald Plant
Branching Ivy	Holly	Red Lily
Buckeye	Honeysuckle	Red marigold Cracaena
Buddhist Pine	Horsebeans	Red Princess Plant
Burning Bush	HorsebushHarsebrush	Rhododendron
Buttercup	Horsehead Philodendron	Phubarb Leaves
C	Horse Chestnuts	Ribbon Plant (Dracaena Sandereriana)
Caladium	Hurricane Plant	Rosemary Tea
Calla Lily	Hyacinth	Rubber Tree Plant
Candelabra Cactus	Hydrangea	Rubrum Lily
Castor Bean	I	S
Ceriman (Cutleaf Philodendron)	Indian Rubber Tree	Saddle Leaf Philodendron
Cherry - domestic	Indian Tobacco	Sago Palm
Cherry - ground	Iris	Satin Pathos
Cherry - Laurel	Iris Ivy	Schefflera
Cherry - wild	J	Scotch Broom
Chinaberry Tree	Jack in the Box/Pulpit	Skunk Cabbage
Chinese Evergreen	JC - Janet Craig Dracaena	Snowdrops
Christmas Rose	Japanese Showy Lily	Snow on the Mountain
Chrysanthemum	Japanese Yew	Spotted Dumbcane
Cineria	Java Beans	Stagger Weed
Clematis	Jessamine	Star of Bethlehem
Cordatum	Jerusalem Cherry	Stargazer Lily
Cariaria	Jimson Weed	String of Pearls
Corn Plant	Jonquil	Striped Dracaena
Cornflower	Jungle Trumpet	Sweetheart Ivy
Cornstalk Plant	K	Sweet Pea
Croton	Kalanchoe	Swiss Cheese Plant
Corydalis	L	T
Crocus	Lace Fern	Tansy Mustard
Crown of Thorns	Lacy Tree	Taro Vine
Cuban Laurel	Lantana	Tiger Lily
Cycads	Laurel	Tobacco
Cyclamen	Lily (Most Varieties)	Tomato (Green)
D	Lily Spider	Tree Philodendron
Daffodil	Lily of the Valley	Tropic Snow Dumbcane
Daphne	Locoweed	Tulip
Day Lily	Lupine	Tung Tree
Deadly Nightshade	M	V
Death Cactus	Madagascar Dragon Tree	Variable Dieffenbachia
Devil's Ivy	Marble Queen (Princess)	Variegated Philodendron
Delphinium	Marigold (All)	Virginia Creeper
Decentrea	Marijuana	W
Dieffenbachia (All)	Mauna Loa Peacy Lily	Warnecki Dracaena
Dragon Tree (Madagascar)	Mescal Bean	Weeping Fig
Dumbcane (All)	Mexican Breadfruit	Wild Call
E	Miniature Croton	Wisteria
Easter Lily	Mistletoe	Wood Lily
Eggplant	Mock Orange	Y
Plant	Monkshood	Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow
Elderberry	Moonseed	Yew (All)
Elephant Ear	Morning Glory	Yucca
Emerald Feather	Mother In Law's Tongue
Emerald Fern	Mountain Laurel
English Ivy	Mushrooms
Eucalyptus	N
Euonymus (All)	Narcissus
Evergreen	Needlepoint Ivy

 

CAT POISONS

1. Over the counter drugs-aspirin, acetaminophen (e.g., Tylenol), ibruprofen (NSAIDS)

2. Methylxanthines-chocolate and caffeine

3. Ethylene glycol-antifreeze

4. Metals-lead, zinc and batteries

5. Pesticides-rodenticides, insecticides, herbicides,molluscacides

There are many ways that our feline companions get poisoned. Sometimes by accident, and other times by well-meaning adults. Regardless, the most important things to know are what are the signs and what to do if that situation arises.

CAT PROOFING YOUR HOME

Put Away Stuff

• Protect Valuables:  Cats are curious. That's one of their main jobs - being curious. So you won't want to leave your Ming Dynasty antique vase sitting on the coffee table. Because about ten seconds into Kitty's first exploration of the house, she will spring up on the table and topple the Ming Dynasty. Vase, that is.
• Breakables:  Put away any breakable treasures that are remotely accessible to your cat. Jumping up onto high places (like shelves and counters) is innate cat behavior; trying to stop it will be stressful for both you and kitty. Instead, put yourself into the mind of the cat, get down on the floor at her level, look around, and remove anything you value.
• Other Destroyables  Kittens will climb your furniture and drapes. Consider covering cloth furniture with a purchased cover, or even with a blanket or bedspread. Confine drapes to off-limit rooms.

Poisonous Plants

Kittens and adult cats love to play with plants - the motion of leaves moving in a draft is irresistable. Unfortunately, part of their play involves biting and tasting - eating some plants can be fatal, so get rid of those, or hang them safely out of reach. For a comprehensive list of list of plants poisonous to pets, read the "Poisonous Plants" article in this series.

The Garage

It's best just to make the garage off-limits to your cat. Too many poisonous/hazardous materials are stored there. Anti-freeze is the worst because pets are attracted by its taste. Clean up all spilled anti-freeze pronto.

Other Hazards

• Hanging blinds cords:  Kittens will love to bat around cords from hanging blinds, but can also get tangled up in them with disastrous consequences. The safest bet is to tie the cords up out of reach.
• Electrical and phone cords:  Kittens' insatiable curiosity often leads them to one of the most dangerously temptable objects in the house: electric cords. Invest in a cord management system or tape the cords together and fasten them out of reach. Do the same with long phone cords.
• Pest Poisons:  Remove any ant or roach traps from accessible areas.
• Small Hazards:  Rubber bands, paper clips, thumb tacks, broken balloons, Christmas tree tinsel and other small articles are tempting play objects for cats, but pose a choking hazard. Put them away in containers, and leave the tinsel off the tree this year. Keep plastic bags and bags with small handles out of reach of your cat.

The Safe Room

Set aside a "safe room" for your new arrival. Put her food dish, water, litter box, toys, scratching post and bed in it. Give this room a thorough going over. Once kitty is comfortable in her new surroundings, it will be time to let her explore the rest of your happily cat-proofed home.

Welcome home, Kitty!

OTHER CAT DANGERS

• Window Blind Cords - when they play with it the cord can swing around their neck or other part of their body, either strangling them or cutting off circulation from the affected part of the body.

• Window Blinds Vertical or Horizontal

• Running hot water in the bath tub or sink - a dear sphynx breeder accidentally left the hot water running in the bath so it would warm - one of the kittens jumped into the tub and could not get herself out again, with devastating results, she passed away of the burns.  Klanky, who through her curiosity got into the tub, but was unable to get back out, will never be forgotten.  My heart goes out to her owner because of this tragic, unforeseen accident that was no fault of anyone, but something for us all to consider because of our wonderful inquisitive breed and their nature to investigate everything - including the bath water!

• Chair Spokes that taper - cats can get their head through the wide part but may panic if they lay down and get stuck at the narrow part

• Exercise Tubing - used for isometric training/pilates - they can chew a piece off the rubber tube and cause an intestinal blockage

• Rubber Bands

• Hide-a-Beds

• Easter Basket grass

• Checking refrigerators, ovens, washing machines, dryers (they like the warm insides), cabinets and dishwashers

• Plastic bags - like grocery bags  - mine especially enjoy chewing the wrapper the toilet paper or paper towels come in.

• Paper Clips, Twist Ties or other small metal objects they think are a toy

• Bowls with small openings at the top (cat can get their head stuck in it).  We lost a valuable Native American pot to a curious little devil that got his head stuck in the small opening, but thankfully was able to lift the pot and, unfortunately for the pot and lucky for the cat, break it open!

• Cat Beds - like a fleece pillow case - another cat can lay over the opening and suffocate the animal inside

• Toilets - kittens can fall in and not get out.  No matter how many times they tell you it is, the toilet IS NOT a kitty Jacuzzi!

• Electrocution from cat chewing cords and computer wires

• Styrofoam - watch for those Styrofoam peanuts in the shipment box

• Cat play boxes with small openings - head can get stuck

• Lit Candles

• Sewing Thread - even on the spool

• Cigarettes - if they eat them are toxic

• Needles/Fishing Hooks - especially the decorated ones

• Items they can pull over on themselves and not get out of

• Watch for cats getting into drawers or cedar chests - they can suffocate

• Jewelry - they can be the "in home" thief and take your jewelry for a toy, swallow it and become sick.

ITEMS TO HELP DETER CATS FROM OBJECTS

• Bitter Apply Spray

• Hair Spray

• Other bad tasting/smelling items like Boundary or No-Go

• Squirt bottle of water to train them to stay away from the object

• A loud clapping of the hands accompanied by a loud "No, No!"