Animals Pets What Plants Are Toxic to Cats? By Morieka Johnson Morieka Johnson Writer Emory University Northwestern University Morieka Johnson is a former writer who covered pet products, health, and training. She created Soulpup, a website about responsible pet ownership. Learn about our editorial process Updated June 5, 2017 Share Twitter Pinterest Email Photo: beavela/Flickr. Animals Wildlife Pets Animal Rights Endangered Species Cat-proofing your home can be a challenge, especially when frisky felines get access to every nook and cranny of the house. Start by limiting access to stringy items such as dental floss, shoelaces or yarn that can get caught in a cat’s intestinal system. It also pays to remove toxic items from your home, particularly plants. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals operates a poison control hotline (1-888-426-4435) that handles more than 160,000 calls each year for accidental poisoning. Many of the calls involve consuming potentially toxic plants. According to the ASPCA, these are the most toxic plants to cats. Warning This list is only a selection of plants that are toxic to cats. For a full list of cat-unfriendly plants and to look up information about the safety of specific plants, consult the ASPCA's searchable database. Lilies Lilies (Lilium sp.): Easter lilies, stargazers and Oriental varieties can cause vomiting, severe kidney failure and death. If your cat ingests any part of a plant from the Lilium family, call your veterinarian immediately. Daylilies Daylilies (Hemerocallis): True to the name, these lovely plants bloom for only one day. While daylilies differ from members of the Lilium family, they still pose a health risk. Ingesting any part of the plant can cause kidney failure. Insoluble calcium oxalate plants Insoluble calcium oxalate plants: Needle-like calcium oxalate crystals dig into a cat’s tongue and gums, causing drooling, swelling and vomiting. Unfortunately, a large group of hardy plants contains these crystals. Avoid dieffenbachia, devil’s ivy (Epipremnum aureum), philodendrons, peace lilies (Spathiphyllum) and calla lilies (Zantedeschia). Sago palm Sago palm: This striking, cold-hardy plant features long feathery leaves that contain a toxin called cycasin, which causes liver damage. Desert rose Desert rose: Native to tropical regions of Africa and Arabia, these succulents make great houseplants in the United States. But they contain toxic chemicals called glycosides that can affect a cat’s heart rate and cause vomiting. Corn plants Corn plants: Dracaena can tolerate extreme weather conditions, making them a popular indoors and outdoors. If your cat likes chomping on plants, this one goes on the “do not purchase” list. Corn plants contain toxic compounds called saponins that can cause dilated pupils, excessive salivation and vomiting. Bulb plants Bulb plants: Daffodils and tulips add a pop of color to any landscape. Keep cats away during planting season because bulbs of these plants present the biggest threat. Toxins such as lycorine in daffodils and tulipalin A and B in tulips can cause convulsions, diarrhea, and vomiting. Azaleas Azaleas: With more than 250 species in the United States, azaleas can flourish from California to Georgia. But the presence of grayantoxin can be disastrous for cats, leading to coma, cardiovascular collapse and even death. Why Pets Matter to Treehugger At Treehugger, we are advocates of animal welfare, including our pets and other domestic animals. The better we understand our cats, the better we can support and protect their wellbeing. We hope our readers will adopt rescue pets instead of shopping from breeders or pet stores, and will also consider supporting local animal shelters. Photo of Sago palm by Home Depot. All others by Flickr users. Easter lily: kilotonic; stargazer lily: Aunt Owwee; daylily: kaiyanwong223; calla lily: wolfpix; devil’s ivy: eraine; desert rose: stefan0; corn plant: murata_s; daffodil: hddod; tulip bulbs: HTML Monkey; azalea: NCReedplayer