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Cats, lilac trees/flowers, and Rose-Of-Sharon bush

post #1 of 20
4/7/08 at 8:31pm
Thread Starter 
Are lilac trees/flowers and rose-of-sharon trees poisonous to cats? I have lilac trees outside and want to bring in the flowers when they bloom for the kitchen. I've never done it before so I don't know how the cats would react.

As for the rose-of-sharon, the feral/strays have them around and they play on them (along with a huge apple tree) and so far seem ok but I want to be sure.

I've looked at the poisonous plant list and the non list but neither of these plants are on it.

Thanks!
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post #2 of 20
4/8/08 at 10:00am
They are both non-toxic. But if the kitties go crazy chewing on them, put them out of reach anyway to keep the kitties safe.
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post #3 of 20
4/8/08 at 12:27pm
Thread Starter 
I and the kits thank you very much!
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post #4 of 20
6/5/08 at 7:09am
Funny I was wondering why my neighbors cats adore the rose of sharon and the wieglia plants. The way they act you would think there was catnip in it. I hope its okay for them.
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post #5 of 20
7/31/10 at 4:41am
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison...of-sharon.html

Please read this, it says the Rose of Sharon is toxic to pets.
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post #6 of 20
7/31/10 at 12:07pm
It is a lenghthy list but one of the best as mentioned above.. this is the toxic to cats link

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison...=toxic-to-cats

It also seems to say most to all lilacs are toxic
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post #7 of 20
7/31/10 at 12:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Violet View Post
They are both non-toxic. But if the kitties go crazy chewing on them, put them out of reach anyway to keep the kitties safe.
I would like to see where your finding they are non toxic....
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post #8 of 20
7/31/10 at 10:09pm
Quote:
Originally posted by rusgrove52
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison...of-sharon.html
Please read this, it says the Rose of Sharon is toxic to pets.
Info:

The toxicity of plants
http://www.busybirds.net/Toxic.html

Also

http://www.ehow.com/about_6799112_ro...-toxicity.html

http://www.ehow.com/facts_5831518_hi...ants-pets.html

And since we're going back to a thread from early 2008, one more thing. Lilacs are not toxic. I could find no web site back then or now that lists lilacs as toxic. Not even the ASPCA web site unless I missed something big time.

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison...o-cats&page=14

Specifically listed as non-toxic here
http://www.pswi.org/communications/j...mmonplants.pdf

Also
http://www.mycatsite.com/cat-toxic-plants.html

(Note: a lot of info currently available was not available in early 2008)
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post #9 of 20
8/1/10 at 2:59pm
Just a Basic search for liliac on site yeilds
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison...derID=15225231

all sub links say toxic...

As with many things Toxic is somewhat questionable and can vary by cat ... Best NOT to let a cat chew on ANY plant other than cat grass and cat nip
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post #10 of 20
8/1/10 at 3:21pm
The original question was about lilac. When we talk about lilac, we talk about the plant called the Common Lilac, the lilac we all have in our gardens.
The Common Lilac is NOT toxic.
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post #11 of 20
8/1/10 at 3:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Violet View Post
The original question was about lilac. When we talk about lilac, we talk about the plant called the Common Lilac, the lilac we all have in our gardens.
The Common Lilac is NOT toxic.
This is what YOUR Common Liliac pulls up

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison...derID=15225231
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post #12 of 20
8/1/10 at 4:02pm
ASPCA plants toxic to cats lilac

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison...o-cats&page=14
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post #13 of 20
8/1/10 at 4:10pm
PS:

you might want to check some gardening books for info on lilacs/the common lilac.
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post #14 of 20
8/1/10 at 8:07pm
I always tell people to check more than one list when looking up toxic plants and foods for cats.

And anyway, if a plant shows up on even ONE list, that is enough for me, even if it is not on any other list. Why take a chance?
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post #15 of 20
8/1/10 at 8:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sharky View Post
Just a Basic search for liliac on site yeilds
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison...derID=15225231

all sub links say toxic...
All of those sublinks go to the same plant....a bush that is occasionally referred to as a Persian Lilac. But it's not a real lilac (Syringa). Which appear to be non-toxic from all sources. The ASPCA link doesn't come back with any results if you search for "Syringa" or "syringa vulgaris" (common lilac). Complicating things is that in some places the Chinaberry tree (the toxic one) is referred to as Syringa but its scientific name is actually Melia azedarach. Which is weird. Anyway I feed lilacs (flowers, leaves, and twigs) to my hermit crabs and they're very sensitive. If it was toxic they'd definitely show ill effects.

From this source: http://www.aragriculture.org/horticu...xic_plants.htm
"Toxicity Category 4 - plants are generally considered non-toxic to humans."
Of course that may not extend to cats, but it is generally considered safe.


Rose of Sharon seems to be mildly toxic. The flowers, not the leaves or bark. Not fatal, but will cause an upset stomach.
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post #16 of 20
8/1/10 at 9:08pm
Quote:
Originally posted by otto
And anyway, if a plant shows up on even ONE list, that is enough for me, even if it is not on any other list. Why take a chance?
I have never, ever seen lilac - the Common Lilac - show up as toxic on ANY list.

In fact, for some strange reason many web sites don't even list lilac, so it takes some looking to find reliable info.
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post #17 of 20
8/1/10 at 9:21pm
Oh, and something else. As I was saying in another post, a lot of info available today was not available two-three years ago. On the other hand, a lot of great info that was available two-three years ago, is no longer available today. Many wonderful articles and pieces of info are gone forever. It makes me sad. So now, when I find something I consider very important, I save the text as well as the web address. If the link stops working, I still have the info that was important to me.
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post #18 of 20
8/1/10 at 9:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Violet View Post
Oh, and something else. As I was saying in another post, a lot of info available today was not available two-three years ago. On the other hand, a lot of great info that was available two-three years ago, is no longer available today. Many wonderful articles and pieces of info are gone forever. It makes me sad. So now, when I find something I consider very important, I save the text as well as the web address. If the link stops working, I still have the info that was important to me.
We can both agree on that... I hate that too also when a book goes out of print or the update does not have all the info of the previous...

FYI for those who do not know the ASPCA site while reliable is based on Vet calling in and saying what they have found ... IE we do not always know what is toxic as the culprit may not have been known...
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post #19 of 20
8/1/10 at 10:16pm
otto, just one more, last one I promise, because I completely agree with you when you say
Quote:
And anyway, if a plant shows up on even ONE list, that is enough for me, even if it is not on any other list. Why take a chance?
I'd just like to add, info from different sources can drive a person crazy when searching for truly reliable info. How do we know which piece of info is correct and which particular plant a piece of info applies to?

For example. In this article:
http://www.housepetmagazine.com/pois...lants_dogs.htm

Quote:
According to Dr. William Buck, director of the National Animal Poison Control Center (NAPCC) at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine in Urbana, "a lot of ornamental plants have irritating sap that will cause an animal to salivate or maybe vomit and have diarrhea."
He says that plants like the hibiscus and those in the Easter lily family, which are not toxic to people, may be very harmful to pets........
(I happened to find this when I was reading on hibiscus/Rose of Sharon)

Different info on hibiscus in this article:

http://www.ehow.com/facts_5831518_hi...ants-pets.html

Quote:
Some hibiscus plants, also known as the Rose of Sharon and Rose of China, are toxic to cats, dogs and horses, according to the The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). However, not all species of hibiscus plants are poisonous to pets.
About species of hibiscus. According to Wikipedia and other sources

Quote:
Hibiscus......is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is quite large, containing about 200–220 species that are native to warm-temperate, subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world.
200-220 species.............
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post #20 of 20
8/2/10 at 4:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Willowy View Post
Anyway I feed lilacs (flowers, leaves, and twigs) to my hermit crabs and they're very sensitive. If it was toxic they'd definitely show ill effects.

From this source: http://www.aragriculture.org/horticu...xic_plants.htm
"Toxicity Category 4 - plants are generally considered non-toxic to humans."
Of course that may not extend to cats, but it is generally considered safe.


Rose of Sharon seems to be mildly toxic. The flowers, not the leaves or bark. Not fatal, but will cause an upset stomach.
Cats are not hermit crabs or humans so you really can't go by that.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Violet View Post
otto, just one more, last one I promise, because I completely agree with you when you say


I'd just like to add, info from different sources can drive a person crazy when searching for truly reliable info. How do we know which piece of info is correct and which particular plant a piece of info applies to?

For example. In this article:
http://www.housepetmagazine.com/pois...lants_dogs.htm



(I happened to find this when I was reading on hibiscus/Rose of Sharon)

Different info on hibiscus in this article:

http://www.ehow.com/facts_5831518_hi...ants-pets.html



About species of hibiscus. According to Wikipedia and other sources



200-220 species.............
Well, that's what I am saying. If it shows up on even one list, it means, in my opinion, that there is a risk. I am not stating fact here, only my opinion.
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