Help! (Urgent-ish) Found cat nibbling on houseplant, don't know if it's a toxic kind

Just found little Boo delicately nibbling on a peace lily. It looks like he managed to bite off the tips of three leaves before I yanked him away. In total, he must have ingested less than the size of a pinky nail (sorry, can't think of a better comparison right this second).

I came straight here even before Googling. Should I be concerned? I've never seen this behavior before, ever. The plant is brand-new, was just delivered yesterday as a gift, and the first time we had a peace lily in the collection (at least since we have Boo). He's never gone near the other houseplants and actually does not have unsupervised access to the room where we keep them.

So far (10 minutes) I see no adverse reaction. He is his usual happy, purry self.

Many thanks for any advice I might need as far as what reaction to look for and what to do.

ETA: OK, meantime already called Animal Poison Control. She told me (1) the peace lily is not a "true" lily and ingesting it won't cause kidney failure, (2) try to feed him one tablespoon of milk so the proteins will help bind the oxy-something crystals that are in the plant, and will help wash it out of his system, (3) keep an eye out for vomiting, diarrhea, and whether he seems to be avoiding eating, a sign that he may have crystals in his mouth. Over 5 throw-ups and I'm to call them back.

As I type, he is lapping up his spoonful of milk, something he's never had before but thankfully is not turning up his nose. Actually, he's already done, is now warshing hisself. Seems his usual self.

I'm going to get rid of that stupid plant, I don't even know who sent it to us but now I hate it and don't want to see it.

Lilies are bad news, especially the misguided peace lily gifts. Call your vet NOW and put the plant in a room that the cat is not allowed in or out of the house entirely. It can kill.

With luck, the amount was so small no serious damage has been done. Your vet will decide what should be done and tell you want to look out for.


If you have a lot of house plants, chances are you have several that are toxic. Here are several lists:
http://kinne.net/poi-list.htm
http://www.cfainc.org/articles/plants.html
http://www.xmission.com/~emailbox/plants.htm
http://www.cat-world.com.au/plants-a...hemicals-toxic

Here's one for non-toxic plants (though do double check each plant you have just in case)
http://www.sniksnak.com/plants.html

ASPCA's lists for both
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/plants/


Unfortunately I can't find the link I used to have to a site that listed what made each plant toxic and how toxic each was.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

Lilies are bad news, especially the misguided peace lily gifts.

Call your vet NOW and put the plant in a room that the cat is not allowed in or out of the house entirely. It can kill.

With luck, the amount was so small no serious damage has been done. Your vet will decide what should be done and tell you want to look out for.

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Thanks. Ever think of changing your handle to " Wings"? Seems you were right there when we needed you!

Stupid, stupid plant. Now I know who sent it - of course they had only the best intentions - so I will thank them graciously, and if they ever notice that the plant isn't around, I'll say I'm a horrible plant caretaker and couldn't get it to thrive . Meantime, going to stare at my cat until I'm convinced he's fine (i.e., eaten properly and not throwing up or showing signs of distress).

Oh - in case anyone reads this in future, the number in New York City for Animal Poison Control is 1-800-548-2423, available 24/7, provided by the ASPCA, and they did sort of a triage on the phone to assess his situation and tell me what to do immediately and later as well.

Peace lilies are not true lilies, however, they are Spathiphyllum which is still on the toxic plants list.

Meantime, Googling the peace lily - the substance the Animal Poison Control warned me about is calcium oxalate crystals. She said they may stay in his mouth for a while and feel gritty, and put him off his food. The recommendation was to give him one tablespoon of milk, the proteins of which would help bind the crystals and wash it out of his system. He drank the milk, had a bath, and is now having a post-snack nap, ears twitching gently, next to me. I'll try him on food in a couple of hours.

/(I'm) almost breathing normally again. What a scare!

I'm usually around. My user name is a song name, actually. The other bad plant gift that's common is Easter Lilies, again, they're not one to have around cats.

Originally Posted by Arlyn

Peace lilies are not true lilies, however, they are Spathiphyllum which is still on the toxic plants list.

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It's easier to just say anything with lily in the name is bad. (yes, I know there's a few that are safer with only the bulb being dangerous) I had some unidentified lilies in my front and back yard that I completely removed - while they would have been harmless in the front, I have two cats that stay outside in the backyard. The neighbors have outside cats that I didn't want to risk nibbling on them, either.
The plants turned out to be tiger lilies! Yikes.


kitkaturday - If your kitty turns out to be fine, keep him out of the plant room from now on. And get some seeds or a kit for growing cat grass. That's probably what he wants.

Thanks again for the sage advice! I'm going to print out a list of problematic houseplants, so I have it on hand just in case. He (and his sister) are usually kept out of the plant room (also known as the living room) - one of a few rooms that are off-limits unless they are under close supervision, both for purposes of keeping them away from danger and keeping them away from expensive upholstery. Still trying to reconstruct how he got in there today. We had the housekeeper here, and I think in the whirl of cleaning the doors were left open.

Cat grass = good idea, will get some. I'm pretty sure I've seen seedlings of it at Petco. Why do they seek it out? Does it have something to do with their digestion?

I'm still breathing a bit easier, still watching him like a hawk, but he seems unscathed (I think I'm gonna be the one with the scars). He ate half a small can of Natural Balance, kept it down, is now on the windowsill vigilantly watching for enemies. If this keeps up, I should be relatively calm by suppertime .

Oh, and here's a photo of the patient, taken when he was doing what he does best, insinuating himself plop! in the center of whatever pile of papers I am working on at the moment.

Originally Posted by kitkaturday

Cat grass = good idea, will get some. I'm pretty sure I've seen seedlings of it at Petco. Why do they seek it out? Does it have something to do with their digestion?

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The picture reminds me of my Tomas. He'll lay in anything he can, especially if it means he can be close and "help". He, too, is sneaky about trying to get into rooms he shouldn't be in. If you literally glance away for a second he'll slip passed you.

Cats eat grass for a few reasons. A large amount of it can help them vomit if their stomach is upset. Smaller amounts act as a nice natural fiber source to help move things (like ingested fur) along. I also think that most cats like to nibble on young sweet grass for the taste and because cats do like to chew on some things.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

The picture reminds me of my Tomas. He'll lay in anything he can, especially if it means he can be close and "help". He, too, is sneaky about trying to get into rooms he shouldn't be in. If you literally glance away for a second he'll slip passed you.

Cats eat grass for a few reasons. A large amount of it can help them vomit if their stomach is upset. Smaller amounts act as a nice natural fiber source to help move things (like ingested fur) along. I also think that most cats like to nibble on young sweet grass for the taste and because cats do like to chew on some things.

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Thanks again. My first thought on cat grass was "fiber," and I guess it's not that far off the mark. Sometimes kitties instinctively know what they need. I'll pick up a couple of seedlings tomorrow.

And the "help," LOL! Yes, Boo is my number one assistant, too. My family say he's a misplaced dog, because he is always at my heels (or winding in and out of my legs). He likes to be where the action - and belly rubs - are.

I'm still watching him like a hawk, but he seems just fine, as purrpurrpurry and content as always, sticking his nose in my business and mooching head butts and skritchies. Well, at least one of us is having an anxiety-free day .

The Peace Lily is of sp Spathiphyllum and does have some level of toxicity. The bad one is Allium spp (true lilies) which includes onions, garlic, asparagus (unless they changed classification again), chives and many ornamentals. http://veterinarymedicine.dvm360.com.../detail/174478

FWIW, prolonged contact with these plants can produce reactions in humans ranging from mild skin irritation to outright dermatitis. This is why you see nursery people wear protective gloves (long ones) when handling easter lilies.

Whew.

Having eaten (robustly), pooped (normally), fought and made up with his sister any number of times, and chased after the Snake Charmer till he flopped, the critter now sleeps the sleep of the righteous, curled in the crook of my knee. Looks like everything is all right. I started breathing again.

Thanks again, so much, for the help, knowledge, and support . And thanks to the ASPCA for maintaining an Animal Poison Control hotline (we already sent them a more tangible thanks to help them help other kitties and goggies and all the others, too).

I have had opportunity to use the Animal Poison Control Center Hotline too, and can't say enough good about the vet and other people I spoke to there.

The number I used is a general number 1-888-426-4435. It's taped on the wall next to my phone always. There is a $65 fee. It used to be $45 so I know it is raised as time passes. You are told "if you are not satisfied the fee will be refunded" but no one even took my credit card info until the end of the call.

I'm glad your kitty is okay.

Also remember most states have a posion line at no charge

Originally Posted by otto

I have had opportunity to use the Animal Poison Control Center Hotline too, and can't say enough good about the vet and other people I spoke to there.

The number I used is a general number 1-888-426-4435. It's taped on the wall next to my phone always. There is a $65 fee. It used to be $45 so I know it is raised as time passes. You are told "if you are not satisfied the fee will be refunded" but no one even took my credit card info until the end of the call.

I'm glad your kitty is okay.

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Thanks for the kind words! You know, I'm glad you mention the fee, because I was a little confused about it. When I was on hold waiting to speak with someone, the recording did indeed mention the fee, $65, just as you said, and even as I was holding I was pulling out my credit card. But then the lovely woman I spoke with never mentioned anything, just explained what kind of plant it is, what kitty might experience, what I should do and what to look for. She gave me a case number in case I needed to follow up, and that was pretty much it. Actually, that's why I made sure to send them a donation (through the website, easy-peasy) before I'd forget, because it felt a little strange that they hadn't even brought up the question of payment. They deserve the donation anyway, and I'm happy I did it right away even if they follow up to send us a bill. The woman I spoke with took my phone number in case we'd get disconnected, so maybe they will call in the next couple of days after they review the records. I don't mind, this is a charge I'd be glad to pay. Knowing they are at the other end of the line 24/7 is invaluable.

Thanks again for all the concern and help. In the meantime, I've been learning about cats and houseplants, and just want to post this site for anyone who may look at this thread in the future.

ASPCA - Poison Control - Searchable Database (with images!) of Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants

This was the most helpful resource for me once I realized I didn't even know the names of some of our houseplants, and had to match plant pictures to their names before I could even check whether or not they were toxic to our cats. This database has pictures, can be searched by plant name, or filtered by type of pet (cats, dogs, horses). Once you zero in on the specific plant, it will also tell you the clinical signs to look for to see if your pet is having problems.

HTH someone else as much as it's helping me .

Thanks for the info. So kitty is still well?

If you get stumped trying to figure out any plants in your collection you can ask in the lounge and provide a picture. There are some people who keep a lot of plants and even a landscaper. I can't remember the name now, but there is a horticulture related forum associated with TCS (I don't remember who on here started that one).

I also know quite a bit about plants, inside and outside ones, though I don't keep house plants anymore. (no suitable rooms to do so atm) I went through a phase as a kid of extreme interest in studying about and collecting of house plants and at one point had around 50 different plants inside.

Thanks, I'll keep the lounge in mind in case I need help again. And thanks again for the concern.

Boo is his usual sweet, sweet self and I think he is fully recovered from "the incident." I got him cat grass, which he's been nibbling, and - because the pot was on the same shelf - some fresh catnip, which he's been going nuts over .

He did pee out-of-da-box yesterday, which is very unusual for him. But I'm sure last week's episode must be out of his system since he had normal eliminations afterwards, and all his other actions and behaviors are normal, so I'll just keep a hawkish eye on him at the moment. Just one more out-of-the-ordinary anything, though, and he'll have earned himself a visit to the vet.