It’s not unusual for me to receive a bouquet of flowers from one of my daughters or a friend or neighbor. Like many, I do enjoy flowers. For my birthday this year, one granddaughter ordered a subscription to garden boxes. Each month for 3 months I received starter boxes for a particular plant. How fun is that? The boxes included the plant, a pot, decorative rocks, soil—and other fun stuff. There was even a Werther’s candy in one box.
I love flowers and plants, however, we have a kitten
—well, Olivia is a year old now, but still, can we trust her not to each plants? So far she leaves my orchids and African violets alone. But these are not toxic to cats. So many other plants and flowers are—lilies being among the most dangerous, followed by daffodils, kalanchoe, tulips, chrysanthemum, hydrangea and evidently some daisies.
These plants are considered toxic to cats, philodendron, pothos, diffenbachia, peace lily, ficus, aloe. Sure outdoor cats are exposed to these plants and more that are poisonous, including oleander. However, it is less likely that a cat will be attracted to a dangerous plant out of doors since she has access to so many different plants. Her choice, if she wants to nibble on something green, is generally plain old grass. The indoor cat, however, will be drawn to anything new added to the household such as a bouquet or a new potted plant. That’s why when I receive a new plant or a bouquet I go immediately to the Internet to research the potential danger of that plant or those flowers to the cats. If it is considered toxic to cats it gets a special place on the deck or in the yard.
