Spring has sprung! Bring on the longer and brighter days, the birds chirping, the flowers! Oh…the flowers. How can you be sure your kitty, whether indoor or outdoor, stays safe around all the blooming spring flowers? Aren’t there a lot of toxic flowers out there? How will you know which ones your furry friend can safely be around?
Fear not. In this article, I cover which spring flowers are safe for cats and which flowers are toxic and/or poisonous. With this knowledge in hand, you will be able to sit back and enjoy the wonders of spring while also making sure your kitty stays healthy and happy!
Why Is Flower Safety Important For Your Cat?
Let’s start by addressing why flower safety is so important for our kitty cats. We all know that cats are incredibly curious creatures, and they can (and will) get into almost anything around the house. I speak from experience.
Now, it’s safe to assume that flowers are no exception to this rule. In fact, cats are especially drawn to flowers for a variety of reasons. Cats enjoy the taste and texture of many plants and flowers, and they even occasionally munch on them as a form of stress relief. This is why it is so important to ensure you don’t keep toxic or poisonous flowers in the house or in your yard (if you let your kitty roam outdoors or have any stray cats hanging around).
Safe Spring Flowers for Cats
Now that we’ve established why it’s so crucial to be aware of safe and toxic flowers for cats, let’s get into the 5 most common spring flowers that are perfectly safe to have around your kitty.
1. Forsythia
Forsythias are a deciduous shrub with yellow, four-petaled flowers that bloom in spring. They are a very popular and beautiful flower, and all parts of Forsythia are completely non-toxic and safe for cats.
2. Common Lilac
The common lilac is a beautiful and fragrant spring flower that is non-toxic to cats if ingested. It is important to note that although common lilacs are safe for cats, there is a variety called the Persian Lilac that is not in fact safe for cats. So, just make sure to read your labels very carefully before bringing home or planting a lilac variety!
3. Magnolia
Magnolia flowers bloom on evergreen trees and are large, star-like flowers that can be white, purple, pink, or yellow. They are safe for cats, but consumption in large enough amounts can cause mild digestive upset in cats.
4. Forget-Me-Not
Forget-Me-Not flowers are beautiful blue spring blooms that will bring lots of butterflies to your yard. Thankfully, they are very safe to have around your kitty as well! No parts of this flower are toxic.
5. Red Campion
Red campion flowers are beautiful meadow flowers that bloom in spring all the way to September. They are non-toxic and safe to have around cats. However, as usual, watch for mild tummy upset if your kitty eats a large amount of this flower.
Spring Flowers That Are Dangerous for Cats
Believe it or not, a very large number of spring flowers range from mildly toxic to severely poisonous to cats. This makes it a very tedious task to make sure your freshly cut blooms from the grocery store or your budding garden are safe for your feline friend. Below I cover 5 of the most common spring flowers that are dangerous for cats if they come into contact with and/or ingest them.
For a full, comprehensive list of all flowers toxic or poisonous to cats, visit the ASPCA’s website.
1. Lily
As pretty as lilies may be, keep your cat far, far away from all variations of lilies. They are highly poisonous to cats and are potentially fatal if a cat ingests any part of a lily. Even just the tiniest amount of pollen from lilies that might brush up on a cat’s nose is enough to cause lily poisoning. Signs of poisoning include vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, and others.
I personally have experience with the highly dangerous flower, as my cat Luna ingested part of a lily once. We immediately had to rush her to the emergency room where she spent 72 hours having her kidney levels monitored. It was an extremely scary situation, to say the least.
For your cat’s sake, just throw the lilies away and keep them out of your yard too!
2. Hyacinth
Hyacinths are beautiful, spring-blooming flowers that come in a variety of colors. Sadly, hyacinths are also toxic to cats and can cause symptoms such as difficulty breathing and increased heart rate. If your cat gets into a hyacinth, contact your veterinarian immediately to ensure your kitty gets the treatment they need.
3. Daffodil
Another very popular spring flower, the daffodil, is also very toxic to cats if ingested. The pretty little yellow flowers brighten up a garden, but they are best kept out of reach of your cat. It’s not worth putting your kitty at risk!
4. Tulip
Ah, the tulip. The classic flower of spring! Unfortunately, the pretty flower does contain poisonous substances for cats, including alkaloid and glycoside compounds. Look out for excessive drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, or even depression if your kitty ingests any part of a tulip. This calls for an immediate vet visit.
5. Iris
“And I don’t want the world to see me…’cause I don’t think that they’d understand…”
Oh, sorry. We’re talking about the flower, not the song – duh! Yes, iris flowers are another popular flower that blooms in spring, and they also are toxic to our kitties. Any part of an iris flower can cause toxicity. Specifically, pentacyclic terpernoids are the toxic components of the flower. These toxins can even affect humans too in some cases!
Signs and Symptoms of Flower Poisoning in Cats
A lot of the symptoms of flower poisoning in cats look the same. Some of the most common symptoms to look out for if your kitty has been exposed to a toxic flower include:
- Breathing problems
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Increased urination and/or thirst
- Inflammation of the skin
- Excessive drooling
If you notice any of these symptoms in your cat, bring your cat to the vet as soon as possible. The sooner treatment is started for flower poisoning, the better the outcome.
How to Keep Your Cat Safe Around Spring Flowers
In an ideal world, we wouldn’t keep any flowers around that are toxic to our cats. Realistically, though, there are so many flowers that are dangerous to our fur babies (see the full list at the ASPCA site) that it is almost impossible to avoid them completely, especially if you have a lot of flowers growing outside.
The key is to make sure these toxic flowers are completely unaccessible to your cats. You can do this by building a cat-proof enclosure around any dangerous flowers outside, or keep your cat from going outdoors. Do take caution to make sure you don’t bring any parts of the flowers back inside, though, as even pollen can be dangerous from some flowers.
While it is possible to cat-proof flowers inside the home, like placing them high up on a shelf that your cat can’t access, I’d recommend just forgoing bringing any toxic flowers into the home at all. I know from experience how clever cats can get, and I wouldn’t doubt your cat’s abilities to get to what they want. Also, petals fall from flowers as they die, and they can hit the floor and make their way to your cat’s tummy before you have a chance to clean them up.
When all else fails, just get some artificial flowers! They look just as pretty and are much safer for your kitties.
In Conclusion
Springtime is a wonderful time filled with beautiful, bright flowers and warmer days. But it also brings potentially toxic flowers that we need to make sure we protect our kitties from. With the knowledge of safe and unsafe spring flowers for cats, you can take the steps needed to keep your cat away from any dangerous situations.
Did you find this article helpful? Let me know in the comments!
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What a great article!
Thank you so much, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂