Poison plants
Russ Jones
Does anyone know if mistletoe fig (was ficus deltoidea, now referred
to as ficus diversifulia) will harm cats? Our houseplant book says the
berries are inedible, but it doesn't say if it'll harm pets, like it
does about some other plants. We've tried all of the poison
information centers, nurseries and our vet, and nobody seems to know.
Thanks,
Russ Jones
steepi
In article <33bfe630...@news.southwind.net>, rj...@southwind.net
(Russ Jones) wrote:
According to Gale B. Nemec "Living with Cats" (Quill Press 1993) mistletoe
is poisonous. She lists the berries and cites The Cat Fancier's
Association as the source of the information.
Ian
mann
Can any one tell me the URL of a good site listing plants that cats are
allergic or that are poisonous. I want to plan the my garden additions
for next year but I don't want to hurt my girls!
TamarianT
In article <steepi-0907...@slsyd52p14.ozemail.com.au>,
ste...@ozemail.com.au (steepi) writes:
>> Does anyone know if mistletoe fig (was ficus deltoidea, now referred
>> to as ficus diversifulia) will harm cats? Our houseplant book says the
>> berries are inedible, but it doesn't say if it'll harm pets, like it
>> does about some other plants. We've tried all of the poison
>> information centers, nurseries and our vet, and nobody seems to know.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Russ Jones
>
>According to Gale B. Nemec "Living with Cats" (Quill Press 1993)
mistletoe
>is poisonous. She lists the berries and cites The Cat Fancier's
>Association as the source of the information.
Whoa! Mistletoe berries are poisonious to EVERYBODY!! Leaves can be made
into
medicines but berries will put you into the Very Sick Room for a while, if
they don't
kill you. Convulsions and possible DEATH! We're talking humans with
their big
bodies here, too, not our little Fur Babies.
Keep that stuff away from yer pets, gang! And the human children, too.
They
generally haven't got the sense not to chew on them, either!
Tamarian
Russ Jones
I hope you'll note that I was asking about the mistletoe FIG, ficus
deltiodia or f. diversifulia. It's called that because it looks a little
like mistletoe. And so far, I'm still wondering if it's likely to harm
my little Scout.
--
---
Russ Jones - Boeing Information Support Services - Wichita Kansas
russ....@boeing.com
Views and/or opinions expressed herein are those of the sender and
should not be construed to represent policies or positions of
The Boeing Company.
Jan-willem van Eys
In a message of 06 Jul 97 Russ Jones wrote to about: Poison plants
RJ> From: rj...@southwind.net (Russ Jones)
RJ> Does anyone know if mistletoe fig (was ficus deltoidea, now referred=
to
RJ> as ficus diversifulia) will harm cats? Our houseplant book says the
RJ> berries are inedible, but it doesn't say if it'll harm pets, like it
RJ> does about some other plants. We've tried all of the poison informatio=
n
RJ> centers, nurseries and our vet, and nobody seems to know.
A Ficus Benjamin (this is a very common household plant) is slightly poison=
ous, and addictive. Mouse was a Ficus junky, until we found out he chewed=
the leaves, and got rid of the plants.
Almost all plants with white/yellow sap are poisonous.
As far as gardens go:
Wisteria Sinensis, Clematis, Daisies, Lavender, Impatiens, Phlox Campanula=
and Geranium aren't poisonous.
I don't know if Dicentra Spectabilis is poisonous, but our cats ignore it.
Here's a nice list (not complete, but quite extensive) of poisonous plants.
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Jave,
Here is my list of poinsonous plants. I forget where I found it. Maybe it
was in the faq's for rec.pet.cats.
GREENHOUSE PLANTS
Plants from commercial greenhouses may be sprayed with systemics to
control pests. Some are fairly nasty and long-lasting. More
enlightened greenhouses use integrated pest management techniques and
vastly reduce the costs of pest control, and costs to the environment.
You'll need to ask about what the sprays are, how often, etc. They
should have MSDS (material safety data sheets) on hand for everything
they use. Many greenhouses also buy foliage plants (esp.) from
commercial growers in southern states, rather than raising their own
plants, so you need to ask about that too.
HOUSEHOLD PLANTS
* Gives a rash after contact: chrysanthemum; creeping fig; weeping
fig; pot mum; spider mum.
* Irritating; the mouth gets swollen; tongue pain; sore lips --
potentially fatal, these plants have large calcium oxalate
crystals and when chewed, esophageal swelling may result,
resulting in death unless an immediate tracheotomy is done:
Arrowhead vine; Boston ivy; caladium; dumbcane (highly fatal);
Emerald Duke; heart leaf (philodendrum); Marble Queen; majesty;
neththyis; parlor ivy; pathos; red princess; saddle leaf
(philodendron); split leaf (philodendron).
* Generally toxic; wide variety of poisons; usually cause vomiting,
abdominal pain, cramps; some cause tremors, heart and respiratory
and/or kidney problems (difficult for you to interpret):
Amaryllis; azalea; bird of paradise; crown of thorns; elephant
ears; glocal ivy; heart ivy; ivy; Jerusalem cherry; needlepoint
ivy; pot mum; ripple ivy; spider mum; umbrella plant.
OUTDOOR PLANTS
* Vomiting and diarrhea in some cases: Delphinium; daffodil; castor
bean; Indian turnip; skunk cabbage; poke weed; bittersweet; ground
cherry; foxglove; larkspur; Indian tobacco; wisteria; soap berry.
* Poisonous and may produce vomiting, abdominal pain, sometimes
diarrhea: horse chestnut/buckeye; rain tree/monkey pod; American
yew; English yew; Western yew; English holly; privet; mock orange;
bird of paradise bush; apricot & almond; peach & cherry; wild
cherry; Japanese plum; balsam pear; black locust.
* Various toxic effects: rhubarb; spinach; sunburned potatoes; loco
weed; lupine; Halogeton; buttercup; nightshade; poison hemlock;
pig weed; water hemlock; mushrooms; moonseed; May apple;
Dutchman's breeches; Angel's trumpet; jasmine; matrimony vine.
* Hallucinogens: marijuana; morning glory; nutmeg; periwinkle;
peyote; loco weed.
* Convulsions: china berry; coriaria; moonweed; nux vomica; water
hemlock.
NON-POISONOUS PLANTS
So what plants can cats nibble on with abandon?
To start with, you can assume anything with square stems (in
cross-section) and opposite leaves is OK. That's the hallmark of the
mint family, which includes catnip, _Nepeta_ and _Coleus_. Catnip can
be grown in a bright window in the winter, but the cats may knock it
off the sill. Coleus is easy, and kind of bright and cheerful with its
colored leaves. Swedish Ivy, _Plectranthus_, is also in this family
and incredibly easy to grow. Good hanging basket plant. Tolerates
kitty-nibbles well.
* Tulips are OK, daffodils and lily of the valley are not.
* Miniature roses.
* Cyclamens, the genus _Cyclamen_, seem to be OK.
* African violet, Saintpaulia; Hanging African Violet (=3DFlame
Violet), Episcia; gloxinia, Sinningia; goldfish plant, Hypoestes;
and lipstick vine, Aeschynanthus are all members of the african
violet family, the Gesneriaceae.
* All the cacti are fine -- but not all succulents are cactus. Make
sure it has spines like a prickly pear or an old-man cactus. There
are some look-alike foolers that are not good to eat! (But they
don't have spines). (One cactus, Lophophora (peyote) will get you
arrested.)
* Airplane plant, also called spider plant, Chlorophytum, is pretty
commonly available and easy to grow. They come in solid green or
green and white striped leaves, usually grown in hanging baskets.
* Wax begonias, Begonia semperflorens are easy and non-toxic. These
are the little begonias you see in shady areas outside now in the
north; in the southern states, they're often grown as winter
outdoor plants. The other begonia species are OK too, but tougher
to grow.
* Sweet potatoes, Ipomoea, if you can find some that haven't been
treated to prevent sprouting! Looks like common philodendron at
first glance.
* Shrimp plant, Beleperone guttata.
* Prayer plant, Maranta (needs humidity).
* Burn plant, Aloe vera.
* Grape ivy, Cissus (several different leaf shapes).
* Asparagus fern, Asparagus (several species).
* If you've got the humidity, any of the true ferns are OK,
including maidenhair, Adaiantum, Boston fern (lots of variants!)
Nephrolepis, Victorian Table Fern, Pteris...
* Wandering jew, Zebrina, and its close relatives that are often
called "Moses in the boat" -- the flowers are in a pair of
boat-shaped bracts.
* Impatiens, or patience plant, Impatiens.
* Common geranium, Pelargonium, in any of the many leaf forms and
scents.
* AVOID anything with a milky juice or colored sap. Almost
guaranteed toxic (wild lettuce and dandelion are the two major
exceptions).
* Poinsettas: Many books continue to indicate that poinsettias are
poisonous to animals and children. The Ohio State University
conducted some tests and confirms that they are NOT poisonous to
children or animals. The furor was because of a story about a
child who ate a bunch of poinsettia leaves and died. According to
Norsworthy's 1993 Feline Practice (thanks to Kay Klier), eating
leaves will give a cat an upset stomach and maybe some diarrhea
that can be cured with Kaopectate.
CHEMICAL SUBSTANCES
* Strychnine, Sodium fluoroacetate, Phosphorus, Zinc Phosphide:
rat/mouse/mole/roach poisons, rodents killed by same. Phosphorus
is also found in fireworks, matches, matchboxes, and fertilizer.
* Arsenic, Metaldehyde, Lead: slug/snail bait; some ant poisons,
weed killers and insecticides; arsenic is a common impurity found
in many chemicals. Commercial paints, linoleum, batteries are
sources of lead.
* Warfarin (Decon; Pindone): grain feeds used as rat/mouse poison,
Also used as a prescription anti-coagulant for humans, various
brand names, such as coumadin. The animal bleeds to death.
Vitamin-K is antidote: look for purplish spots on white of eyes
and gums (at this point animal is VERY sick).
* Antifreeze (ethylene glycol): from cars. Wash down any from your
driveway as this is "good tasting" but highly toxic to most
animals.
* Organophosphates and Carbamates (Dichlorvos, Ectoral, Malathion,
Sevin (in high percentages) etc), Chlorinated Hydrocarbons
(Chloradane, Toxaphene, Lindane, Methoxychlor: flea/parasite
treatments, insecticides.
* Petroleum products: gasoline, kerosene, turpentine.
* Corrosives (acid and alkali): household cleaners; drain
decloggers; commercial solvents.
* Many household cleaning products. Pine-oil products are very toxic
and should be avoided or rinsed thoroughly (bleach is a better
alternative). In particular, avoid items containing Phenol.
* Garbage (food poisoning): carrion; decomposing foods; animal
manure.
* People Medicines: antihistamines, pain relievers (esp. aspirin),
sleeping pills, diet pills, heart preparations and vitamins.
Anything smelling of wintergreen or having methyl salicylate as an
ingredient. Tylenol (acetominophen) will kill cats.
FOOD
Chocolate: theobromine, which is found in chocolate is toxic to cats.
The darker and more bitter the chocolate is, the more theobromine it
has. More information can be found in the Summer 1992 edition of Cat
Life.
Caffeine: can cause problems for your cat. Do not feed it coffee, Coco
Cola, or other foods containing caffeine.
HOUSEHOLD MEDICATIONS
(From Norsworthy, 1993:)
Medications that cats should NEVER be given:
* Acetominophen (=3Dtylenol, paracetemol) (1 tablet can be fatal to an
adult cat)
* Benzocaine (the topical anaesthetic) (available in spray and cream
forms--- Lanacaine and several hemhherrhoid preparations have lots
of benzocaine)
* Benzyl alcohol
* Chlorinated hydrocarbons (like lindane, chlordane, etc.)
* Hexachlorophene (found in pHiso-Hex soap, among others)
* Methylene Blue (used to be used for urinary infections, many cats
cannot tolerate it)
* Phenazopyridine (used in combination with sulfa as AzoGantrisin:
fine for humans, deadly for cats)
* Phenytoin (=3DDilantin) often used for seizures in other species
* Phosphate enemas (including Fleet (tm) enemas): may be fatal
Medications that can be used in certain cats with restrictions, and
ONLY on the advice of a vet
* Aspirin: but not more than 1 baby aspirin (1/4 regular tablet) in
3 days!
* Chloramphenicol: generally safe at doses of less than 50-100 mg
2x/day
* Griseofulvin (=3Dfulvicin)
* Lidocaine: another topical anaesthetic
* Megestrol acetate (Ovaban, Megace) may cause behavioral changes,
breast cancer, diabetes. Extremely useful for some conditions, so
use needs to be monitored.
* Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Agents (things like ibuprofen)--
tend to cause perforated ulcers. Banamine and aspirin are the best
tolerated of this class of drugs
* Pepto-bismol: too high in salicylates
* Smooth muscle relaxants (like Lomotil): strange behavior
* Tetracycline: may cause fever, diarrhea, depression; better
antibiotics available
* Thiacetarsamide (Caparsolate) used to treat heartworm in dogs
* Thiamylal sodium (Biotal) used for brief surgeries. Animals become
sensitized after repeat exposures. If you change vets, be SURE to
get your records so that the new vet can tell if this drug has
been used previously.
* Urinary acidifiers; be careful of dosage.
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Hope this helps...
Groetjes, JAVE.
.. If there is no God, who pops up the next Kleenex?