Is Jade Plant poisonous to Cats?
Janice Silk
I would like to buy a jade plant but my Chloe has a bad habit of nibbling
on my plants. Does anyone know if it is poisonous to cats?
--
Jan, owned and operated by Chloe
Odette Brown
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Poisons (incl. plants, food & household chemicals)
The information in this section is mostly condensed from Carlson &
Giffins. The list of poisons is not intended to be conclusive. Nor are
the treatments intended to be sufficient: call your vet in the event
of any internal poisoning.
In particular, notice that the list of problematic plants cannot be
all inclusive. There are many plants with multiple names and even a
botanist can't come up with a conclusive list. This is why you will
almost never see identical lists put out by different organizations.
When in doubt, try to go by the most regional information you can
find, which is the most likely to use names current in your regions.
TREATMENT AFTER INGESTION
To induce vomiting in cats:
* Hydrogen peroxide 3% (most effective): One teaspoon every ten
minutes; repeat three times.
* One-fourth teaspoonful of salt, placed at the back of the tongue.
* Syrup of Ipecac (one teaspoonful per ten pounds of body weight).
Do NOT induce vomiting when the cat
* has swallowed an acid, alkali, solvent, heavy duty cleaner,
petroleum product, tranquilizers, or a sharp object (i.e.,
something that will cause as much or more damage coming back up)
* is severely depressed or comatose
* swallowed the substance more than two hours ago
You will also want to coat the digestive tract and speed up
elimination to help rid the cat of the substances: To delay or prevent
absorption
* Mix activated charcoal with water (5 grams to 20 cc.). Give one
teaspoonful per two pounds body weight.
* Thirty minutes later, give sodium sulphate (glauber's salt), one
teaspoon per ten pounds body weight, or Milk of Magnesia, one
teaspoon per five pounds body weight.
* In the absence of any of these agents, coat the bowel with milk,
egg whites, vegetable oil and give a warm water enema.
If your cat has a poisonous substance on its skin or coat, wash it off
before your cat licks the substance off and poisons itself. Use soap
and water or give it a complete bath in lukewarm (not cold) water.
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 (=Flame
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 (=tylenol, 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 (=Dilantin) 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 (=fulvicin)
* 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.
_________________________________________________________________
Basic Health Care FAQ
Cindy Tittle Moore, tit...@netcom.com
Erin Rebecca Miller, ermi...@midway.uchicago.edu
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--
**** Odette Brown ** I love Cats *****
*** La Belle Province ** Quebec ** CANADA ***
************** My home page at **************
http://www.igs.net/~rathey/welcome.html
Gleenie
I don't know if they are poisonous, but I have had a lot of jade plants
aroung my home for years and my cats have never bothered with them.
Gail
Shannan Thomas
Jade plants are about the only plants my cats never showed any interest
in! Of course, spraying with with Bitter Apple didn't hurt either!
Shannan
Susan M Anderson
Hi!
My cats *love* my jade plants. They usually each pick a leaf once or twice a
day and play with it. One leaf is worth hours and hours of fun! Once the
leaf flattens and starts to dry out, it's time for a new one. It's a good
thing I have several of these plants!
Susan (aka Joycat for the joy my cats bring me)