Do I need to remove all toxic plants before bringing home a cat?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! You are correct tulips are toxic to cats. The toxins are more concentrated in the bulbs. If a cat ingests a lot of the plant it can experience drooling, GI upset, breathing problems, high heart rate and neurologic signs like seizures. If you want to keep the plants be sure to put them where Lumi can’t get too. Cats are athletic and can jump up high. I hope this help!

The ASPCA list is a reliable source and one that I use in practice. If a plant is toxic it could stay in a separate room since most toxic plants only cause symptoms if ingested, however I wouldn’t recommend having any true lilies in the house since even a small amount of pollen can be toxic and pollen could be carried on clothing.

Hello, thank you for your question. Ultimately this depends on your comfort level. In my opinion if the cats have any time at home/in your room that is unsupervised I would be worried about having the primroses out. Cats are curious animals and may try to jump onto the shelves to investigate the new addition. However, if you are home all the time with them or keep them out of your room while you're away, I don't think it would be wrong to keep the flowers. Hope this helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! That sounds like a beautiful gift. I agree that I would keep Mirz away from the plant, and ensure that she cannot access it when you are not there. It is fine for you to touch her after touching the plant. The toxicity comes from ingesting/chewing any part of the plant, not from the contact itself.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center. Pothos plant can cause significant irritation to the mouth, esophagus and stomach. If Mooch has just eaten the leaf (in the last 30-60 min), you should rinse his mouth with water or offer him plenty of water to drink. If he is asymptomatic, you should monitor him at home. If he does not develop any worrying symptoms in the next 2-3hrs, it will mean that is fine. However, if you notice that Mooch is drooling, vomiting or finds it difficult to eat, you should take him to your local vets right away

The ASPCA Poison Control Website is the best guide for toxic and non-toxic plants. When I filtered for non-toxic plants for dogs, there is a list of 587 plants. I am attaching the link below. https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants?field_non_toxicity_value%5B%5D=01 They do not differentiate between indoor and outdoor plants, but that list may give you something to search if you are trying to decide on safe indoor plants. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

The problem with potting soil of any kind is that cats love to dig in it. There can be harmful ingredients in the potting soil such a chemical fertilizers added to make the plant grow and insecticides to kill pests. Given this potting soil feeds plants for up to six months, I would assume that it contains chemical fertilizers that can potentially hurt your cat. To prevent her from having any chance of getting into this potting soil, I would hang your plants from the walls or ceiling. That would keep her from getting into them. As for toxic signs, it depends on the ingredients in the soil, but you could see neurological signs (difficulty walking, seizures, tremors), vomiting, anorexic, and extreme lethargy. I would hang your plants from the ceiling to keep your cat from getting into the soil at all. You can also create greenhouselike terrariums with lids to keep her out of the plants.