Is this plant safe for my cat or dog?
Search for a plant and read what the list says about cats and about dogs, with the source and what to do if a pet has eaten it.
Pet safety follows the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plants list. Safe means not poisonous, not edible. If an animal has eaten a plant, telephone a vet.
Which plant
Type part of a name. Common names, Latin names and other names all work.
The answer
Choose a plant and the answer for cats and for dogs appears here.
How the answer is found
The answer for a plant is read straight from its own entry. Nothing is worked out from the plant's family or its look, and a plant is rated only by what its entry says.
- The search matches the start of any word in the plant's common name, its Latin name or another name it goes by.
- Each of the 166 entries records a rating for cats and one for dogs, toxic, safe or not known, with a note and the source the rating rests on.
- A toxic rating is shown wherever a source gives one, whether or not the entry has been checked, and 71 entries carry one.
- Safe is shown only when the rating is safe and the entry has been checked against its source. Every other plant reads as not listed as safe until the entry has been checked.
- The note and the source sit under the answer, with a link to the entry and to the guide on what to do.
What the three answers mean
Toxic means the source lists the plant as poisonous to that animal. It does not say how ill the animal will be, which is what the note under the answer is for, and it does not say that a mouthful will always do harm.
Safe means not poisonous, not edible. It is never shown for an entry that has not been checked. Not known is not a verdict. It means the journal has nothing to say yet, and a plant that reads as not known should be treated as unrated.
Why so many plants read as not known
There are far more plants that are probably fine than plants anybody has checked, and a guess is worth nothing when it is an animal that pays for it. The journal writes safe only after it has read the entry for that exact species and found it.
The lists of plants toxic to cats and plants toxic to dogs show every rating that is toxic, and the list of plants checked and found safe shows the other side.
If a pet has eaten a plant
Keep a piece of the plant, note roughly how much went in and when, and telephone your vet. Take the plant or a photograph with you. Do not wait to see whether signs appear.
The guide on what to do if a cat or dog eats a toxic plant sets out the steps, what not to do and which numbers to save before you need them.
Questions from the margin
Does safe mean my cat can eat it?
No. Safe here means the plant is not on the ASPCA's list of plants toxic to cats and dogs. A cat that eats a large amount of any plant may still be sick, and a chewed leaf is a sign the cat wants grass rather than a sign the plant is food.
Why are so many plants marked unknown?
Because we only write safe when we have read the entry for that exact species and found it. There are far more plants that are probably fine than plants anybody has checked, and a guess is worth nothing when it is an animal that pays for it.
What should I do if my pet eats a plant?
Keep a piece of the plant, note roughly how much went in and when, and telephone your vet. Take the plant or a photograph with you. Most cases are mild, and the ones that are not depend on how quickly somebody knew what the plant was.
Where does a rating come from?
From the ASPCA's list of plants toxic and non toxic to cats and dogs. For some plants the ASPCA entry covers a close relative or a whole genus, and for a few it has no entry at all. The entry for the plant says so in those cases, and the source line under the answer names what the rating rests on.