Dear Doris,

Yesterday, my cat came home foaming at the mouth and then vomited all over the carpet. I think she had been eating the neighbour’s plants.

My neighbour has a beautiful flower display, but is there a link between his plants and my cat’s illness? The flowerbed nearest our house contains autumn crocus, azaleas, cyclamen and easter lilies. In addition, I’ve noticed that he’s put a poinsettia and some mistletoe in his porch.

Is he trying to kill my cat?

Love,

Gertrude.

Dear Gertrude,

Yes.

Your neighbour has planted a variety of plants that are toxic to pets. One or two might be a coincidence. The combination of all of them? Unlikely. Autumn crocus is highly toxic and can cause severe vomiting, gastrointestinal bleeding, liver and kidney damage, and respiratory failure. Azaleas could cause your cat to fall into a coma and die. Likewise, cyclamen can cause severe vomiting and death, while consumption of even 2-3 petals of easter lilies (like some other lily varieties) can result in severe kidney failure.

If you can sneak into his garden, then you could:

1. Rip out all his plants. Serves him right, really.
2. Mist the leaves of the plants and sprinkle with cayenne pepper, to discourage your cat from eating.

If you do think your cat’s been poisoned, contact a vet immediately, and take a sample of the plant they’ve eaten with you to the vet.

The good news is that if your cat makes it as far as the porch, he’ll be fine, as despite a common belief neither poinsettia nor mistletoe are poisonous. Mind, if your cat has the ability to open the porch door, it should also have the sense not to eat toxic plants.

Yours,

Doris

Image Source:  Some Rights Restricted, by Paul Francis Harrison