Spring is my favorite time of year, and maybe it's yours too! The days get longer and there are so many bright, colorful flowers, which really lift your mood after the dark, cold days of winter.
Our gardens and homes will be adorned with a profusion of spring flowers, and like with anything new, your curious cat is sure to check out that pretty bouquet on your windowsill. However, many of these plants and flowers can be poisonous to cats.
This article will cover the 7 most dangerous spring flowers that are poisonous for cats, to ensure a safe and beautiful Spring for your feline friend.
Lilies
Although lilies aren't strictly a spring flower, they're so toxic that they're worth mentioning anyway. Lilies of all kinds – Peace Lilies, Daylilies, Easter Lilies, Asiatic Lilies, even Lily of the Valley – are the most toxic flowers for cats.
What makes lilies especially dangerous is that every single part of the plant is equally poisonous, which isn't always the case with other toxic plants. The flowers, leaves, and even the pollen, which can easily get on your cat's fur and then be swallowed when they groom themselves, are all poisonous. Eating just a leaf or two, or even drinking a little water from a vase with lilies, can cause kidney failure and even death.
For cats, even a small amount of lilies can be life-threatening. They can quickly harm the kidneys, and the damage can be permanent.
Bluebells
Bluebells are plants with bulbs that grow in gardens, forests, and parks. Belonging to the Asparagaceae family, the flowers bloom from April to June and are often fragrant, usually blue or purple (sometimes with stripes), but they can also be white or pink.
All parts of the bluebell plant contain a substance called scillarens, which can affect the heart.
If cats eat bluebells, they usually vomit, get diarrhea, and have stomach pain. These symptoms usually start within a few hours and go away in 1-3 days. There's a small chance they could develop heart problems, but that's not usually seen in cats because they don't eat very much of the plant compared to farm animals.
Daffodils
Daffodils, another popular spring flower, like other plants in the Amaryllidaceae family, are harmful to cats, though they rarely cause death, even so, this is less well-known. The bulbs are the most dangerous part as they contain substances called alkaloids and lycorine that can cause serious heart and breathing problems. Hopefully, cats won't be able to get to the bulbs easily.
Daffodils don't usually kill cats, but they can still cause a lot of upset and unnecessary suffering. And because daffodils are often in homes or gardens, cats can easily reach them. So, it's important to take precautions: either keep daffodils away from your house and yard, or make sure there's a safe barrier around them.
Iris
There are many different types of irises, but only two have been known to cause poisoning. Iris pseudacorus (yellow flag) grows near rivers, streams, and ponds, and it's also a common garden plant. It has yellow flowers with purple and orange markings that bloom from April to August. Iris foetidissima (stinking iris) is a plant that stays green all year and smells bad when it's damaged. It's often found in woods, gardens, fields, and near cliffs. It has pretty purple flowers with a touch of yellow that bloom from April to July.
All parts of the iris plant are poisonous, especially the roots. This is mostly because they contain irritating substances. We don't know exactly what the poisonous substance is, but it might be a phenol glycoside called irisin, iri-din, or irisine.
Amaryllis
Amaryllis plants are often given as gifts, but it's important to know they're poisonous to cats. The stems, blooms, and bulbs all contain substances called phenanthridine alkaloids, which are harmful to cats. The highest concentration of these alkaloids is found in the bulbs.
If a cat eats amaryllis, it may experience vomiting, changes in blood pressure, tremors, or even seizures, and the yellow flowers specifically contain lycorine, which can also trigger vomiting.
Crocus
Crocuses, which belong to the iris family, can be toxic to cats in both spring and autumn. They're often grown in gardens and can also be found growing wild. The leaves are usually thin, green, and have a light-colored stripe. The flowers come in different colors, including bright orange, yellow, purple, and white.
The spring crocus is considered to be only mildly toxic. Saffron, which is used to flavor and color food, is actually made from the dried flower parts of a crocus. If a cat eats crocus leaves, flowers, or bulbs, it might have mild stomach upset, with vomiting and diarrhea. These symptoms usually start within 4 hours and go away within 24-36 hours.
Conversely, autumn crocus is very toxic. All parts of the plant can cause serious symptoms, including organ damage, vomiting, seizures, bloody diarrhea, breathing problems, and even death.
Chrysanthemums
Chrysanthemums or Mums are only mildly toxic, but they contain pyrethrins, which are also used to make synthetic pyrethroids, which are longer-lasting chemicals used in flea and tick medicine for dogs and are especially poisonous to cats.
Pyrethrins and sesquiterpene lactones are chemicals that protect the flower from bugs and are sometimes used in pesticides and bug sprays. However, cats are very sensitive to these chemicals, so eating mums or even touching them can cause problems.
Pyrethrins can irritate the stomach, but the bigger danger is that they can harm the nervous system. Chrysanthemums have the natural form of pyrethrins, which are less concentrated and don't last as long. So, it would take a lot of mums or a concentrated extract to cause nerve problems. Pyrethrin poisoning in cats is most common when people accidentally use dog flea products on them. The chemical is quickly absorbed into the cat's body after they eat it or touch it, and it can cause seizures or shaking.
Final Thoughts
Our pets depend on us to protect them, so if you have a cat, it's a good idea to remove lilies and other poisonous plants from your home and garden.
Even safe plants can cause an upset stomach if your cat eats them! To discourage your cat from nibbling on your flowers, try the following easy tips.
Keep flowers in places they can't reach, like a high shelf or a hanging planter. You can also try putting some lemon peels around the base of the plant. Or, spray the pot with Grannicks Bitter Apple Spray to keep your kitty away.
Terrariums or wire cages can also help protect your plants, though curious cats might still try to reach inside. Finally, try distracting them with their own plants. A pot of cat grass or catnip is much more appealing than your roses.
