Heres why certain ordinary-seeming items are dangerous to cats, and what you might do about them.
Even if a drug has a mild effect on people, that doesnt mean its harmless to pets.
For example, antidepressants and cold medicines are in thetop ten cat poisonsaccording to thePet Poison Helpline.
Just to keep things confusing, a lot of plants are called lilies.
There are other flowers with with the word lily in their names that arent related.
Some, like lily of the valley, are unsafe for cats but for other reasons.
Others are just fine; checkthis listwhen you go plant shopping.
A smaller amount might still be enough to make your cat sick.
Vets consider every part of the plant to be poisonous, even the pollen.
Think of the crystals asmicroscopic needles: they cause irritation and burning around your cats mouth.
In rare cases, the swelling can affect their breathing.
Otherwise, these plants arent fatal, but they can definitely cause pain and suffering.
Its best to check houseplants against lists like the ASPCAs, above, or theirsearchable database.
How much is a problem?Since the crystals are an irritant, a mouthful is all it takes.
For other plant-based poisons, the amount will depend on the plant.
The result, arare form of anemia, can be deadly.
How much is a problem?Cats are very sensitive to onion poisoning, even more so than dogs.
It only takes a tiny amount to start giving cats symptoms of anemia.
Cats are slightly more sensitive to chocolate, but less likely than dogs to pig out on it.
Cats pickiness makes this jot down of poisoning less common.
String
Whats the danger?String tangled on the outside of your cat is cute.
String tangled on theinsideof your cat can be life threatening.
What to Do If Your Cat Eats One of These Things
Call a vet!
Both are available 24/7.
In researching this article, I read about cats eating just about everything, including rubber bands and pennies.
Illustration by Sam Woolley.
Lily photo viaVisual Hunt.
Elephant ear photo byBlue NoBird.
Chocolate chip photo bym01229.
String photo bybilly verdin.
