Spring is here. Pretty soon all of those yummy-looking flowers are going to be back. We just want to remind you that flowers are for looking (and smelling), not for eating. They might feel good going into your mouth, but your tummy won’t be happy. In fact, some flowers can poison us. They make us really sick and some can even kill us.
If you put something in your mouth, and your mouth starts to burn, SPIT IT OUT! Mouth irritation and lots of drool are the first signs that something is not right. Usually, if it’s bad for us, our systems try to get rid of it as quickly as possible either by vomiting or diarrhea. Neither one is a lot of fun, and our internal organs can get injured while the poison is inside of us.
Important Note: We don’t even have to swallow the flower to get sick. Chewing on it can cause a problem.
AVOID THESE FLOWERS: Some of the flowers that are really bad for us are lilies, daylilies, daffodils, hyacinths, kalanchoe, azaleas, hydrangeas, tulips, oleander, lily of the valley, and chrysanthemums. If you are invited for Easter dinner somewhere, the Easter Lily is NOT an appetizer.
Some flowers may make us sick to our tummies, but are not known to cause lasting damage. They include lilacs, roses, sunflowers, petunias, camellias, snapdragons, and daisies. Note: Persian lilacs (MeliaΒ genus) are poisonous.
Some points to consider before dining on a flower:
- Lilacs taste bitter. We’d recommend you find something tastier.
- Roses have thorns. Why risk tearing your delicate mouth?
- Humans seem to be rather attached to their flowers. You may upset your human if you eat them.
- We’re carnivores. Flowers are not meat.
Talk to your human, and request that they not bring poisonous flowers into the house. We cats all have cat magic and can get to places the humans think are “cat-proof.” Sometimes, curiosity gets the best of us.
If you go outside, we recommend avoiding all flowers just to be safe.
We are only providing an example of problem flowers as a reminder of the danger. Your human should always be alert to the possible danger of bringing new plants into a house where you and your furry siblings live.
Finally, if you live in the US, make sure your human has the number to the Pet Poison Helpline: 855-764-7661 and ASPCA Poison Control: 888-426-4435. They can call those numbers for help if your vet is not immediately available.
Pictures courtesy of Google Images.
Adventures in Cheeseland 
My kitties π± leave the ‘Purple Shamrock’ alone whilst the extremely bitter taste βοΈ We don’t need kidneys shutting down βοΈ ππ π¦ ππ£π ππ π₯ π π»ππͺ ππππͺ https://washe240347587wordpresscom.files.wordpress.com/2019/10/washe-storage-21.jpg
Scary stuff.
This was a good warning to all us kitties and our moms and dads. And that top picture above with the halo of dandelions was sweet beyond my telling.
MY mom knew about lilies but not that it extended to any and all kind of lilies. You would think it would be a no-brainer but in her case, it didn’t really occur. She only thought of calla, tiger, the usual “gift lilies” as well. Now she knows fully.
Katie Isabella
We had no idea lilies were so bad. The post was originally going to be about cats and Easter, but everything on the Internet was about how toxic lilies are for cats. So we decided we should pass it along.
Very wise words about flower- though once we had a cat that left the flowers alone and ate the ribbon they were wrapped in! Luckily the vet was able to remove it! Happy Easter!
Kommando is bad about ribbons. I used to make ribbon bows for all my gifts, but she would eat all of the ribbon. Now everyone gets store-bought bows.
Great post. Stick to eating meat instead. XO
Thank you!
I brought flowers home for my wife one day and the next day Chris was very sick and I had to take him to the vet. We never figured out what was wrong with him but I think he may have eaten the flowers. I threw them out and have not bought flowers since. My wife now has to settle for a card or something unappealing to cats.
She sounds very nice. I’m sure she understands.
She does, Now she expects gifts instead. π
Grate post Snoopss an Kommando! Mee can meow to youss’ that LadyMew has NO plantss of any sort inn our place.
If sumone bringss her a plant shee givess it to sumone w/out catss!
An mee wuud rather eat meat fore sure!
**purrss** BellaDharma an β€ LadyMew
Thank you! That really is the safest way to make sure there’s nothing dangerous in the house.
LadyMew agreess toetallee!! An she sayss shee wuud rather play toyss with mee than water plantss an fiddell ’round tryin to keep them alive….(shee iss NO green thumm!) π
I used to treat myself to a bouquet of flowers once a month. Not so since our mutual friend came to live with us.
Better safe than sorry. He seems to have a delicate stomach to start with
Ah, good points. Flowers can be gross. Chocolates are always a good gift for my human instead of flowers. Good reporting guys.
Thank you! Chocolate is popular here too
Terrific post guys! Flowers are not good, unless they are the flowers on our catnip plants. We have been known to overeat those! Here’s hoping you have a fun, sunny, memorable Easter.
Ooh. Good point about the catnip flowers. We forgot those.
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