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Holiday Plants that are Dangerous for Pet Cats



The holidays are here, and with that comes plenty of beautiful seasonal plants. However, what plants are dangerous for a house with cats? With so many holiday plant arrangements and decorations to choose from it can be practically mind boggling to figure out what is safe to have around your feline friends. This can be even more confusing when family and friends come over with floral or other plant gifts and you don’t know what plants are bad for cats.


When you think of holiday plants to avoid for your cats, the first thing many people think of are poinsettias. However it turns out that these are much less dangerous for cats than other often overlooked holiday plants. However, certain parts of the plant are in fact poisonous to cats so they should be avoided if they can’t be placed out of reach of curious kitties.


Next, not only seen during the holidays, peace lilies, amaryllis, and many other types of lily plants are extremely toxic to cats. Peace lilies look quite different from other lilies. Not every lily is toxic to cats, but a good number of them have a very similar look, we think it is best to avoid lilies at all costs to avoid any mishaps and take away the guesswork.


Next up is the lovely pine tree. Although it isn’t technically toxic for cats, there are substances that end up in the water at the bottom that most definitely are. I often find one of my cats drinking dirty dish water (yuck!) so I certainly wouldn’t put it past her or your own cat to be drinking from the bottom of the tree. Here is one of those places where fake is better, and artificial trees can be used year after year. That is if your cat doesn’t happen to topple over the whole thing.


The Christmas cactus is a confusing one. It is listed on websites of cat-safe plants, and it also makes the no-no list on other sites. I can’t quite figure out why there’s a mixup with that, but I would leave that one off the table at my own house. Has anyone seen real mistletoe in someone’s house ever? I sure haven’t, but it turns out that mistletoe and holly are also both toxic for cats. Luckily there are plenty of beautiful artificial alternatives at décor and craft stores alike.


While real plants can be beautiful and sensuous, the most important living beings in your home are you and your pets. And for those reasons, it is always better safe than sorry, so do your research and when in doubt just say no to unknown plants, or even better, bring them to the neighbor who doesn’t have any pets.


Your precious kitty’s life is more important than having that holiday plant arrangement on the dining room table. Also, there are plenty of artificial plant decorations, even ones you can arrange yourself for a fun time, that get more and more realistic and beautiful every year. Happy Holidays, and for that last minute trip out of town give us a call, and we can take care of your cat and your kitty safe plants while you’re away.

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