Holiday Plants that Harm Our Pets * Spotlight My Health

Toxic Holiday Plants and Our Cats and Dogs

Do you know what holiday plants harm our pets? We all love our furry friends and we like the end of year holidays or, at least, most of us do. What’s not to like about seeing friends and family, all the get-togethers not to mention all the shopping!!

We like the decorations—all bright and shining and our Christmas trees. And all the gorgeous poinsettias we like to decorate with or the mistletoe, the holly and the huge bloom of the amaryllis. And the smell—it’s heavenly.

But, we need to pass the word that some of our most favorite holiday plants whether as gifts or decorations, can be very harmful to our cats and dogs. We need to be aware of all plants that we bring into our homes and subject out pets to them. You may be surprised at what plants are bad and which ones have gotten a bad rap.

This post is concerned with seasonal plants and those we may get as gifts during the holiday season. I’m going to start with one of the most harmful plants that is everywhere during the Christmas season, but first, a disclosure.

Not A Vet

I am not a veterinarian, never have been and never will be. The information that I’m about to share is not a substitute for your vet’s advice and care of your pets. If you are at all worried about one of your furry friends, please call or go see your vet, immediately.

Your vet is always the best source to determine if your pet needs to be seen by them.

Our pets are curious creatures and will basically eat anything. I don’t know about your pets, but our cat has to check out everything—including the plants if she can get close enough. Because of their curiosity, it is up to us to keep anything harmful out of their reach; including our house plants, seasonal or otherwise.

Mistletoe

While many of us may want to get caught “under the mistletoe”, this plant should be no where near our pets. One taste of the sprigs of this plant has the potential to cause vomiting for your pet followed by lethargy. Your pet may show signs of difficulty breathing, a severe drop in blood pressure and low heart rate. In addition to all these symptoms, your pet could experience sudden changes in mental function, seizures and possibly death.

Because these symptoms can get bad quickly, it is best to call your vet the minute you suspect your pet has ingested this plant.

Growing up, my Mom always used plastic mistletoe to decorate with. I’m sure it is because it was cheaper and I was never crazy about plastic decorative plants. I’m very glad now that is what we used. We always had pets in our home growing up.

Holly

For me, it’s very hard to imagine any pet being able to get by or ignore the prickly leaves of holly and actually be able to eat it. Unfortunately, they do. And both the leaves and berries are toxic for our pets.

This plant can cause an extreme decrease in energy, diarrhea and excessive drooling. Your pet can also present with severe stomach irritation and vomiting. These symptoms can be severe enough to cause blood to show up in the vomit. If you have hesitated to call the vet and now see blood, you should reconsider making that phone call.

Even though it’s very tempting to decorate with this plant, you may want to change your mind. At the very least, if you have a dog, consider putting this plant high enough that your dog can’t reach it. However, since cats can and do climb, you may not want to use this plant in your home at all.

Lily

While this plant is not one that we would necessary decorate with for the holiday season, it is one that is given as a gift.

Our cats are exceptionally susceptible to all parts of this plant. Just brushing up against this plant and then grooming themselves will affect your cat. That’s how potent the lily can be for your fur baby. A cat that eats any part of the lily can end up with kidney failure. Early signs of poisoning are vomiting and loss of appetite. If you suspect your cat has eaten any part of this plant, call the vet immediately.

Amaryllis

This is a plant that many of us have during the holiday season, including myself. I have someone I work with that gives this plant out to everyone, every year. The bloom on this plant is absolutely gorgeous as the pic I’ve shared can attest to. The image is one of my own blooms.

For the amaryllis, its not the bloom that causes the trouble, but what is below the dirt. The bulb is the toxic part of this plant and can cause vomiting, with or without blood and low blood pressure, drooling and tremors. So, if your pet took a bite of the bloom or leaves, they should be OK; however, if they’ve gotten to the bulb, you should call your vet.

Poinsettias and Christmas Cactus

Neither of these plants are poisonous to our pets. The poinsettia being dangerous is just an old wives’ tale. Eating a few leaves will only cause a mild stomach upset. They are not deadly to our pets.

The poinsettia and Christmas cactus may cause light vomiting, but this should clear up within a few hours.

Other Seasonal Items That Can Cause Harm to Your Pets

Christmas trees: The tree needles, real or fake, when ingested can, of course cause stomach upset, but if enough has been ingested, can cause bowel obstruction. Actually, it’s the oil found in any evergreen that is hard on a dog or cat’s stomach.

Decorations: We need to be careful of all the goodies we put on the tree and elsewhere. If a bulb falls and breaks, it could harm your pet if they get there before you do to clean up. And the tinsels that many of us like to use on our trees can be harmful to your cat. I don’t know about your cat, but many cats I’ve had liked to mess with the tinsel and eat it. If enough is eaten it can cause an obstruction or tie around an organ inside your kitty.

Tips to Keep Your Pets Safe During The Holiday Season

**Don’t let your pets eat or play with any parts of your plants or trees. We used a spray bottle on our cat when she got too close to the tree. We knew she would try to eat the needles as she had already proven it.

**Hang your plants high or put them on high plant stands

**Keep all possible toxic plants off the floor and tables. Please pick up any and all leaves of these plants immediately.

Call Your Veterinarian if Any of The Following Happens With Your Pet

**Has diarrhea longer than 24 hours

**May vomit several times in a 3-hour period

**Has ingested any of the plants in this post

**You see blood in the vomit or stool

**Your pet has no energy, refuses food, is hiding or having accidents in the house

**Has passed out, doesn’t respond to your voice or is having seizures

Final Thoughts

Pets can and do eat just about anything that’s available. Their curiosity leads them down this road, so we need to protect them. We need to keep a close eye on them once we have decorated or brought certain plants into our homes.

Don’t hesitate to call to your vet and ask questions. When our pets do what they naturally do, we need our vet to do what they do.

It doesn’t hurt if you want more information to contact or checkout these websites: ASPCA and/or The Human Society of the United States. Both sites have lists of toxic plants for your pets.

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