While bringing your cat along with you beyond the house sounds fun & exciting (believe me, it really is), it's also good to be cautious of the potential dangers. Read on to find out what to be aware of when taking your cat outside.
What a beautiful array of colours in this bed of flowers, isn't it?! As beautiful as it is, since cat exploring I see all plant life as a potential threat for Gibson until I've done my research about whether or not the plant or flower he's about to munch on could be toxic to him or not.
“If ever you are unsure about something, keep away. We want our cats to enjoy the outdoors and it's up to you to protect them."
I'd like to share just some of the common plants and flowers that are toxic to cats using a photo posted on www.petmd.com. It's important to note, too, that since flowers, plants and even succulents are often brought into our homes that you first ensure that they are not toxic (because every cat owner knows that cats like to nibble on plant-life). One thing that you can do is let the salesperson whom you are buying the plants from know that you have a cat at home. They should know which ones are toxic and can then help you to choose the plants which will not harm your cat. Even after asking I'd still advise a quick google search for your own peace of mind.
We once had a scare after bringing a bouquet of flowers, which included lilies, into our home (it was a gift). I didn't research if the flowers were toxic or not but since I was putting the flowers on display while home and hiding them in a separate room while away, I thought "hey, why research when I'm being smart about this?" One day, I had to rush out of the house and forgot to put the flowers away. I came home and Gibson was fine but that same day I had posted a photo on social media of him posing with the flowers. Someone had commented on that photo mentioning that lilies were highly toxic to cats and even the slightest bit of pollen on a cat's fur could kill them following a grooming session. I had to google the symptoms and monitor him closely.
"I was devastated that I let it even get to this point where I was worried."
Thankfully, none of the lilies had opened up and he was fine. Now to be safe (and actually smart about this), I don't bring bouquets of flowers like that into our small apartment at all because I don't want to risk forgetting to put it away ever again.
Something else worth noting in that cats love with chewing on grass. It's essential that you are sure that the small patch of grass they're chewing on hasn't been sprayed with any pesticides or chemicals. It's wise to look up the bylaws around the use of pesticides in your province or state. In Ontario, the use of pesticides for cosmetic use is prohibited (referenced by The City of Toronto and Toronto Environmental Alliance). Though the application of pesticides in our province is not permissible, still, the safest option is to allow them to chew on your own patch of grass where you know chemicals have not been used or consider buying seeds to plant your own. Alternatively, you could buy cat grass at a local pet store near you (we've bought Pet Greens pet grass before and Gibson loved it).
There are a lot more plants/flowers to watch out for but we've decided to touch on the common ones. For a quick list of some pet-friendly plants, we recommend talking to your vet, referring to the list that can be found on The Spruce, or googling anything else you're unsure of. Care to share about the plants you know of that are safe/unsafe? Better yet, I'd love to hear about how you can manage to keep these plants alive with a cat in the house.
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Please let me know of any other plants or flowers to be aware of - I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to message me on Instagram, email me, or drop a comment down below (just note that I cannot comment back but always read what you write).
xx Sarah & Gibson