Are Evergreens Poisonous to Cats?
- When many people think of evergreens, they think of pine trees or Christmas trees. Even pet owners who do not live in native evergreen territory and pet owners with indoor cats might expose their cats to this type of evergreen when bringing a "live" Christmas tree into the home. Pine can be lethal to cats, as it can cause liver damage. Pine needles are dangerous in another way: Swallowing one can puncture a cat's intestines.
- The spider plant is a hardy evergreen houseplant, with long narrow green and yellowish leaves that grow fountainlike from the plant's center. Shoots grow out from the plant, and on the shoots grow tiny miniatures of the parent plant, each capable of becoming an independent spider plant. Cats are fond of nibbling on the grasslike leaves of this plant. Fortunately, this evergreen is not poisonous to felines.
- The azalea is a popular flowering plant sometimes sold in the nursery section of a grocery store. Gardeners use the flowering plant in the garden. There are varieties of both deciduous and evergreen azaleas. This is one evergreen to keep about from kitty. If your cat decides to dine on the azalea, he can experience diarrhea, vomiting, weakness, low blood pressure, cardiovascular collapse, hypersalivation and death.
- Wandering Jew or Zebrina pendula grows both as an indoor hanging houseplant and outside as a ground cover. It has green and purple leaves and grows quickly. Wandering Jew is not toxic to cats, and therefore is a safe addition to your home and garden.
- For a list of both toxic and nontoxic plants, visit the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals website. There you will find a list of hundreds of common plants and information regarding toxicity for cats, dogs and horses, along with common symptoms of plant poisoning for the specific plants.