indoor plant hazards to your pets!
Beware of hazards in your home regarding your pets!
There are many, including different household cleaners, phenolic compounds (found in disinfectants, wood preservatives), weedkillers, rodent poison, ant bait, slug bait pellets, insecticides (note my previous post about carnivorous plants as the solution) and anti-freeze .
But there are safe, environmental friendly, non-poisonous alternatives to most of the above products that you will find in your hardware and grocery stores.
What many pet owners don't realize, sometimes until it's too late, that there are a number of plants that are toxic to pets (I'm referring to typical housepets - cats, dogs, hamsters, etc).
Usually cats, for example, sense which plants are poisonous and won't touch them. But to be sure, avoid having in your home plants toxic for your pets. This also means that you should keep these plants in mind when you purchase flower bouquets for your home. Either avoid purchasing bouquets with these particular flowers (tulips, daffodils, for example), or you have to do what I do - have the bouquets in vases up on shelves where you pet can't get to. Especially tricky I know, with cats, but do-able.
I used to have lot of plants in my former residence, some that are included in the list below, among them: clivia lily, ficus and hibiscus. My cats never chewed on the clivia plants or ficus. However, one of them took a little bite out of a hibiscus leaf. I didn't realize it until I noticed her in the litter box. Let's just say it wasn't pretty - slimy and greenish. Fortunately I was able to contact our cats' vet, and was informed that the cat probably ingested some of a plant. I checked around the apartment and saw the unmistakable little bite in a hibiscus leaf! I received some instructions that worked almost immediately - boil a little bit of lean ground beef in water, let it cool and put with the cooled off cooking liquid in a bowl for the cat. This settled her stomach, and she was fine.
That solution worked for a particular situation, but always contact your vet immediately if your pet shows signs of poisoning - vomiting, diarrhea, extreme excitement, convulsions.
Here is a partial list of potentially poisonous to your pets:
Achira
Adam and Eve
African Daisy
African Violet
African Wonder Tree
Algaroba
Alocasia (including Elephant Ears)
Aloe
Alsike Clover
Aluminum Plant
Alumroot
Alyssum
Amaryllis
American Rubberplant
Anthurium
Arrowgrass
Arum Lily
Asian Lily
Asparagus Fern
Autumn Crocus
Avocado
Azalea
Bamboo Palm
Begonia
Bird of Paradise
Bluebottle
Burro's Tail
Buttercup
Calla Lily
California Pitcher Plant
Cape Jasmine
Carnation
Castor Bean
Cattleya Labiata (Orchid)
Ceriman
Chinese Jade
Chocolate Soldier
Christmas Cactus
Christmas Dagger (Fern)
Christmas Orchid
Christmas Rose
Chrysanthemum
Cliff Brake
Clivia Lily
Coffee Tree
Crown-of-Thorns
Cutleaf Philodendron
Cyclamen
Daffodil
Dahlia
Dallas Fern
Day Lilies
Dieffenbachia
Dracaena
Dwarf palms of all kinds
Exotica
Foxglove
Gardenia
Geranium
Gladiola
Gloxenia
Hibiscus
Holly
Hyacinth
Hydrangea
Iris
Ivy
Jade Plant
Japanese Aralia
Jonquil
Laurel
Lily of the Valley
Mexican Breadfruit
Mistletoe
Morning Glory
Mountain Laurel
Narcissus
Peace Lily
Philodendron
Pine Needles
Poinsettia
Rhododendron
Tulip
Venus Fly Trap
Yew
For more lists of potentially poisonous plants you can check :
