Page 33 - FWG Issue 10 November 2024

Animals Matter

PLANTS THAT ARE TOXIC TO YOUR CATS

Murphy stayed at the vet, on a drip, for at
least five days and eventually, I was able to
bring him home. Although I was blessed
to have had him for a few more years, he
never fully recovered and developed heart
problems.

If you don’t know which plants are toxic,
it may be worth growing grass or certain
herbs, (mint) in an indoor pot for your
cat to eat. Summer means lawn dressing,
pesticides and chemicals in our gardens.
These are all toxic to cats. As most cat
owners know, catnip in a pot or sprinkled
on the floor can seriously get a cat going
from 0 – 100 in a few seconds. They get as
high as a kite and love it, but, if your cat
doesn’t respond to catnip, it’s because he
simply doesn’t carry the gene to react to
it. It’s genetically predisposed so it’s not
the quality of your catnip! Summer means
beautiful flowers, let’s make sure they’re
not toxic to our companion animals.

For ease of reference – the list of toxic
plants to dogs and cats can be found on the
website www.animalsmatter.co.za

ow that we have entered the panting and vomiting and immediately
summer season and have rushed him to the vet. They believed he
begun enjoying the sunny had been poisoned and wondered if he
Ndays, we may notice our feline had eaten something toxic. I searched
companions either eating indoor plants the house, the garden and places where
or grass outside. In the old days, people I thought I may find what had poisoned
believed that this was to make them him. I did a lot of research and eventually
bring up something unpleasant that they found what I was looking for. To my
had eaten. Most cats enjoy eating plants horror, I had inadvertently poisoned my
but whether it is to provide roughage or cat by having lilies on the table where he
whether they just like the taste of it is still ate. Unbeknownst to me at the time, the
a mystery. It is normal cat behaviour and, whole lily is highly toxic to cats, including
as responsible owners, it is up to us to the leaves, pollen, flowers and even the
be mindful of which plants they can and water in the vase. Some pollen must have
cannot eat. fallen where Murphy had walked towards
his food, and he must have licked it off
Decades ago, I had a beautiful alley cat whilst grooming. He went into kidney
named Murphy. I came home to find him failure in a matter of hours.

Jeanette Furstenburg is a certified animal behaviourist. She holds a diploma in Companion Animal
Behaviour (DipCABT) with distinction. She is a member of the COAPE Endorsed Association of Applied
Pet Behaviourists and Trainers International (CABTi), which is a member of the UK Dog Behaviour &
Training Charter 2024. She is part of the International Companion Animal Network (ICAN). In addition,
she is a member of the South African Board for Companion Animal Professionals (SABCAP).

For more information, call 082 445 8422,
email: jeanette@animalsmatter.co.za or visit: www.animalsmatter.co.za

Fourways Gardens • 31 • November 2024