Many common plants and flowers are toxic or poisonous to cats. You should always do your best to check the plants in your home, yard, and surrounding areas for this reason.
One plant that is known to be poisonous to cats and often takes people by surprise is morning glories.
This colorful and beautiful looking plant is commonly found across the U.S. But, if your cat ingests even a small amount of morning glories’ seeds they can become very sick.
In this article, I’m going to cover everything you need to know about morning glories and the danger they present to cats and other household pets:
What Are Morning Glories?
In my opinion, morning glories are one of the most beautiful and majestic looking flowers.
They have a very distinctive trumpet shape and are often described as having an “old-fashioned charm” which I totally agree with.
We always had them in our backyard growing up. I remember they would climb trellis all over our shed each year, then my dad would trim them back.
The most popular colors I see are the purple-blue and magenta, but they’re also available in red, white, pink, and lots of shades in between to mention just a few.
The only problem with this plant is that the seeds are very toxic to animals. If ingested in small amounts animals – and this includes us if we were to ingest some – will experience vomiting and gastrointestinal upset.
Ingesting a large amount can cause some very serious health issues.
Is Morning Glory Safe for Cats?
No, morning glories are not safe for cats. Or any other animals that eat some of the seeds.
According to the ASPCA, if a household pet ingests some of the plants, they will likely vomit along with having all the discomfort of plant poisoning.
In larger amounts, the seeds can cause hallucinations. This is because there are some active chemicals in the seeds that are closely related to the drug LSD.
Related – Are Boston Ferns poisonous to cats?
Possible Symptoms If You Cat Ingests Morning Glories
If you suspect your cat has ingested some morning glory seeds – or maybe you’ve witnessed them doing so – the most likely early symptoms are:
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Visible signs of discomfort
- Twitching
- Lethargic behavior
- Loss of appetite and not drinking
Due to the seeds containing a naturally occurring tryptamine called Lysergic Acid Amide (LSA), if a cat eats a large amount of the seeds they may experience some serious effects.
These chemicals can cause hallucinations. I’m not sure how a cat would act under the influence of these chemicals, I can only imagine it’ll be very scary and confusing for the cat.
If you think your cat has ingested any part of a morning glory you need to call your vet for professional advice immediately!
Which Flowers Are Poisonous to Cats?
Morning glories are just one of the many common yard plants or flowers that are toxic to cats.
Below is a list of some of the most common household or yard plants that also pose a serious toxicity threat to cats and other household pets:
- Daffodils
- Tulips
- Amaryllis
- Lilies
- Foxglove
- Cyclamen
- Widow’s Thrill
- Azalea
- Fiddle Leaf Figs (Read more about this plant here.)
This isn’t a complete list, so always check individual plants your cats can come into contact with.
Do Cats Instinctively Know Which Plants Are Toxic?
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve read and heard people saying that cats are adept at surviving outdoors, they’ll know which plants are harmful, not to worry, etc.
This just isn’t true. At least, not 100% of the time.
Sure, after reading this article you may think, “I have some of these plants in my yard and my cat has never eaten any”.
But cats end up at the vets due to ingesting something they shouldn’t have all the time.
I couldn’t find any reliable numbers on the topic. But you don’t have to look far to read countless stories of poisoned kitties.
The bottom line is that it’s just not worth the risk. I know that’s heartbreaking to hear if you have a wonderful garden comprising of many plants that are toxic to cats.
You don’t have to remove poisonous plants though. You can use deterrents to repel cats or meshing to secure the area.
In Summary
Hopefully, this article has helped raise some awareness of the potential dangers some seemingly innocent plants and flowers pose to curious cats.
The seeds of morning glories, in particular, are very poisonous to cats and other pets.
If you have morning glories around your home, you should seriously consider doing something to make sure your cat, and any other cats, can’t come into contact with this plant.
Resources
Image credits – Photos by Jerry Wang, Silvia Fang, and Carol Petri on Unsplash
