Pet-Safe Flowers and Toxic Plants for Dogs and Cats

Many pet-safe flowers are on the ASPCA’s non-toxic lists for both dogs and cats, including roses, zinnias, garden snapdragons, and African violets. If you have a cat, true lilies are especially toxic and can cause kidney failure. A few names are misleading: “daisy” can mean a chrysanthemum, which is on the ASPCA’s toxic list, and lily of the valley isn’t a true lily but may affect a pet’s heart.

Some plants on the toxic lists mostly upset a pet’s stomach, while others can do real harm to both dogs and cats, including sago palm, azaleas, and spring bulbs like daffodils. With tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths, the bulb is where the toxin is most concentrated. Tulips and hyacinths are on the ASPCA’s toxic list for cats, even though Pet Poison Helpline counts them among safer cut flowers for cat homes, with a note that they may cause more stomach upset.

If your pet died after eating a plant, we’re so sorry. Our resources for sudden pet loss are here for you, and there’s a section near the end of this guide, too.

Key Takeaways

• In cats, every part of an Easter, tiger, stargazer, Oriental, or Asiatic lily or a daylily is toxic, including the pollen and vase water, and may lead to kidney failure. Dogs may get an upset stomach from these lilies, but not kidney failure.
• If your pet might have just eaten a toxic plant, call a vet or a poison line right away, such as Pet Poison Helpline at 855-764-7661 ($89 per incident) or ASPCA Poison Control at 888-426-4435 (a fee may apply). Only make your pet vomit if a vet or the poison line tells you to.
• Among garden and bouquet plants, sago palm, azaleas and rhododendrons, oleander, autumn crocus, lily of the valley, foxglove, and daffodils may seriously poison both dogs and cats. Tulip and hyacinth bulbs are more toxic than the flowers.
• Roses, zinnias, garden snapdragons, petunias, impatiens, African violets, gerbera daisies, and moth orchids are on the ASPCA’s non-toxic lists for dogs and for cats. However, any plant may upset a pet’s stomach.
• If sympathy flowers with lilies arrive and you have a cat, you can move them out of the house or into a room your cat can’t get into. If you’re sending flowers to a home with a cat, you can ask the florist to leave lilies out.

Pet-Safe Flowers for Dogs and Cats

Roses, zinnias, garden snapdragons, petunias, impatiens, gerbera daisies, African violets, and moth orchids are pet-safe flowers, non-toxic to both dogs and cats. Every one is in the non-toxic section of both ASPCA species lists. For cats: Plants Non-Toxic to Cats. For dogs: Plants Non-Toxic to Dogs. Both lists are alphabetical so that you can find a plant by its common name.

A few names overlap:

• Gerbera daisies are non-toxic, but not every flower sold as a daisy is. “Daisy” is also a common name for chrysanthemum, which is on the ASPCA’s toxic lists.
• Impatiens show up on the ASPCA’s lists as “Impatience Plant,” non-toxic to dogs and cats.
• Moth orchids (Phalaenopsis) are listed as non-toxic. For other orchids, look up their names on the ASPCA list.
• Marigolds come with a caveat. The Pet Poison Helpline says marigolds in the Tagetes genus, such as African and French marigolds, may cause mild irritation to the gastrointestinal tract when ingested, and the sap may irritate skin on contact. Pot marigold (calendula) is considered non-toxic. If marigolds are part of a Día de los Muertos ofrenda for your pet and other animals share your home, you can set them where the others can’t reach.

Pet-Safe Flowers for a Home With a Cat

For cut flowers in a cat home, the safer choices on Pet Poison Helpline’s list are roses, snapdragons, sunflowers, zinnias, gerbera daisies, orchids, and spring crocus. Carnations, baby’s breath, irises, mums, tulips, hyacinths, and Peruvian lilies are on the same list, marked as flowers that may cause more stomach upset than the others. None of them is expected to harm the kidneys, liver, or nervous system.

The ASPCA lists carnations, irises, mums, tulips, and hyacinths as toxic to cats. Roses, zinnias, snapdragons, gerbera daisies, and moth orchids are on both Pet Poison Helpline’s safer list and the ASPCA’s non-toxic list for cats.

Which Flowers Are Toxic to Dogs and Cats?

True lilies (for cats), sago palm, azaleas and rhododendrons, oleander, foxglove, autumn crocus, lily of the valley, and daffodils are among the plants that can seriously poison pets. Tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths have the most toxin in their bulbs. Others, like chrysanthemums, houseplant cyclamen, and kalanchoe, mostly cause stomach upset in dogs and cats.

Any plant may cause vomiting and gastrointestinal upset for dogs and cats, even a non-toxic one. Plants whose main effect is mild stomach upset usually aren’t life-threatening.

How serious an exposure is depends on the plant, the part, how much was eaten, and the animal. The ASPCA’s list isn’t meant to cover every plant, so if something in your home or yard isn’t mentioned here, look it up by name on the ASPCA’s list or ask a poison line.

Are Lilies Toxic to Cats and Dogs?

Yes, for cats. Every part of an Easter, tiger, stargazer, or Oriental lily is toxic and can cause vomiting, abdominal pain, dehydration and acute kidney failure. For dogs, it depends. Dogs who eat true lilies may get minor stomach upset but do not develop kidney failure. Lily of the valley, not a true lily, may seriously poison dogs.

Asiatic, Madonna, and rubrum lilies, as well as daylilies, are dangerous for cats too. In a cat, even a small amount of any true lily, like a little pollen or vase water, may be enough to cause kidney failure. If your cat might have eaten any part of one, call a vet or a poison line right away. If you’re taking your cat in, bring the plant too.

Peruvian lilies, or alstroemeria, can pass for small true lilies. In cats, they don’t cause kidney failure, though they may cause a mild upset stomach, and they’re on Pet Poison Helpline’s safer cut-flower list for cat homes.

Are Peace Lilies, Calla Lilies, and Lily of the Valley Toxic to Pets?

Peace lilies, calla lilies, and lily of the valley can all make a pet sick, though none of them is a true lily. Peace lilies and calla lilies can both irritate the mouth and stomach. With a peace lily, dogs and cats can get intense burning and irritation of the mouth, tongue, and lips, plus drooling, vomiting, and trouble swallowing.

Lily of the valley carries heart toxins. In dogs and cats, it often causes vomiting and loss of appetite, and it may also cause severe signs, including changes in heart rate and rhythm, weakness, and seizures. If you’re not sure which lily you have, the florist or a tag that gives the scientific name can tell you.

Sympathy Flowers in a Home With a Cat

Sympathy flowers sometimes arrive in a home with a cat. If the arrangement has lilies, you can keep these toxic plants away from curious cats by moving the flowers out of the house or keeping your cat out of the room.

If you’re choosing flowers for someone grieving a pet and a cat lives there, you can ask the florist to leave out lilies. Roses, snapdragons, and sunflowers are all on Pet Poison Helpline’s list of safer cut flowers for homes with cats.

Other Toxic Plants in Gardens and Bouquets

Beyond true lilies, several garden and bouquet plants can seriously poison dogs and cats, while others mostly upset the stomach.

Plants That Can Seriously Poison Dogs and Cats

Every part of a sago palm is toxic, especially the seed (or nut). In dogs and cats, it may cause bloody vomiting, stumbling, seizures, and liver failure.

Azaleas belong to the rhododendron group, and all of them are toxic to dogs and cats. Eating a few leaves can cause serious problems. Signs can include vomiting, drooling, diarrhea, weakness, low blood pressure, and collapse.

Oleander and foxglove both act on the heart. Oleander can cause an irregular heart rate and rhythm, along with vomiting and weakness. Foxglove’s signs include vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, cardiac failure, and heart rhythm problems.

Autumn crocus is also called meadow saffron. Eating it, fresh or dried, results in severe poisoning causing gastrointestinal signs, organ failure, and shock in dogs and cats. Spring crocus is on Pet Poison Helpline’s safer list for cat homes, but autumn crocus isn’t.

Spring Bulbs: Tulips, Daffodils, and Hyacinths

With tulips and hyacinths, the toxin is most concentrated in the bulb. A nibble of the leaves or flowers may result in mild nausea with vomiting, while eating the bulb can cause longer-lasting vomiting, diarrhea, drooling, and lethargy.

Daffodils have toxins in every part, and eating the plant or bulb results in vomiting, which may be severe, leading to profound dehydration, weakness, and shock in dogs and cats.

Are Poinsettias, Holly, Mistletoe, and Amaryllis Toxic to Pets?

All four can make a pet sick. Poinsettias are generally over-rated in toxicity, but they can irritate the mouth and stomach and sometimes cause vomiting. Holly leaves and berries are low toxicity and can still cause vomiting and diarrhea.

American mistletoe can cause vomiting, diarrhea, difficulty breathing, low heart rate, and, rarely, low blood pressure. Amaryllis can cause vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, hypersalivation, and tremors in dogs and cats.

Plants That Mostly Upset the Stomach

Some plants on the toxic lists are milder in practice. Houseplant varieties of cyclamen commonly cause digestive irritation with drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea. Heart rhythm problems and seizures are possible after a large amount, but uncommon.

Kalanchoe belongs to a group of plants that contain heart toxins, but in dogs and cats it most often results in gastrointestinal irritation or upset, though a large amount may still affect heart rate and rhythm.

Eating a chrysanthemum is typically only going to cause gastrointestinal upset. If your pet ate any of these three, a vet or poison line can tell you whether they need to be seen.

What to Do If Your Pet Eats a Toxic Plant

If your pet may have eaten a toxic plant, call a vet, an emergency clinic, or a pet poison line, and have the plant’s name or a photo of it ready. A poison line can tell you whether your pet needs to be seen.

• Pet Poison Helpline is available 24/7 at 855-764-7661 and charges $89 per incident. ASPCA Poison Control, at 888-426-4435, is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and a consultation fee may apply.
• For a dog, the vet will want to know how much your dog ate, when they ate it, and approximately how much they weigh. Tell them which part of the plant it was, too, since a leaf and a bulb can be very different.
• Only make your pet vomit if you’re told to after consulting a vet or Pet Poison Helpline or another poison line.

The same call applies to medicines, and our guide to Benadryl toxicity in dogs covers one of them. If your pet is being treated now, ask the vet caring for them what comes next.

If Your Pet Died After Eating a Plant

We’re so sorry about your pet.

If what happened keeps replaying, our guide to grief after an accidental pet death has ways to help with that moment and the days after it.

Some people want to understand what happened. If a vet treated your pet, you can ask the clinic for a copy of the records and a time to talk it through. You can ask anything, including whether the plant is what caused it.

Our directory of pet loss grief counselors, near you or online, is there if you’d like someone to talk to about the grief itself.

Choosing Pet-Safe Flowers and Plants

When you’re choosing pet-safe flowers, the plant’s exact name is what the ASPCA’s lists and a poison line go by. A florist or nursery can give you that name when a tag doesn’t, and a florist can tell you what’s in a bouquet before it’s delivered.

Flowers are one way to show up for someone after a pet dies. Our list of gifts for someone whose pet died has other options. Our guide to planting a tree in memory of a pet walks through one option some families choose, step by step.