The Anthurium is an evergreen on the windowsill and can be found in many households. If you share a home with house tigers, you should make sure when choosing indoor plants whether they are poisonous to the animals. Cats in particular often prefer to nibble on the ornamental plants than on the cat grass provided and could, unfortunately also with the flamingo flower, become ill from eating them.
Arum plants are poisonous to cats
Beware of arum plants
Like all plants of this plant genus, the anthurium is poisonous. The leaves contain calcium oxalate crystals and oxalic acid. If accidentally consumed, these substances irritate and damage the cat's mucous membranes.
Signs of poisoning can be:
- Excessive salivation
- difficulties swallowing
- Vomit
- diarrhea
Severe poisoning can even cause bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract. You can recognize them by traces of blood in the stool. The droppings may be unusually dark, almost black in color.
What to do if the cat ate the flamingo flower?
Immediately give the cat plenty to drink. Unfortunately, cats do not absorb liquids as readily as dogs. However, you can, for example, mix plenty of water with the feed to create a mushy consistency. This is relatively well received by cats.
Watch your animal. If it shows signs of poisoning despite these immediate measures, it is advisable to consult a veterinarian.
Better to be safe than sorry
You often hear the sentence: "Cats know what they are allowed to eat, they don't eat poisonous plants." That is definitely wrong, especially curious velvet paws prefer to snack on things that are not good for them. In a cat household, plants that are dangerous or even poisonous for house tigers should be placed out of reach for four-legged friends.
tips
Contact with the anthurium can also cause skin irritation in humans, so wear gloves when working on the plant. If children inadvertently nibble on the leaves, this also leads to swallowing difficulties, diarrhea and vomiting.