The Backyard Zoo

by Jim Dunlap

"Poisonous Household Plants"

Simple Simon met a pie man going to the fair. Said Simple Simon to the pie man "Got any fresh cut flowers? I think I swallowed a hamster." We all know that cats will eat green plants to aid in digestion or to assist in the removal of hairballs. Simon the cat, who lives with one of our staff, who does not want her name used so we will just call her Donna Marlin, decided to consume some greenery in a batch of flowers. The beautiful bouquet was a gift, by the way, from a loving husband. Not only did Simon's little FTD salad did not provide him with gentle overnight relief, but he continued to regurgitate for two days. Soon he was suffering from a bad case of dry heaves and was suffering from dehydration. A trip to the vet got him re-hydrated and feeling much better.

Household plants and bouquets of flowers are fraught with problems and pregnant with danger for indoor pets. The list is long and I could start with Aconite and go all the way to Yesterday-today-and-tomorrow (that's a flower) and still not mention the one that made your cat barf. The trouble with bouquets is that most of them are decorated with unidentifiable foliage. Personally I can't tell the difference between a carnation and a chrysanthemum, so I really do not know what the greenery might be. The holidays are upon us so there are two plants that I can soapbox about: Mistletoe, the berries can be fatal, and Poinsettia, the leaves are bad news.

According to Dr. Ted Staph, High Point Animal Hospital, our highly recommended, on-call veterinarian, should your Garfield gobble green garnish, watch for these symptoms: excessive regurgitation, diarrhea, lethargy, and/or irritability that differs from his usual irritability. He may be suffering from toxic gastritis, a fancy phrase for killer tummy ache. Take him to your vet for supportive care that might include nutrients, antacids, gut protectant, and Kaopectate.

Best word of advice is to keep your prowling impacted, hairball-packing pussycat away from the plants. Other options, you could marry someone with a lot of allergies, or just move out and not tell the cat. Just kidding!

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