On houseplants, foods & essential oils. Which are cat friendly & which are toxic?

It struck me that as a teen with my first kitten a black moggy I named Ziggy. I wanted the name Sid, after Sid Vicious but my mother was dead set against it, and besides he turned out to be a she (the cat not the sex pistols front man). Over the years Ziggy eventually had another cat named after her by a friend of mine. Her Ziggy was a boy, but the fact she named him that in honour of our long-standing friendship and live of cats (she had one of Ziggy’s kittens !) warms my heart. But I digress. When I was a teen it was as we came out of the 70’s into the 80’s. We had no clue of an internet of things & the library was the only place to glean knowledge. Apart from the fact that it was no place for an aspiring punk rocker to hang out, I would not have had a clue that cats could be poisoned by ordinary things….

At that time, my sou roundings were the kind were it was fashionable to have houseplants dangling from ceilings suspended in a crocheted pot plant holder granny made. In it would be a common spider plant with its multiple new spiderlings on shoots dangling. In another corner hung a variegated leafed tradescantia or maybe some kind of trailing fern. 

I had hard & desperate crushes, unrequited. There was I yet to be a suitor of the caliber to buy me garage flowers. Even when I did have I had no knowledge that there were things on display or in use in our homes that could cause harm - other than those things mum kept locked in a medicine cabinet or were down in the depths of a forbidding damp & cobweb covered shed.

As the decades have passed our worlds have expanded, & so too eventually my knowledge. Underside developed a thirst for wisdom (and since age did not wholly bestow it upon me as it should, I continue to seek it!). Now the world is open & smaller. We have the kinds of exotic things in our homes we never had before. It’s important to acknowledge the joy in many of these things, but important I think to have an awareness some of what we have is laced with danger to our pets.

If I had a suitor, this mythical handsome dark stranger (& make him wealthy if you please!), he would gallop up, dismounting his charge as he came to a halt to present me with a truly glorious bouquet filled with blooms in all shades & hues. And oh my! it would be heady with its mixture of floral, sweet & musky scents . What possible danger could there that lurks within this extravagant & beautiful gift? 

Let’s take the flamboyant Lily flower as our example. As she bursts open, her showy petals curl back, exposing her leggy tendrilled stamen. I’m sure you already know that as it gets past its best it can drip orange powder which easily stains. But this powder, this stamen is toxic. In fact it’s not just the bloom as most species of lily is toxic to some extent! However, should you become the lucky recipient of a bouquet which has Lily flowers you have no need to despair. The moment she has burst open, rather than risk your cat brushing by and becoming anointed with this powder then later grooming it off thereby ingesting it instead take a pair of scissors and with care & with kitchen paper held in your cupped hand below where you cut, simply snip the stamen away, wrapping the tissue into a parcel in the closed waste bin. 

As well as the weekly (if you are lucky) or occasion flowers you may enjoy, we might have houseplants for greenery or interest. At present actually,  there’s lots of hype for those which are air cleaning. Even though you have a cat, these environment enhancing plants are not to be sneezed at (unless you are allergic - in which case, your beau should instead provide chocolate!) . Like the Lily, some plants can be harmful - especially if your cat wants to sample it. In my 40 something years of experience most cats won’t take a blind bit of notice of your flowers or your plants, however, if your cat happens to be Floozy, then you’ll know that she dies her best not to be like “most cats”. Oh no, this little madam will chew all of the leaves on the carefully chosen & possibly air cleaning cat friendly houseplants that your ever loving cat-mumma has chosen to have and tries to look after in her home! >^..^<

Luckily, because I’m no horticultural or chemistry expert & it’s a new century we have Google - our wondrous receptacle of wisdom with many many resources - as long as you pick the resource wisely. I’m not proud, I’ve spent many long moments squinting at the plant labels in a store or nursery typing in the Latin or common name of a plant in order to seek expert guidance before taking any plant to the checkout. Or not. Just as well isn’t it since Floozy needs to taste sample them all. 

If having read this, you want to know more, do please Google a good & reliable source. Many nursery websites have taken time to provide lists of safe plant species for both indoors and out. I’ll start you off if I may by linking to a Petplan article you can see by clicking >>> Here And one from the PDSA >>> Here

Linked closely to plants since they are the origin of them all, some essential oils which are by nature super concentrated, are highly toxic to cats (& some they just don’t like!) This is not to say that if you enjoy them for fragrancing your home or use essential oils therapeutically or holistically (or to deter certain visitors) that they are out of bounds, only that it’s important to be aware so that you can take that extra care. To know more, have a look at what PDSA says on the subject by clicking >>> Here

Also coming from plants, you may be interested to read about foods that are poisonous to our pets. You can do this by clicking >>> Here and, should you be interested while you are on the PDSA’s website you’ll be able to download their free pet first-aid guide. 

Please understand, in writing this post the last thing I want to do is to scare anybody.  As I write I’m always particularly mindful that my wonderful new pet parents will be readers & may soon be taking home their first cat or may not long have kept cats. Let me say this,  to redress the balance a bit; I’ve lived with cats for over 40 years and I’ve had ZERO events happen to my cats ever whether they’re indoor only or were outside venturing furries. And that includes plant sampling Floozy!  

Additionally it was a looooooong time into my cat keeping before I knew any of this stuff in order to do a reconnaissance of my home in such a way that would eliminate/prevent harm to my cats from this kind of toxin. The reason that I post about this now is for those new pet parents, for all pet parents so that you are forewarned and armed to manage risk & prevent harm.

The point of my going right back to my first cat - and talking about the antics of my most recent addition, is to provide example of how rare such sn event is - even when you are ignorant as I was. Yes, it’s probably true that back then, we didn’t know about such hazards and equally didn’t have quite so many hazards in our homes as we do now (I’m thinking here about exotic oils and foods we might have). 

Yes Granny, your spider plant is cat-safe, but I still say that the crochet thing can go! (Actually, don’t tell Gran but I believe crochet is enjoying a bit of a revival! Oh, and don’t let me stop you, I’m not gonna be all judgy if you want to crochet yourself a pot hanger thingy). 

Floozy is the first and only cat I’ve ever had to bite my plants. In point of fact she has eaten them. And she still will. And yes, when she’s eaten them she’s puked them out again too. I find the evidence plus my poor plants look awful. Phew, luckily for her they are cat safe plants! 

It’s true cats do sometimes eat grass. Fur cats are said to nibble grass to make themselves sick as a way to rid themselves of a fur ball. By the way this is not the same as cat grass which you can buy as seed kit in pet stores grow and give your indoor cat access to if you wish. My miaustore water fountain even has an option of a little cat grass container to set in it.  

Now that I’ve introduced you to this subject and no doubt I’ve put a healthy dose of fear into you which in many ways I’m sorry for. Believe me, I almost feel your anxiety to get to the end of this post so that you can start your home audit to Google every single houseplant you’ve got and lock away the lavender and tea tree oil quick smart! 

But, while I do appreciate that it’s a scary subject. I hope that on balance you’ll be glad to know these things. And, to go with that, maybe you should know what do you do if you ever did suspected that your cat (or dog) had ingested something that she or he ought not to have… 

What are the signs? Again, I’m no expert, but a brilliant source of info for us cat people is the website cats.org.uk and their page on which site this kind of info can be viewed is >>> Here. And in a real life emergency the vet is definitely where you should be headed. 

I’ve deliberately not spoken in this post about our current kitten litter. Please don’t hold that against me. Yes I’ve mentioned my girls the kong departed but not forgotten Ziggy & the very precocious Floozy, but only as an example and to evidence that in the 40 +  years I’ve shared my life & home with cats that in all that time I’d not had a cat who even wanted to taste sample everything. And that when she did, because I did by then know. the plants she nibbles are cat safe plants & while she has been sick in removing them, she has not been poisoned.  The reason I do not wish to speak about a litter here is because in years to come I want to  re-post this so that the next generation of new kitten parents will be given the information that for so long I was ignorant of. 

 

Unashamedly besotted

If you read yesterday’s blog post you’ll know exactly what I did today, and a job well done it was. Now we have a 3rd top entry tray in position plus the side entry tray which is I believe only chosen when there’s congestion in the top entry trays are crowded. The adults don’t ever go in together but the kittens have no privacy issues and will happily get in together or dive in on top of an adult, well their mum I’ve seen receive a kitty ion her back mid flow! Anyway, it’s spic n span job done, all cheap n nasty litter gone. 

Other than that, it’s been a normal day here with play times, sleeping & the regular event of tummy filling while I stand guard to ensure that the adults social distance until every kitten has finished, shaken his back legs, stretched to ease his full belly & shuffle away. 

Play is interesting to watch actually, you get a feel for developmental stage, witness failures, followed by increasing prowess & ability. A sureness in ability, and the best bit of all the characters of each kitten as he (or indeed she when there are girls in a litter) becomes able to appreciate that they have a will of their own - and believe me, some are waaaay more wilful than others! 

Maybe due to his larger size right from birth, despite being last out, Humphrey has made a point of being first and fastest particularly when food is around. First to the kitchen racing me and winning despite his little legs being microscopic in comparison to mine. He is most definitely first to eat (though Grogu has caught up in that department!) he is always first to finish. He was first to work out the adults get different food and when! But he is also most chilled. Maybe he is assured in his largeness! Of course being the only black kitten, maybe he already felt special, same colour as my mum! 

Then there’s Grogu who has grown into himself, in recent weeks. He is a greedy young man, brave in battle with his brothers, he is like a charging rhino, single minded & focussed. He is wilful, he has no qualms about voicing his displeasure when he thinks he is going to be prevented from achieving what he sets out to do. I’ve been told “heeeyyyyy” on a few occasions, mostly when redistribution of kittens around a food bowl is required (we will come back to that topic later!) 

Basil & Vincent might be smaller in stature, but they make up for it during duals whether they’re against each other or one of their brothers, or even their mum! Not that she takes any notice any more than they do. I think maybe it’s cunning, perhaps by crying (wolf) their opponent will loosen his grip or be distracted and when that occurs, the squealer takes his opportunity to strike. I did used to find the yells alarming, thinking that someone was being hurt, but as I watched I would see that the one yelling was also the antagonist, egging the other to rejoin the battle. It’s all play, it’s nature preparing them to be skilled hunters and fighters in the game that is survival of the cutest. I did type fittest but must have mistyped and instead the word cutest was put in. I left it because it made me smile. The fact that none of these boys will need to rely upon his abilities in hunting or fighting does not stop nature from driving kittens to go through the motions of learning those skills. 

Basil is a thinker and sometimes appears more happy in his own company, as it play is somehow beneath him and shrugs it off. He is often last to the bowl, or I’ll have had to go wake him as he has not heard my call (kittens! Kittens!) . He will often secure himself to leave mid meal not having had opportunity to deal with his bladder before being lifted from slumber & taxied to the kitchen. He returns and eats more, but satisfied, and Humphrey already gone, leaves Vincent & Grogu to it. 

Vincent, he is a dainty eater, he takes his sweet time. Even though Grogu wants to be last to leave, he can’t squeeze in another mouthful and goes, while Vincent unhurried, munches on. Around him, like waiting vultures, 3 adult cats are getting impatient, creeping forwards they’ll have the excuse that a morsel is on my otherwise clean floor, but getting brave they might sneak a nose over the edge of the bowl. I say the name and the naughty vulture will retreat, while Vincent munches on. He finishes (eventually) and shakes each back foot, then taking a couple of steps will arch and stretch before sauntering off. 

After food, if they don’t immediately sleep it off, play will commence, and particularly in the late evening this will include Floozy who runs with them encouraging them to race back & forth between rooms. My cats often race in the same way when kittens are not about and then very often I am run over the top of as I lay on my bed, Im used at times as some kind of springboard too.  There’s great interest in football skills, my laminate floor lending itself to this and the chase of the batter ball rather well. Mice of course, and climbing, jumping and hide n seek. The games I object to are those where kittens want to bite fingers (& toes) and I will always offer /use a toy as a play object rather than my hand so that they never get to think or have any expectation of fingers as being play things. My toes will be quickly pulled away and hidden under the blanket if they become interesting to a wakeful kitten!

I am unashamedly adding a video here which I captured after my shower this afternoon. It was about 5:30pm and the sun was coming into my bedroom window. The scene was so beautiful and I’m very aware that this scene is only going to be played out for a short time more. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did. I did however notice yet again my breathing as I listened back. The microphone is so sensitive I sound like I need to be on a ventilator! Apologies for that. I’m fine by the way!  

Why oh why?

When attending the vet recently I thought I’d purchase some of their clumping cat litter. I have a pal who uses it and gets on ok with it. I DO NOT know how. Terrible stuff. I should have listened to myself and gone to Bitiba as I usually do and invested in a decent quality litter. I have since done so and await its delivery. May it please arrive tomorrow so I can change it out at the earliest opportunity. Why do I do this to myself? I frequently go in to feed and scoop her boys when she goes away. I know her litter is rubbish quality. Lesson learned. Mind you, I do enjoy experimenting with litters. With varying results. 

Before Floozy I could happily use eco type corn or wood litters (always the clumping kind!) but Floozy is not keen. I very much like Tigerrino Fresh, a clumping silicate litter however, the grains are very fine and because our cats have very deep footpads it does travel with them despite top entry trays & litter mats etc. I’m currently using some multicat fine grained clay litters. They are due to the clay however quite heavy which with my back is a problem so I will likely go back to Tigerino. Scented litters are a gimmick  - maybe in a single cat household they are noticeably fragrancing or a smaller room might concentrate it a bit more. I look for tight clumping litter & advise litter is kept deep. This way, you can scoop under & lift a tight ball of soiled litter leaving very little break off. Silicate is said to seal the chemical that makes urine smell inside allowing the water content to evaporate and this antibacterial and also this works to petrify the poop. Not that it remains in the tray long . I try to keep right on top of it - which with (currently) 7 poopers, one of whom has a colitis issue (Floozy) means that I am kept rather busy especially at the two top entry trays currently in use. True to form, as soon as they are able to get up and into them (& back out) the kittens choose to use these too. When the new litter arrives I will add a third top entry tray there and will remove the open tray. The side entry one is visited now only when someone can’t wait and there’s a queue! The only thing that haven’t learned is how to go in /out of a litter tray door flap. I remove these as they are difficult for small learning babies to get to grips with amd by the time they would be big enough they’ve chosen the top entry trays anyway! 

A previous family who took 2 kittens in 2019, Karma & Lux a blue and black pair for the same litter (same parents as the current litter) where trained to use the toilet. It is something I’ve considered embarking on . You buy a kit with a system of rings that sit on the toilet seat, first moving the litter tray to the bathroom as close to the loo as possible, you then put litter in the full cover ring on the toilet seat and encourage the cats to use this. You progress through a series of rings about 3 more rings each with larger central holes thereby the cat is encouraged to learn to balance on the toilet seat squatting over the toilet. They can’t however lift a lid, nor can they flush! A Geberit toilet with a flush sensor might work which normally a person could trigger a flush by passing their hand in front of. Positioned well the cat passing it could do the same perhaps? 

This couple did a great job of removing the need for a litter tray, buying litter and scooping - that was until the man came home one evening with a tiny foundling kitten who of course needed a litter tray… the cats started to use the tray again. I believe this is because it’s instinctual to dig. Just before starting kittens onto their weaning I put a shallow litter tray in with them and they dig and squat with no training at all despite still being toileted at that stage by mum (& aunts), so the training they had undertaken was undone and the cats by choosing again to exhibit their natural behaviour had exhibited a choice. 

I’ve an auto scooping tray too. I used that with one cat but no way is it able to be cleaned just once a month. The idea is that the cat used the tray and a sensor knows they’ve exited. After a pause it rakes the (non clumping silicate) litter while raising a hopper lid into which it deposits poop before the rake returns again. The raking is “stirring” the silicate litter which is as you’ll recall designed to allow water in the urine to evaporate while keeping hold of and grabbing the amonia. I just didn’t find it that great. The cartridges are disposable which is meant to mean you never need scoop or touch the litter but they are expensive and don’t last a month. I bought a lm accessory allowing me to refill a plastic tray. It made it cheaper but I still needed to empty and clean a tray. For me it wasn’t a win. There are a couple of other auto trays which do get good reviews ~ the litter robot is one, and the litter genie is another. The genie you plumb into your toilet waste system. It has plastic beads as cat litter which are washed and dried at every use. Of them all this appeals to be most however, it does require an electrician and plumbers and space beside your toilet. The worrying aspect for me is that the plastic beads won’t all be permanent. Some will be stuck to poop and be flushed away. This has an oceanic environmental impact that I just can’t live with, despite never needing to buy regular cat litter (only “top up” beads).

The other kind of tray I had was one you manually rolled. A mechanism inside would as you turned it (once) filter out solids into a lined hopper draw leaving the cleaned litter after a rotation. The hopper could then be regularly changed. Hmmmm, looking at the mechanism which in it’s resting position is now over the top of kitty’s head, this was not a particularly clean system.  No. 

It’s the experience of that manual one that’s stopped me seeking out a robo litter box since this works by the rotation method. 

What about the litters that are flushable? I did use these for a time, following instructions I checked it was ok to do so and I duly began flushing. That was great. However, pretty soon the drainage outside was not doing so great and it become blocked. Despite carefully doing exactly as was prescribed.  That episode proved expensive. I don’t flush. 

So, of all the trays I’ve bought and tried,  I’ve gone back to standard scooping & the only adjustments I’ve stuck with are the top entry trays which satisfies the cats desire for privacy and to dig, looks attractive (I have Modkat in White & in Black and I have the cheaper and more utilitarian Savic as well). And I’m not using cheap litter again either. No. No and No.

On a more pleasant subject, there’s the fact that a certain two kittens have learned the sound of the auto food dispensers I use for Noodle & Floozy. Prune has a microchip feeder and is very good at eating in moderation however, Noodle, once spayed is prone to weight gain & though she had a microchip feeder too, and she also had diet food after a year on that she still gained weight. She has no self regulation. While I’m sure that we can all sympathise with that, she had become a wide load & I needed to do more to help her. I did this with the help of my first auto feeder. This allowed me to control when, how often and how much she ate. Finally she lost weight. A little too much and I’ve allowed some to be put back on. I need to reign that back again slightly which I’ll do over the winter. I added a second auto feeder to manage Floozy who has no off switch and is a very greedy madam. Again, I sympathise, but my job is caring for their health. She is on steroids and this makes her extra hungry so, the inability to have food all the time afforded by these is vital. These units allow you to record your voice (some models can be controlled via an app! ). I’ve tried to synchronise the two to go together but I’ve not quite got it right. This means that food drops in one, then about 29 seconds later, the recoding saved in the other plays before it dispenses. The sound of the food dropping to the stainless steel bowl is all the invitation Floozy needs. From wherever she is, before the last nugget has fallen she is there! Now she is joined by two other hungry hippos Humphrey and Grogu who as you can see, tuck in beside her. Dear Noodle, she sits out of the picture as she knows that here kittens eat first (though doesn’t realise that this means for their food not hers!) . So these to chaos are eating Natures Menu and a small quota of Orijen too! What a cheek! 

Yes, well spotted, unfortunately the water is right next to the food and this is not the correct textbook set up. Food and water should not be together. Sadly, I’m limited by the availability of electrical sockets. Sound familiar?