Most of us probably know that many houseplants are poisonous for cats. However, have you ever thought about bouquets you bring home?
Do you also know this situation – cat grass is in every window of your apartment but your cat is still after anything green you happen to have at home, from carrot leaves to a large rose bouquet? All plants have to be out of reach of the cat which means they don’t have much space, so it’s not very green here.
And getting a bouquet was always a bit of a punishment for me. A cat almost jumped on me the second I showed up at home with it. It was very persistent until I put the flower somewhere out of sight. As I wasn’t sure it’s okay for the pet, the poor bouquet usually ended up in the bathroom or in any other (not really presentable) place where it couldn’t show off its beauty and pleasant smell.
That’s why I’m happy I found out several kinds of flowers I can have on the kitchen cupboard or on the windowsill knowing that nothing worse than some spilled water might happen. And there’s no threat for me to have at home a withered bouquet because the cat will be able to tear it apart before it could come to that.
One general tip first – avoid mixed bouquets and opt for those with one kind of flowers instead. It also applies to decorative leaves around. A now let’s move to the safe kinds of flowers.
The first kind you don’t have to worry about because of your cat is rose. Stick to the traditional roses from Rosacea family. Roses are classic that won’t be bad for any occasion and their smell is amazing.
Also, alstroemerias, the so-called Lily of the Incas, are safe flowers. CAUTION – they are not traditional lilies, those are extremely toxic for cats! On the other hand, alstroemerias are safe, relatively cheap and they are nice for a long time. They occur in many beautiful colours.
One of my favourites are gerberas. They don’t last as long as alstroemerias but they have stunning large petals available in many colours. It is the fifth most popular cut flower, so it will be no problem to buy them.
Finding out that also orchids belong to non-toxic plants for cats was quite a surprise. This flower is a small artwork and it lasts years if you take care of it well. Of course, if the cat doesn’t eat it, destroy its roots or otherwise ruin it.
The last safe flowers for cats are sunflowers. It’s quite an ordinary flower but its nice, large yellow petals can brighten up the entire apartment.
If you get a bouquet and you aren’t sure it’s safe for your cat, rather put it somewhere out of its reach. Even in the case your cat doesn’t usually bite flowers. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
You can check whether the plant is safe or not for example in the Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List – Cats.
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