Conference misery::feline

    Jan,
    
    I have had the same trouble with Herbie.  We have several large floor
    plants; a ficus tree, a palm, and another I don't know the name of but
    it has large, long, fronds that sort of curve over as they grow to form
    an upside down U (but not so U-shaped).
    
    Herbie is always chowing down on these plants.  I have to cut off the
    bottom stems so he can't reach, but he always manages to eat the
    ficus tree by climbing on the cat tree located next to it, thus getting
    the middle leaves.  Sometimes he doesn't react but a few times he has
    heaved the foamy stuff with pieces of leaf in it.  Just Sunday morning
    he wasn't interested in eating his canned food so I knew he wasn't
    feeling well.  I offered him some petromalt and he ate some big globs. 
    A few minutes later I heard the gagging sound and up came the foamy
    vomit with bits of ficus tree inside.  He was fine for the rest of the
    day.
    
    I am seriously thinking of tossing out the tree, but my husband's
    mother gave it to us and he won't be very amenable to that suggestion. 
    My other alternative to is grow kitty green for Herbie.
    
    Did the vet or Poison Control Center mention anythng about the toxicity
    of the ficus?
    
    Glad to hear Onyx is doing much better!!  BTW, I have never heard of
    that milk.  Did you find it at the local market?
    
    
    -Roberta
    

    Roberta,
    
    By the time I called the Poison Control center, I was focused on the
    fact that he'd eaten the Chinese Evergreen.  I didn't even ask them
    about the Ficus.  The emergency vet assistant didn't find the Ficus
    on her list but then she didn't find Chinse Evergreen either so that
    isn't a good gauge.
    
    I didn't find "sweet" acidophilus milk but I did find just plain 
    acidophilus milk so I got that.  I was out of milk anyway so I had
    some myself too.  Not bad.  Settled my upset stomach too.
    
    I just don't know what I'm going to do about Onyx.  I only have 4
    plants in the house and he's turned the leaves of one of them into
    toys (it is down to nubby stems now), used the ficus pot to dig in,
    chewed the leaves off another tiny plant and is now working on the
    chinese everygreen, not to mention that in his haste to get to the
    plants he's managed to dump them out of their pots multiple times.
    What is it about black cats?  I've lived with 2 other black cats
    before (not mine but former roommates cats before I became a cat
    lover) and both of them had a tendency to uproot or chew on plants.
    None of my other cats have ever done this.  Bailey's choice of chewies
    has always been my clothing and the other two don't do any clothing or
    plant chewing.
    
    Jan

    Jan,
    
    Don't feel bad.  None of my cats had a plant fetish (except for TK who
    liked to sleep in the ficus pot shortly after we adopted him from
    outside--he wasn't used to being in and the plant gave him that
    outdoorsy feeling!!) before Herbie joined the clan.  Now he has Taja
    eating them, and the two of them just chow down with gusto!!  I am
    always asking them if they would like some salad dressing to go with
    the plants.  :^)
    
    It is only the ficus tree that seems to bother them; the others have no
    adverse affect at all.  The old Feline conference has a list of
    poisonous plants, so I'm going to access the file and see what the note
    has to say.
    
    Incidentally, the only black cat I have is Nikki, and he doesn't eat
    indoor plants.  But then, he is a longhair, and longhairs have a tendency
    to be more laidback as a rule.  (probably generalizing here!!)
    
    
    -Roberta
    

plants and cats - you can keep one or the other, but not both...except for
plants that are good for your cats to eat, that is.  I have no idea where
you would put a plant to deter a determined cat....except on the other side
of a door.

When in doubt about a plant, you might talk to an experienced landscape
designer/nurseryman/woman...sometimes they will know more about toxicity of
plants for children and pets.

>>    Incidentally, the only black cat I have is Nikki, and he doesn't eat
>>    indoor plants.  But then, he is a longhair, and longhairs have a tendency
>>    to be more laidback as a rule.  (probably generalizing here!!)
    
    Roberta, I have news for you about longhaired cats being laid back. 
    You are welcome to stop over at any time and we'll prove you wrong or
    should I say Zelda, our black longhaired (crazy) cat will prove you
    wrong?  :^) :^)    (I know, you were generalizing but I wanted to
    harrass you since you aren't coming to the party next week :^)

    In my precat days I used to have many plants. When I got Pandora, I
    got rid of all the poisonous plants. Then one by one all plants were
    destroyed by the cats.
    
    My husband bought me a tulip for Easter this week. Well when came
    through the door Thor's eyes lit up. First he jumped on the table
    and sniffed it for a while and rubbed against. Then of course he
    started chewing on it. Well I tried to hid it. The next morning I got 
    up and found the pot on the floor with Thor digging the soil out as 
    fast as he could. He had this look on face that said Damm she caught
    me. Needless to say I planted the tulips outside evan though it is
    not the right time of year.
    
                                      Alice
    

    Cheryl,
    
    Okay, I give!  :^)  Nikki is over 10, so maybe age has something to do
    with it!!  :^)  Of all my cats, Nikki is the one who never does
    anything wrong or gets into trouble.  Such a good boy!!
    

    I don't have my plant books here at the office for the correct
    spelling but you will know what I am saying.
    
    Ficus = Ficus Benjamina  (correct horticultural name)
    
    Chinese Evergreen = Spathaphilium ( correct horticultural name)
    
    The gal at the vets should have been able to find the ficus with
    no problem is she was spelling it somewheres near right.
    
    Mr. Miyagi loves the spathaphilium in our dining room. We have never
    had any kind of a problem him foaming at the mouth but he always
    barfs after eating ANY greens. He loves string beans, brocolli, and
    lettuce but we always end up cleaning it up off the carpet. Mr. Miyagi
    will get any greens, cooked or raw.  This summer we hope to introduce
    him to the lawn outside (while he is in a tokyo type cage) and see
    what he does.
    
    You got to love these guys....... and girls.
    
    Barbara

Since we're talking about poisin, does anyone know which house hold cleaner
it is that's supposed to be poisinous to cats?  Is it Lysol?

Holly

    Any household cleaner that contains Phenol is toxic to cats.  This
    includes Lysol, but is not limited to it.  Others are things like Pine
    Sol, etc.  Read the label carefully.
    
    Jo

    Geez, I must be blessed unusually good cats or I've done *something*
    right. I've lucked out with all my cats and plants. I've got about 30+
    plants and the only ones my cats torment are the spider plants with
    babies. It's like having a built-in kitty tease for Brany and Escoh.  I
    used to have this huge poinsetta (before I knew *anything* about
    poisonous plants & cats). Whenever I water my plants, Escoh comes
    flying into the room and sticks her head between the watering can and
    the plant. ("Gotta see where that water goes!" ;^)  At best she used to
    like to dig in the poinsetta right after I watered it but that was it.
    
    The plants I have lost was mainly due to watering problems. With the
    exception of a couple of african violets that got *furred* to death.
    For some reason both cats liked to sit in the window with the african
    violets and proceeded to shed all over them.
    
    It's funny that you mentioning oneof your cats sleeping *in* the plant
    Roberta. Both of mine like to take turns sleeping under one of my peace
    lilies. Reminds me of a mini-jungle kitty. ;^D
    
    Roslyn

    I've been somewhat blessed too...I have 10 cats,,,with many plants...
    and a bird and all have lived together happily.   Now I'm not that
    blessed because I have one cat who tears wallpaper, another who
    scratches wooden doors, another who tips over dishes, another who
    opens cabinets, another who misses his litterbox, and so on!!
    
    You just got to love them.  Happy to hear Onxy is doing okay!!! Try
    putting pinecones in the big pots...that suggestion solved my problem
    with one of them using it as a litterbox!!
    
    Sandy
    
    Sandy

    
    	Can someone place a pointer here to the note that lists
    	poisonous plants in the archived version of feline? (either
    	copy it here or tell us how to get there!) 
    
    	Sherr

    The archived version of FELINE can be found at:
    
    		WRO10C::FELINE_V1
         or     DAGWST::FELINE_V1
    
    
    I've attached one of the replies from the archived version.
    
    Jan
    
    
              <<< WRO10C::USER$:[NOTES$LIBRARY]FELINE_V1.NOTE;1 >>>
                    -< Meower Power is Valuing Differences >-
================================================================================
Note 757.0                      POISONOUS PLANTS                      14 replies
25192::MECLER "FRANK"                                20 lines   9-SEP-1987 16:54
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    The following is a short list of some common house and household
    plants which are toxic to animals and people.
    		Philodendrons
    		Dieffenbachia
    		True Ivies
    		Caladiums
    		Poinsettias
    		Winter cherry
    		Oleander
    		Rhododendrons
    		Azaleas
    		Common or cherry laurel
    		Mistletoe
    		Yew
    		Daffodils
    		Lily of the Valley
    Kitties which munch these can get mighty sick (and the green stuff
    on the rug is no joy either).
    
    Frank

    
    
    Rhubarb leaves are also poisonous -- and while I don't believe
    they're poisonous, spider plants are a favorite of my kitties
    for some reason and they always come back in a less than lovely
    mess on my carpet :-)

    I have a problem keeping green plants in my house!  Samatha has eaten
    my spider plant, swedish ivy, photos leaves, etc.  As I am going into a
    business opportuity that includes plants and I refuse to get rid of the
    cat...I need some tried and true advise of how the 2 can live in the
    same space.
    
    Any help will be appreciated...
    
    Thanks in advance...
    
    Alice
    

    Alice...here are some ideas to try!!
    
      o Keep a squirt bottle handy and squirt the kitty with ice
        water anytime you catch him eating a plant.   When your not
        home, keep the squirt bottle near the plants so kitty will
        relate to getting wet with eating plants.
    
      o If your kitty is an indoor kitty he might be lacking greens...
        so buy and plant your cat some kitty greens which he can 
        consider his.   Don't place the kitty greens near your other
        plants.   You can buy these kitty greens at pet stores and
        you can offer your kitty a nibble a couple times a day!! 
    
      o If you have a problem with kitty pooping in your bigger plants...
        I have solved that problem by placing pinecones on top of the
        soil.   My pinecones have been in the pot for 3 years...and 
        none of my kitties go near it.  (some folks use crushed rock or
        shells) 
    
      o Also be careful...because some plants can be fatal to cats!!
    
        Good luck...I have used most of these ideas and have lived 
        peacefully with multiple cats and multiple plants for a long
        time!!
     
        Sandy
    

    Thanks for the quick reply.  I will try getting her a plant that's just
    for her.  Water doesn't deter her, she is one of those "water-loving"
    kitties and my fear would be she'd be encouraged to eat the plants just
    so she could get squirted!!!  ;)
    
    Alice
    

    
    	Alice,
    
    	I have two water-babies myself, but you should see them run when
    	the squirt bottle comes out! Its okay to stand under the running
    	shower, but when someone else does it to them they get really
    	p**d off!
    
    	Funny thing is I use the bottle as a mister when I iron - both
    	cats leave the room the minutes they see it.....
    
    		Heidi

Also, remember the adage 'out of sight/reach out of mind'.  If you can hang
(or locate) the tastier plants where your kitty can't 'free feed' it will help.

kathy

(there's a reason my plants at work look better than the ones at home.  The only
plants that survive at home are the ones that are cat-resistant...)

    Here's a list of common plants that are poisonous.  This list is 
    provided by the Humane Society of Santa Clara Valley.
    
    Poisonous Plants Around the House: (this part of the flyer has drawings
    					of the plant included)
    
    Azalea 		entire plant
    Boxwood		leaves (boxwood is a common hedge)
    Caladium		entire plant
    Chinaberry Tree	berries, flowers, leaves
    Daffodil		bulbs
    Dieffenbachia	entire plant
    Elephant Ear	entire plant
    English Ivy		berries and leaves
    Holly 		berries
    Hyacinth		bulbs
    Hydrangea		entire plant
    Mistletoe		berries
    Oleander		entire plant
    Philodendron	entire plant
    Poinsettia		entire plant
    Wisteria		seeds
    
    Safe Plants include Spider plant, Dracena, Wandering Jew and Swedish
    Ivy
    
    [back page]
    
    Poisonous House Plants:
    
    Common Name			Latin Name
    -----------			----------
    Caladium			Caladium bicolor
    Dumb cane			Dieffenbachia
    Elephant Ear		Philodendron
    Mistletoe (berries) 	Phoradendron serotinum
    Pothos			Pothos
    Mother-in law's tongue	Samservia
     (bowstring hemp, snake plant)
    Rosary pea (seeds)		Arbus precatorius
    
    
    Poisonous Plants in the Yard:
    
    Azalea 			Rhododendron
    Black locust		Robinia pseudoacacia
    Carolina jessamine		Gelsemium sempervirens
    Christmas Rose		Helleborus niger
    Crocus			Colchicum
    Daffodil (Jonquil)		Narcissus
    Daphne			Daphne
    Deadly nightshade		Atropa belladonna
    Delphinium, perennial	Delphinium
    Elderberry			Sambucus
    Foxglove			Digitalis
    Goldenchain tree		Laburnum
    Holly (fruit)		Ilex
    Hyacinth (bulb)		Hyacinthus
    Lantana			Lantana
    Larspur (annual delphinium)	Consolida ambigua
    Lily-of-the-Valley		Convallaria majalis
    Monkshood			Aconitum
    Myoporum			Myoporum
    Oleander			Nerium oleander
    Oak				Quercus
    Tobacco			Nicotina
    Wisteria (seeds, pods)	Wisteria
    Yew				Taxus
    
    
    Poisonous Crops:
    
    Apple seeds, eggplant leaves, potato sprouts and green parts, 
    tomato (green parts), rhubarb leaf blades; apricot, cherry, 
    peach and plum: leaves, twigs, seeds
    
    
    Poisonous Wild Plants:
    
    Baneberry, buttercup, castor bean, hemlock (marsh and "poison"), 
    marsh marigold, nightshade, skunk cabbage, western poison oak
    
    
    This list has been keyworded:  PLANTS, POISON, HAZARDS