The Cat Fanciers association lists the Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata--a.k.a. Sword Fern) as a non-toxic plant for cats.
Today, our little guy taught us differently by munching on my boston fern last night while we slept, and getting sick afterwards.
Non-toxic does not necessarily mean "edible". We all know what happens when cats eat things they aren't meant to swallow.
Yuck.
We took him to a veterinary ER, to make sure he would be OK. Apparently Boston Fern can cause gastrointestinal upset, lethargy, vomiting, loss of appetite, and diarrhea. We've seen all but the last one in our cat.Yummy.
Cat's not happy about it either, but he seems to be recovering, getting his appetite back late this afternoon. (Right after we got home from the vet hospital, of course.)
From now on, only "edible" plants in the house.
Good thing I live in a semi-tropical climate, because my ferns are about to be banished to the warm shadiness of my back porch, where they will probably be just as happy anyway.
For a longer list of plants poisonous to your cat, see this list from the Cat Fanciers Association.
3 comments:
He has recovered everything including his appetite quite well. The appetite especially.
What did the vet do for your cat? I think my cat has gotten into my fern as well. I just got him back from the vet. He has been very ill. they gave him anti-nausea meds but he is still out of it. I mentioned the plant to the vet and he seemed to be unconcerned, but after reading this and a few other posts on other sites I am now very concerned.
It's been almost two years now, but as I recall, they checked him over, (temperature, vitals, etc.) and identified the fern for me (I wasn't sure of the variety at the time). His temp was slightly elevated, but so slightly they said it could have been as a result of the stress from riding over in the car.
There really wasn't much to do except let it run its course, which took about a day.
We didn't give him any medication. We just did our best to make sure he stayed hydrated while he felt sick. (Very important, as he was only 4 months old at the time of my original post)
He came out okay in the end. He is two years old now, and still loves to eat everything in sight.
I'm guessing that if your vet isn't too worried, your cat will probably be fine, but as with a human Dr., one can always get a second opinion.
Hope your kitty feels better soon.
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