Winterberry Plants & Cats

Everyone knows that cats like catnip. Cats will often nibble on other plants if given access to them. This can result in shredded flower arrangements and injured plants. But damage can go beyond the flowers and plants. Some species of plants are toxic to cats. If a cat gets into something poisonous like a winterberry plant, it can become very ill.

  1. About Winterberry

    • Winterberry plants are also called English holly, European holly, inkberry and American holly. Winterberry grows wild throughout forests in the United States. It has dark green leaves and its round berries are dark red. Sometimes used as a holiday decoration in the wintertime, winterberry can be poisonous to animals that eat it, including horses, dogs and cats, according to the ASPCA.

    Symptoms

    • If a cat ingests the leaves or berries of a winterberry plant, it can experience intestinal problems, including vomiting and diarrhea. It is not uncommon for cats to vomit green material after eating any plant. If a cat has been poisoned by a plant, it will vomit more than once and experience diarrhea around the same time. The cat will also become lethargic and uninterested in food or contact.

    Diagnosis

    • After being poisoned by a plant, a cat will display symptoms of distress almost immediately. A veterinarian can definitely say if a cat has been poisoned or not. To make this process easier, the cat owner should bring a portion of the plant that the cat has eaten to the veterinarian's office, according to the book, "The Cat: Its Behavior, Nutrition, &Health."

    Treatment

    • Treatment for a cat that has been poisoned by a winterberry plant can begin at home. The cat owner can give the cat hydrogen peroxide or ipecac syrup to induce vomiting. This will expel the poisonous plant materials from its system so it cannot do further damage. A veterinarian can flush a cat's stomach to remove any lingering plant material and give the cat fluids while it recovers.

    Considerations

    • Because the leaves and berries of winterberry plants have low toxicity, it is unlikely that a cat will eat enough of them for it to be fatal. However, to protect a cat's health, it is best to only have plants in the home that are not poisonous. Because insecticides sprayed on plants at nurseries can also be hazardous, it is important to keep plants and any trailing vines or fallen leaves or berries out of cat's reach, according to "The Humane Society of the United States Complete Guide to Cat Care."