Are Bonsai Plants Harmful to Cats?

Artistic gardeners can create scenes of stunning miniature beauty using bonsai trees, which might be kept indoors in the company of domestic animals. Pet owners should select bonsai plants with caution because many types can pose a threat to cats.

  1. Bonsai

    • Bonsai describes the ancient oriental technique of growing a miniature tree in a container, recreating the look of a mature tree in nature. Gardeners achieve and maintain the tree's appearance by shaping and pruning branches and roots, according to master gardener Paul Belhumeur at the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension.

    Plant Selection

    • According to Belhumeur, not all plants make good bonsai trees, The plants must have components like branches, flowers and leaves in perfect scale with the tree. Common plants used in bonsai culture include azalea, plum, pomegranate, fir, pine, spruce, juniper, cedar cypress and pyracantha, but many of these plants can be harmful to pet cats.

    Harmful Bonsai Plants

    • The American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals lists azalea and many types of pine and fruit trees, all of which are popular as bonsai trees, as toxic to cats. Veterinarian Jill Richardson at the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals Inc. also warns that cycad palms, sometimes used in bonsai culture, are poisonous.

    Toxicity

    • The ASPCA states that popular bonsai plants like cycad palms, azalea leaves and fruit tree seeds, stems and leaves can cause liver, heart or nervous system problems that could cause death. Ingestion by cats of pieces of pine trees used in bonsai culture can result in vomiting and depression.

    Caution

    • According to Richardson, some plants toxic to cats will cause only mild gastrointestinal distress, while others could result in dangerous or deadly complications such as liver or kidney failure. You can protect your cats by checking the ASPCA's toxic plants list or asking your veterinarian before bringing new plants, like bonsai trees, into the house.