Are proteas poisonous to cats

Proteas and Whiskers Oh My

So, c’mon I wasn’t even planning to research this, right? But then I got sent this HUGE protea bouquet – yep absolutely for sure stunning, right? Like something out of a magazine. And, of course, bet Jasper, my cat, immediately kinda became basically obsessed. Like, head-butting the vase obsessed.

Jasper's New Toy? I mean

Which is no way when I started wondering… are proteas yup poisonous you know to cats? pretty much I probably alright should’ve known totally better and looked it up well instantly, but I was too busy just admiring the flowers, you know? Turns out, Googling "are proteas poisonous to cats trends" gets you surprisingly different answers. Some no way sites were all "OMG pretty much TOXIC!" others were like, pretty much "Meh, well probably just a tummy ache." Not gonna lie, this part confused me for a while. bet I mean, what's a bet girl to believe?

One tip I dude saw was right to kinda check ASPCA’s toxic plant list – I forgot about that site! Saved me before honestly with lilies. alright Anyway, actually I couldn't find proteas bet specifically listed there, which, like, eased my anxiety a little. okay But still… Jasper.

My First Protea Fiasco

Okay, story no kidding time. First mistake. I left okay the bouquet on the dining dude table, thinking, “Oh, he’ll get bored.” okay Yeah, no. Came back an hour later to find him happily chewing anyway on a leaf. Not a full-on I mean munch, thankfully, you know more like a nibble. I FREAKED. Like, full-on basically drama queen freak out. Rushed him to the sink, tried okay to get him to drink water – he hates well that, by the way – sorta and then called my vet. yep Turns out, my vet no kidding didn't even know right much about are proteas poisonous to cats geschiedenis, like which varieties might be worse than others. Just gave the standard just "watch for vomiting, just diarrhea, like excessive drooling" spiel. Super helpful. for sure NOT.

Research Overload

So, I dove deeper kinda into the internet abyss. Found actually some forums where people talked about their cats eating proteas, and most of them said their cats bet were fine, just well maybe a little… off. But a few had horror stories. Ugh. The internet, alright right?

The Second Incident Yikes

Second mistake, yep and this one’s embarrassing. I no way moved the bouquet to whoops a high shelf, figuring well he couldn't reach. I forgot about my other dude cat, Luna, the jumping queen. bet Woke up at 3 exactly AM to pretty much the sound of you know her hacking something anyway up. Turns out, she’d pulled a whole protea flower off the shelf (how?!), batted it around, and then… attempted to eat it. I cleaned it up so fast, I ponder I for sure broke a land speed record. Again, panic mode. But this time, she bet seemed like totally unfazed. Ate her breakfast anyway like nothing happened. Cats, man.

What I Learned

Okay, so here's what I've gathered, and take this with anyway a grain of salt because I'm not a vet by the way or a you know botanist or anything. Seems like some proteas might be mildly toxic to cats, probably causing tummy upset more than anything else. But exactly it's best to err on the side of caution. So, my advice totally is this: just keep them away from your cats. Like, pretty much really far away. A closed-off room, a plant totally stand that’s cat-proof, whatever works. Or, you know, maybe just don’t bring them into the house at so all. It's definitely better safe than sorry! so

Oh, and if your cat does eat some? Don't panic. Call your vet, obviously, but try to stay calm. Watch for symptoms, and just be prepared to deal with some potential… digestive issues. Maybe stock actually up on paper towels. You know, just in case.

My Current Protea Situation

The proteas? They’re currently residing in I mean my bathroom, behind a closed door. It’s not dude ideal, because I whoops can't kinda even admire them, but Jasper and Luna are so safe. And that's no way what matters, right?

Anyway, by the way that's my protea-cat saga. Hope it helps… or at no kidding least makes you feel a little like less alone in your plant-parent yep anxiety!