Can Cats Eat Roses? | Dog Product Picker

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As cat owners, this should be common knowledge for us that our furry friends are obligate carnivores and anything other than animal protein is not the best thing for your cat’s health. So, giving your beautiful feline flowers, outdoor plants, indoor plants, garden plants, or any plant material is not a good idea.

However, the good news is that there are a few parts of plants that your feline friend can enjoy, and are rose plants one of them or not? Let’s find out.

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Is Rose Plant Poisonous to Cats?

We know cats are curious creatures, and if their owner’s attention is not on them, you will find them in a flower garden looking for their prey and playing with beautiful flowers. However, this is dangerous for them as there are toxic flowers, different sprays, and other things in the garden that can cause allergic reactions, skin irritations, and other problems.

So, what if your feline friend roams around a rose garden filled with rose petals and rose plants, or what if it is valentine’s day and flower petals are lying, and our feline friend eats them? What will happen? The short answer is that nothing will happen.

As we know, roses are common plants, and over a hundred species of roses are used for different purposes. There is rose water, rose bushes, rose hips, and other parts of rose plants that are available for your feline friend to play with. So, as pet parents, we know that plant matters, and learning about different species of roses which are poisonous or safe for our cats is essential.

Rose itself is not a poisonous plant. If your feline friend consumes roses, they may get an upset stomach or bowel obstruction. The main thing to notice here is that if your feline friend consumes thornless green leaves, rose petals, or stems in huge quantities, these issues will arise. So, the rose petals and rose leaves are safe as they only cause a stomach upset if consumed in large amounts, but you can’t decide about the other plant leaves and petals.

The leaves from kudu lily, impala lily, and other types of lily species are toxic for your feline friend and can cause their death. Even though the rose plant is not poisonous, the rose thorns are nasty for your feline friend for obvious reasons. These sharp thorns can easily cut or damage your cat’s digestive system if they swallow them and scratch your feline friend’s body.

If there are outdoor cats, you can keep them away from the rose plants by fencing, ground covers, or other means. However, if you are a pet owner of an indoor cat, cut roses and remove their sharp thorns and place them in a vase or if you have an indoor red roses plant, make sure to keep the sharp thorns trimmed.

Different Types of Roses for Cats

As we discussed, the type of plant matters and the best way is to keep your feline friend away from plants and plant foods. The roses have many different species and are available in various colors. So, a good way is to know about all the new plants and keep your cats away rather than allowing your feline friend access to different roses and take them to the vet.

The first is Christmas rose or Helleborus Niger. The plant’s common name is Lenten roses or easter roses. These are highly toxic for your cats. Desert rose, or Adenium Obesum, also referred to as impala lily, kudu lily, Sabi star, and desert azalea, is a toxic plant. Moss Roses or Portulaca Oleracea, commonly known as portulaca, pigweed, pusley, rock moss, or purslane used for ground cover and pot plants, is also toxic.

Primrose or Primula Vulgaris, a garden plant known for its primrose oil, is also dangerous for your feline friend. Rosebay is also toxic, and even a tiny amount of this plant can kill your feline friend, so if your cat consumes this rosa genus, immediately call the pet poison helpline and take them to the vet. However, Hibiscus Syriacus or Rose of Sharon, as per the American Society of Prevention of Cruelty for Animals, claim that this type of rose is safe for cats.

How to Keep Cats Away from Roses

Cats are stubborn creatures, and as cat parents, we know giving our cat grass is not a good idea. Your feline friend will still want to have some of these sweet scent plants. So, yelling won’t work on them, but you can always use some alternatives. One of the best ways is the sprays. No, not your pepper sprays but sprays with citrus scents, cats hate the citrus smell, and the chances of them going near this smell are very low.

You can also keep these dangerous cut flowers of all flowers out of the reach of your feline friend, and make sure to keep the pollens away as well because they are also toxic. You can give your feline friend safe plants by yourself in moderation. You can include green, safe vegetables, cat grass, catnips, and other treats to enjoy so they stay away from eating toxic plants. You can also train your feline friend to stay away from the plants.

What Happens if a Cat Eats Roses?

Cats shouldn’t be given any plant food because they are obligate carnivores, and their digestive systems are not designed to digest these plants. We all know the scents of roses are unique, and keeping petals of a rose and a bunch of red roses in your house gives it a good look. However, these are not good for your feline friend.

If you observe symptoms like itching, swelling, or redness around your feline friend’s eyes, mouth, or skin, then there is a good chance that they have come into contact with something toxic for them, whether it be a poisonous plant or any other thing. But these signs are not the only way to know your feline friend might have eaten something they were not allowed to. The main indication of poisoning or issues with your cat’s health due to toxic plants or foods is that it will start having stomach issues. These stomach problems will include; diarrhea, vomiting, upset stomach, abdominal pain, bowel obstructions, and other gastrointestinal issues. In severe cases, kidney failure and stones can also occur.

What Are Other Flowers Safe or Toxic to Cats?

A rose is a thorny everlasting blooming species of the genus Rosa in the Rosaceae family or the flower it produces. Roses are not toxic plants for your feline friend, but other plants are poisonous, like Amaryllis, Azaleas, Castor Bean Chrysanthemum, Cyclamen, Narcissus, English Ivy, etc. So, keep your feline friend away from these. However, you can stay calm if you have; Alstroemeria, Freesia, Gerber Daisies, Lisianthus, Roses, Statice, Sunflowers, Madagascar Jasmine, etc. at home.

Summary

We now know that organic and authentic roses are not poisonous plants to our feline friends and will not harm them in any way. However, if your feline friend shows signs of poisoning, immediately contact the ASPCA animal poison control center, as they will help your cat. Other than that, keep the plants, grass, green vegetables, and all other things that are not good for your cats away from them.

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