Plants poisonous to dogs and cats
112 of the 267 plants we cover are listed as poisonous by an authoritative source — the ASPCA, the Pet Poison Helpline, the RHS or the Veterinary Poisons Information Service. They are not all equally dangerous, so this page grades them: the 6 that can kill come first, then the seriously toxic, then the many that cause a sore stomach and nothing worse. Every entry links to the full profile, where the warning is spelled out and the source is cited.
If your pet has already eaten something
Do not wait for symptoms with lilies, alliums, grapes or sago palm. Ring your vet or the UK Animal PoisonLine, and read our calm first-aid guide while you dial. This page is for planning a garden or a home, not for an emergency.
How to read this list
We are a secondary source. We do not decide what is toxic; we check each plant against the ASPCA's toxic and non-toxic plant database, the Pet Poison Helpline, the RHS's potentially harmful plants list and the VPIS, and we repeat what they say with a link. Where a source grades severity we carry that grade; where it does not, the plant sits in the last group rather than being guessed into a milder one. "Poisonous" on this page means a recognised source lists it as harmful to animals or people — where the profile records who, the chips on each row say.
Two things this page cannot tell you. It cannot say a plant that is missing from it is safe: 107 of our plants are not in either database at all, and "not listed" is not the same as "harmless" (they are named at the bottom). And it cannot replace a vet — dose, the size of the animal and the part eaten all matter, and none of that is on a list.
Can be fatal (6)
-
Lethal to cats — as dangerous as a true lily
Cats -
Lethal to cats — including the pollen and the vase water
Cats -
One of Britain's deadliest — toxic even to handle
DogsCatsHorsesLivestockPeople Harmful to handle -
Highly poisonous — and never burn it
DogsCatsHorsesLivestockPeople Never burn it -
Can kill a dog — one seed is enough
DogsCatsHorses -
Deadly to horses, livestock, dogs and people
HorsesLivestockDogsCatsPeople
Seriously toxic (26)
-
Toxic to cats, dogs & people if chewed
CatsDogsPeople Harmful to handle -
Toxic to cats, dogs and horses
CatsDogsHorses -
The fruit is fine — the pips, leaves and bark aren't
HorsesCatsDogs -
Seriously toxic to pets & livestock
DogsCatsHorsesLivestock -
Toxic to cats & dogs — an allium
CatsDogs -
Toxic to cats & dogs if eaten
CatsDogs -
Toxic to pets and people — the bulb most of all
CatsDogsHorsesPeople -
Seriously toxic to cats, dogs & horses
CatsDogsHorses -
Toxic to cats, dogs & people if chewed
CatsDogsPeople Harmful to handle -
Toxic to cats and dogs — and it works slowly
CatsDogsHorses -
Dangerous to dogs — seek urgent help
Dogs -
Dangerous to dogs — can cause kidney failure
Dogs -
Toxic to cats & dogs if eaten
CatsDogs -
Poisonous — and the pods tempt children
PeopleDogsHorsesLivestock Looks like food or a toy -
Toxic to cats & dogs — an allium
CatsDogs -
Seriously toxic to cats, dogs & horses
CatsDogsHorses -
Seriously toxic to cats, dogs & horses
CatsDogsHorses -
Toxic to cats & dogs — an allium
CatsDogs -
Toxic to cats & dogs — an allium
CatsDogs -
Toxic & a serious irritant — handle with care
CatsDogsPeople Harmful to handle -
Seriously toxic to pets & livestock
DogsCatsHorsesLivestock -
Toxic to pets, horses and livestock — don't burn it
DogsCatsHorsesLivestock Never burn it -
Leaves are poisonous — the stalks you eat are fine
CatsDogsHorsesPeople -
Toxic to cats & dogs — keep seeds away
CatsDogs Looks like food or a toy -
Seriously toxic to cats, dogs & horses
CatsDogsHorses -
Toxic to cats, dogs & people — the pods especially
CatsDogsPeople Looks like food or a toy
Mild — usually stomach upset (59)
-
Toxic if chewed (irritant sap)
CatsDogsHorses -
Mildly toxic to cats, dogs & people if chewed
CatsDogsPeople -
Toxic if chewed (oxalate crystals)
CatsDogsHorses -
Toxic to cats & dogs if eaten
CatsDogs -
Toxic to cats & dogs (bedding geranium)
CatsDogs -
Toxic to cats & dogs if eaten
CatsDogs -
Toxic to cats & dogs if eaten
CatsDogs -
Toxic to cats, dogs & horses
CatsDogsHorses -
Toxic if eaten (all parts)
CatsDogsHorses -
Toxic to cats, dogs & horses
CatsDogsHorses -
Toxic if eaten (cats, dogs & horses)
CatsDogsHorses -
Toxic to cats in excess (catnip)
Cats -
Toxic to cats, dogs & horses (stones & leaves)
CatsDogsHorses -
Toxic if eaten (cyanogenic leaves & seeds)
CatsDogsHorses -
Toxic to cats & dogs if eaten
CatsDogs -
Toxic to cats & dogs if eaten
CatsDogs -
Toxic to cats, dogs & horses (mild)
CatsDogsHorses -
Toxic if eaten (spring crocus)
CatsDogs -
Mildly toxic to cats & dogs
CatsDogs Harmful to handle -
Toxic to cats, dogs & horses (mild)
CatsDogsHorses -
Toxic if eaten (leaves & berries)
CatsDogsHorses -
Harmful if eaten (poppy alkaloids)
CatsDogs -
Toxic to cats & dogs if chewed
CatsDogs Harmful to handle -
Toxic to cats & dogs if eaten
CatsDogs -
Toxic to cats, dogs & people if eaten
CatsDogsPeople Harmful to handle -
Toxic to cats & dogs if eaten
CatsDogs Harmful to handle -
Toxic if eaten (berries)
CatsDogs -
Toxic to cats & dogs if eaten
CatsDogs -
Toxic to cats, dogs & people if eaten
CatsDogsPeople Harmful to handle -
Toxic to cats, dogs & horses (peel, leaves & stems)
CatsDogsHorses -
Toxic if eaten (ericaceous, grayanotoxins)
CatsDogsHorses -
Toxic if eaten (alkaloids)
CatsDogs -
Toxic to cats, dogs & people if eaten
CatsDogsPeople Looks like food or a toy -
Toxic to cats, dogs & horses
CatsDogsHorses -
Mildly toxic to pets — the concentrated oil is the real risk
CatsDogsHorses -
Toxic if eaten (bulbs)
CatsDogs -
Mildly toxic to cats & dogs
CatsDogs -
Toxic to cats & dogs
CatsDogs -
Toxic to cats, dogs & horses if eaten
CatsDogsHorses -
Toxic to cats & dogs if eaten
CatsDogs -
Toxic to cats, dogs & horses (stones & leaves)
CatsDogsHorses -
Mildly toxic — reputation overstated
CatsDogsPeople Harmful to handle -
Toxic if eaten (cyanogenic leaves & seeds)
CatsDogsHorses -
Toxic in its green parts (leaves, sprouts & green tubers)
CatsDogsHorses -
Toxic if eaten (berries & leaves)
CatsDogsHorses -
Toxic to cats, dogs & people if eaten
CatsDogsPeople Harmful to handle -
Toxic if eaten (berries & leaves)
CatsDogsHorses -
Toxic if eaten (bulbs)
CatsDogs -
Toxic to cats & dogs if eaten
CatsDogs -
Toxic to cats & dogs if eaten
CatsDogs Harmful to handle -
Toxic to cats & dogs if eaten
CatsDogs -
Mildly toxic to cats & dogs
CatsDogs Harmful to handle -
Irritant sap & foliage
CatsDogs -
Toxic to cats & dogs if eaten
CatsDogs -
Toxic to cats & dogs if chewed
CatsDogs -
Toxic if eaten (berries & sap)
CatsDogs -
Toxic if chewed or handled
CatsDogsHorses -
Toxic to cats & dogs if chewed
CatsDogs Harmful to handle -
Toxic to cats, dogs & horses
CatsDogsHorses
Toxic — severity not graded on the profile (21)
-
Toxic to cats, dogs & horses if eaten
-
Mildly toxic to cats, dogs & horses if chewed
-
Mildly toxic to cats, dogs & people if chewed
-
Toxic to cats, dogs & horses if eaten
-
Toxic to cats & dogs — irritant sap
-
Toxic to cats & dogs if chewed
-
Mildly toxic to cats, dogs & horses if chewed
Harmful to handle -
Seriously toxic — to pets, horses and people
-
Toxic to cats & dogs if eaten
-
Mildly toxic to cats, dogs & people if chewed
-
Toxic to cats, dogs & horses if eaten
-
Toxic to cats, dogs & horses if eaten
-
Toxic to cats, dogs & horses if eaten
-
Mildly toxic to pets — the oil is the real risk
-
Mildly toxic if chewed — but not a true lily
Harmful to handle -
Mildly toxic to cats, dogs & people if chewed
-
Mildly toxic to cats, dogs & horses if chewed
Harmful to handle -
Toxic to cats, dogs, horses & children if eaten
-
Mildly toxic to cats, dogs & people if chewed
-
Foliage toxic to pets — the ripe fruit is fine
-
Mildly toxic to cats, dogs & people if chewed
Not listed by either database (107)
These plants have no entry in the ASPCA or Pet Poison Helpline databases, and no other authoritative toxicity listing we could cite. That is a gap in the data, not a clean bill of health, so we never show them as pet-safe. Each profile says what, if anything, is known.
Agave · Agrimony · Air Plant · Albany Pitcher Plant · Barrel Cactus · Beech · Beetroot · Betony · Bird's Nest Fern · Bird's-foot Trefoil · Black-eyed Susan · Blackberry · Blackcurrant · Bladderwort · Blueberry · Broccoli · Butterfly Bush · Butterwort · Carrot · Chilli · Chocolate Vine · Columbine · Common Knapweed · Common Mallow · Common Toadflax · Coneflower · Cordyline · Courgette · Cow Parsley · Cuckooflower · Cucumber · Cymbidium Orchid · Dendrobium Orchid · Devil's-bit Scabious · Dogwood · Enkianthus · Field Scabious · Fishtail Palm · Flaming Sword · Goat's-beard · Gooseberry · Hardy Geranium · Harebell · Hart's Tongue Fern · Haworthia · Heather · Hebe · Hornbeam · Irish Heath · Japanese Maple · Kale · Lady's Bedstraw · Lettuce · Leylandii · Lilac · Maidenhair Fern · Majesty Palm · Masterwort · Meadow Cranesbill · Meadowsweet · Mexican Fleabane · Musk Mallow · Ornamental Pineapple · Passionflower · Pea · Pear · Penstemon · Photinia · Prickly Pear · Pumpkin · Pygmy Date Palm · Queen's Tears · Ragged Robin · Rainbow Plant · Raspberry · Red Campion · Red Clover · Red-hot Poker · Runner Bean · Salad Burnet · Salvia · Sedum · Selfheal · Slipper Orchid · Snapdragon · Spanish Moss · Spider Orchid · String of Hearts · Sun Pitcher · Sundew · Sweetcorn · Teasel · Tropical Pitcher Plant · Trumpet Pitcher · Tufted Vetch · Urn Plant · Vanda Orchid · Verbena · Viburnum · Water Mint · Western Red Cedar · Wild Carrot · Winter Heath · Wintergreen · Xerographica Air Plant · Yellow Rattle · Zygopetalum Orchid
Looking for the opposite list?
Plants we list as safe for cats and dogs — the ones with an explicit non-toxic entry in the ASPCA or Pet Poison Helpline database. For houseplants in particular, the Notebook has a short, honest list.
Sources: ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plants, Pet Poison Helpline, the RHS and the VPIS. Each profile cites the entry it was checked against. Profiles last checked 2026-10-12. If our page and theirs ever disagree, believe them — and tell us.