Pet-friendly flowers you should buy this Mother’s Day
With Mother’s Day fast approaching, you may be considering purchasing your mum a nice bouquet of flowers. And why not? Flowers are a great gift, their beautiful plumage, bright colours, and aromatic scent bring a bit of brightness into the home, and they are relatively inexpensive.
But what if your mum is also a pet lover as well as a keen florist? Unfortunately, some common flowers can be toxic to your parent's pet pooch or pussycat. It may not be common knowledge, but the consequences of bringing a poisonous plant into your home with a pet around could be grave. In this article, we will outline the types of plants that you should 100% avoid this Mother’s Day, as well as the types of plants that will be absolutely fine to keep in your home around pets. We will also provide you with a handy tool you can use to quickly check whether or not your parent’s plumage is potentially poisonous.
What are the most popular flowers purchased for Mother’s Day?
As previously mentioned, flowers make a great Mother’s Day gift, and will almost always put a smile on your mum’s face. So, what are the most popular types of flowers purchased during this time of year?
Whilst it can be tempting to go to your nearest supermarket or petrol station and simply pick out the cheapest bunch you can find, there are in fact many people that take the time to visit their local florist. The most common flower type purchased from florists for Mother’s Day is the carnation. Traditionally, carnations are known as ‘the flower of Mother’s Day,’ with traditions going as deep as certain colours of carnations signifying different things. For example, white carnations are often given to someone whose own mother has passed away, whereas pink carnations are given to people whose mother is still alive.
Other popular flowers that are commonly purchased during Mother’s Day include daisies, lisianthus, orchids, and of course, roses. Roses are becoming increasingly popular as the stigma that they are a ‘romantic’ purchase is slowly becoming less and less. Another popular Mother’s Day flower are lilies, we will get to these later.
Which flowers are Pet-friendly?
Whilst it may be easy to focus on the morbid topic of what flowers can harm pets, we will now turn our attention to which flowers you should buy for your mum that have no known toxic effects. There are certain plants that are great for cats and dogs, and there are also others that are suitable just for one pet type. Whilst there are obviously other types of pets such as rabbits or guinea pigs, the likelihood of them being in the vicinity of a toxic bunch of flowers is low, so we will focus mainly on cats and dogs. It is always wise to keep plants and flowers as out of your pet's reach as you possibly can, just in case.
Some dog-friendly flowers include:
- Freesia
- Greenbell
- Lisianthus
- Olive
- Pitto
- Pussy Willow
- Roses
- Snapdragons
- Sunflowers
- Waxflower
Whilst there are other types of flowers that are completely fine for dogs to be around, these are the most popular flower types that are typically purchased around Mother’s Day. For cats, the feline-friendly list includes:
- Freesia
- Greenbell
- Lisianthus
- Olive
- Pitto
- Pussy willow
- Roses
- Snapdragons
- Trachelium
- Sunflowers
- Waxflower
The list of friendly flowers can go on and on, it is actually more important to check which flowers are actually toxic. Once you know, you will be able to steer clear of buying these when shopping for a Mother’s Day gift.
What flowers are toxic for dogs?
So which flowers should you avoid when shopping for your mum? Actually, it is not the actual flower that you need to look out for. In fact, the stem of the flower is where the toxins are held. Whilst it is unlikely that your pet will go sniffing around the stem, especially if stored in a vase, it is not impossible. If you have a particularly nosey dog, they will find a way. The level of toxicity can vary depending on the plant. Types of flowers that cause mild symptoms for your dog, such as an upset stomach, include:
- Bupleurum
- Campanula bells
- Erngium
- Ruscus
- September
- Solidago
There are also plants that can cause much more severe symptoms in dogs and sometimes can even lead to death. These plants should be completely avoided and should never be brought into a home with a dog. The list of highly toxic flowers include:
- Astrantia
- Campanula bells
- Clematis
- Craspedia
- Delphinium
- Eucalyptus
- Asparagus Fern
- Lavender
- Lilies
- Ornithogalum
- Ranunculus
- Ruscus
- Peonies
- Senecio
- Solomio
- Sweet William
- Tulips
The most commonly purchased flowers from this list for Mother’s Day are lilies, peonies, tulips and lavender. Although lavender is not purchased in bouquets, it is commonly bought for window sills in small pots. If your mum has a pet dog you should definitely avoid gifting her any of the plants in the list above.
What flowers are toxic for cats?
Cats are much more likely to find themselves in areas where flowers are positioned in the home. As much more agile climbers and jumpers, a cat can easily get to window sills or tabletops where a vase containing toxic plants has been left. Again, the severity of symptoms caused by these flowers varies from plant to plant. The flowers that can cause mild symptoms in cats are:
- Alstroemeria
- Bupleurum
- Erngium
- September
- Solidago
Again, unfortunately, there are flowers that can lead to more serious health conditions and even death in felines. As cats are especially mobile, they are much more likely to be in close contact with these flowers and their stems, so it is imperative that you do not buy these for your mum this Mother’s Day. The list of highly toxic plants is:
- Astrantia
- Campanula bells
- Clematis
- Craspedia
- Delphinium
- Eucalyptus
- Asparagus Fern
- Lavender
- Lilies
- Ornithogalum
- Ranunculus
- Ruscus
- Peonies
- Senecio
- Solomio
- Sweet William
- Tulips
Handily, this list is the same as the list for dogs, so you should be able to easily work your purchases around your parent’s pets. This means that the commonly purchased Mother’s Day plants are also the same and should be avoided at all costs.
How can I check if a plant is toxic?
It can be difficult to know whether or not a plant is toxic towards your pets, but, we may have something that can help. You can now use PocketVet's amazing plant identifier to quickly and accurately identify whether or not a plant is toxic or not. One of the advantages of plant identifiers is just how quickly they work. Simply upload a photograph of your plant and receive your results in no time!
What are the symptoms of pet poisoning?
If you believe that your cat has ingested any of the potentially poisonous plants from the two lists above, there are some symptoms that you can keep an eye out for to catch anything before it becomes serious.
You may notice that your pet’s attitude may change. They may become sluggish, have less energy, or could even become a little more aggressive if they are feeling pain. Physically you may see that they are drooling more than usual or that they are suffering from diarrhoea and vomiting. If you do not notice symptoms early then more serious symptoms may arise such as collapsing or seizures. To deal with these symptoms quickly you should contact a vet as soon as you can. If you are a PocketVet subscriber, then you can speak to one of our experienced Vets at any time, but if you are not yet a member and are worried about a plant your pet has eaten, you can have a one-off consultation with a Vet for £19.99.