The answer to the question, no, they are not poisonous to cats and they will not kill them.There are more than 25,000 species of orchids that are not toxic to cats. There are also more than 100,000 hybrid orchid species.Hybrid orchids are being invented every day, so it’s hard to know how much it will harm your pet if your cat is eating a hybrid plant. Hence, it’s better that you keep your pets away from the orchids in your house if they are hybrids. Many believe that there are a few orchids, like moth orchids, that are toxic to pets, but that’s a myth. Your cat might eat a pure orchid plant and it will not cause any serious health issues. However, you should know what will happen if your cat eats an orchid, so keep reading.If you like this article, then also check out our ae lilacs poisonous to cats and are hydrangeas poisonous to cats.Orchids Poisonous To Which Breeds Of CatsMany breeds and species of cats can be seen today in the world. Among them, all the domestic breeds of cats show similar traits. Hence, if something is toxic to domestic cats, the chances are, it will be toxic for all breeds.Primarily, cats can be divided into two groups: wild cats and domestic cats. In today’s world, there are about 38 species of wild cats, and all the domestic cats fall under one species: Felis catus. However, about 40-70 officially recognized feline breeds can be found around the world. Domestic cats usually show similar traits as they live in a uniform habitat around the world, in households. Whereas, wild cats live, grow, and survive in nature, so they are usually pretty different from domestic cats.If some plant or flower is toxic to your feline, then the chances are, they will be toxic to all breeds of domestic cats. Many people don’t know what plants or flowers could be dangerous to their pets. Plants, like azaleas, chrysanthemums, autumn crocus, hyacinths, tulips, daffodils, lilies, amaryllis, and many more can be pretty harmful to cats. Some of them can cause problems for your cat even if they just brush against the plants or flowers. Whereas, some of them can only harm your cats if they ingest some part of the plants.If an orchid is poisonous to one cat, it will be poisonous to all breeds of cats. However, the fact also remains that every individual feline is different. Some cats might have specific allergies while some might have one or other diseases already that might start to act up once they come in contact with the toxic orchids. Hence, whatever breed your pet may be, try to keep them away from your orchids.Orchids That Are Poisonous To CatsThere are more species of orchids in the world than there are species of cats. Not all of them will be harmful to your pet. However, you will need to know which of them can cause harmful effects.There are about 28,000 species of orchids that belong to the orchid flowering plants, Orchidaceae. Many people believe that some orchids, like Easter orchids, Christmas orchids, Odontoglossum orchids, Sophronitis orchids, and especially the Phalaenopsis, or moth orchid, along with a few more, are harmful to kitties. However, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) has declared all species of orchids non-toxic to cats, so the answer to the question is, no, orchids are not poisonous to cats. They are quite safe for cats.However, along with the 28,000 species of pure orchids in the wild, people have come up with 100,000 different breeds of hybrid orchids. These orchids can be entirely different stories. People are constantly experimenting and coming up with new hybrid orchids every day. As most orchids have both female and male reproductive organs, it’s easier to make hybrids and many people do it at home even without any supervision from experts. Hence, as the family of hybrids grows, it’s quite hard to say which hybrid orchid has become or will become toxic to cats.There’s also another fact that many people use pesticides and fertilizers on their plants so that they can grow better. These fertilizers contain many chemicals that are harmful to cats. Your kitty may not eat it, but come in a little contact with it and it will harm them. For this problem, you can use organic alternatives, or apply the fertilizer on the roots of the plants where your cat can’t reach.The Effect Of Orchids On Your CatWe have already learned that orchids are not at all poisonous to cats. That being said, if some kitties eat an orchid plant or flower, it might have some effect on them. You will need to be ready for that scenario.The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) has already told us that no pure orchids are toxic to cats. Hence, even if your cat ingested flowers or some other part of your orchid, the effects will be mild. We will go into the whole hybrid orchid story later, but if your cat has ingested a pure orchid species from your garden or pot, then you need to look for a few symptoms. For example, mild vomiting and diarrhea are basically irritation in their stomach. Cats vomit for many reasons and at times vomiting is good for their health, but you have to keep an eye out if your cat has eaten the flowers or the plants because in that case, you will have to take action accordingly.Now, not many severe cases of poisoning from hybrid orchids have yet been reported. However, the realm of hybrid orchids is ever so changing and new things, flowers, and plants are being discovered still that they might just end up harming your kitty. There’s also the matter of pesticides. All fertilizers and pesticides contain harmful chemicals. For example, pyrethrins are a type of chemical that is present in pesticides and in chrysanthemum plants and flowers. It can cause mild to severe symptoms in your cat. If it goes unnoticed, it might even cause death.Cure For Effects Of Orchids On Your CatOrchids don’t affect cats too much. In fact, they are non-toxic to cats, so the effects are not at all heavy. However, if your cat has eaten your orchid, then you will need to take some action.First of all, if your cat has only brushed up against an orchid or maybe only nibbled on the leaves or flowers, we can assure you nothing has happened or will happen to the cat. However, if the cat is eating the plant or flowers, then you might start to see some vomit or diarrhea. We still recommend that you take your furball to the vet. Tell them everything you know, like what species of orchid you have at your home or how much your cat has come into contact with.If your cat has eaten or come in contact with the pesticides or any fertilizer, then note down which ones you use, so that you can tell the vet clearly. The vet may try to make your cat vomit more in order to get the toxins out of the cat’s system. They will give additional medicine and treatment depending on the severity of the poisoning.How To Keep Cats Away From OrchidsOf course, knowing which plant or flower is harmful to your cat and which is harmless can help you, but another easier way to deal with it can be if you use our tips to keep your cat safe and away from all houseplants.Cats are carnivorous in nature, but to keep their nutrition balanced, some greens are needed. Wild cats get this from the stomach contents of the herbivorous creatures they hunt. Our little furballs get that from sometimes eating and at times nibbling on plants or flowers here and there. However, while some houseplants are perfectly safe for cats, the toxicity of some plants can be high. Hence, in general, to keep your cat away from your potted plants or garden, you can follow the tips below.Use smells they don’t like: cats don’t like cayenne pepper or citrus smells. Hence, you can spray cayenne pepper and lemon or orange juice around your plants.Hanging pots: you can keep your cat away by hanging your potted plant high above the floor in your house.Use a mixture of vinegar and water: cats also don’t like vinegar, so make a mixture of vinegar and water and spray it around your plant.Create a room for plants in your house: you can keep the door of the room for your plants closed so that your cats can’t enter.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for are orchids poisonous to cats then why not take a look at are peace lilies toxic to cats, or Australian mist cat facts pages?
The answer to the question, no, they are not poisonous to cats and they will not kill them.
