Is pothos toxic to cats? Symptoms, what to do and safe swaps

Yes. The ASPCA lists golden pothos (Epipremnum aureum, also called pothos, devil’s ivy, taro vine and ivy arum) as toxic to cats and toxic to dogs. The toxic principle is insoluble calcium oxalates. The clinical signs the ASPCA lists are:

• oral irritation
• intense burning and irritation of the mouth, tongue and lips
• excessive drooling
• vomiting
• difficulty swallowing

If your cat or dog has chewed pothos, call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435. The line is open 24/7, and a consultation fee may apply. This guide is general information, not veterinary advice.

How pothos irritates a cat’s mouth

The Merck Veterinary Manual explains the mechanism. Plants with insoluble oxalates carry needle-like crystals called raphides, bundled inside special cells scattered through the plant. Chewing or crushing the plant breaks those cells and releases the crystals into the mouth, where they irritate and damage any tissue they touch.

That is why the signs start in the mouth and start quickly. Merck’s plant table says the entire pothos plant is poisonous. Chewing any part of it causes immediate, intense pain in the mouth, which fades slowly without treatment. Pet Poison Helpline describes the same thing: pain in the lips, mouth and throat, with drooling, gagging and vomiting.

Symptoms to watch for

Merck lists these signs after a pet eats a plant with insoluble oxalates:

• immediate pain and irritation, with redness in the mouth
• heavy drooling and pawing at the mouth
• swelling
• lethargy and loss of appetite

The ASPCA adds vomiting and difficulty swallowing. Dogs show the same signs.

How serious is it? Merck says most of these cases have a good to excellent outlook, with full recovery expected, often without a vet visit. Unlike the soluble oxalates in some other plants, insoluble oxalates are not a concern for kidney damage. The exception is the throat. Merck warns that swelling around the larynx (voice box) can cause breathing trouble, and Pet Poison Helpline notes that severe throat swelling occurs in rare cases. If your pet struggles to breathe, go to an emergency vet now.

What to do if your cat chewed pothos

1. Take the plant away and remove any pieces left in your pet’s mouth, but only if you can do it safely.
2. Call for advice. Your vet, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 (24/7, a consultation fee may apply) and Pet Poison Helpline at (855) 764-7661 (a fee applies) can all help.
3. Name the plant exactly. Merck stresses that plants sharing a common name can belong to different families and differ in toxicity. Give the scientific name from the plant tag if you have it, or look the plant up in our pet-safe plant checker.
4. Don’t treat your pet at home unless told to. Merck describes the care vets give: removing the plant material, rinsing or wiping out the mouth and sometimes giving milk or other dairy, which binds the crystals. Let the person on the phone decide what your pet needs.

Look-alikes that are also toxic

Pothos has close relatives and near-namesakes, and none of these are safer:

• Satin pothos (Scindapsus pictus, silk pothos) is a different genus, but the ASPCA still lists it as toxic to cats and dogs. It contains insoluble calcium oxalates, and the signs are oral irritation, pain and swelling of the mouth, tongue and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting and difficulty swallowing.
• Heartleaf philodendron (Philodendron hederaceum) has the same ASPCA listing: toxic to both, insoluble calcium oxalates, the same signs. Pet Poison Helpline describes the same crystals and the same rare risk of throat swelling.
• Arrowhead vine and monstera are relatives in the same family, and both are on Merck’s list of plants with insoluble oxalates. The ASPCA lists both as toxic to cats and dogs.

If you’re not sure what you have, search the name in the checker. It shows the ASPCA status, toxic principles and clinical signs, with a link to the ASPCA entry.

Pet-safe swaps for a pothos spot

Our database rates pothos easy care, and it copes with less light. Extension sources say it grows best in bright, indirect or filtered light but can manage in low light for long periods. Illinois Extension lists it as a medium-light plant, with a minimum of about 150 foot-candles. The table below lists plants the ASPCA rates non-toxic to cats and dogs whose light needs overlap with pothos.

A few from the table that our database also rates easy care:

• Grape ivy prefers bright, indirect light but tolerates a range of light down to heavy shade.
• Spider plant grows best in bright, indirect light and copes with low light, though it grows more slowly and loses some variegation.
• Swedish ivy does well in moderate to bright light but not direct sun, which burns the leaves.
• Parlor palm and baby rubber plant both prefer bright, indirect light and both tolerate low light.
• Cast iron plant is the pick for the darkest corner, because it prefers shade.

Wax plant is non-toxic too, but it wants bright, indirect light all year and is rated moderate care.

The ASPCA notes that eating any plant material can cause vomiting and stomach upset in cats and dogs. A non-toxic swap is not expected to poison your pet, but it is still better kept out of reach of a chewer.

To check that a swap will grow where your pothos was, open the Window Light Planner. Enter your city, which way the window faces and how far the spot is from the glass, then tick both pet filters. The planner estimates the light at that spot for every month and rates each pet-safe plant as thriving, dipping in winter, surviving or too dim. For example, our planner estimates that 1 ft (0.3 m) from a north window in New York City, pothos itself only “survives”. That assumes a standard 3 x 4 ft window with clear double glazing, open sky and mixed weather. The spot never reaches the bright, indirect level pothos prefers. For more options, see pet-safe plants for low light.