The most dangerous on the list: Lily at 73/100 risk. Delphinium elatum follows at 68.
A warning list, not an award: only species ASPCA explicitly lists toxic to cats are here, ranked by documented severity and how often the flower actually enters a home. Not listed is not the same as safe.
If your cat may have chewed one of these, do not wait for
symptoms. Call your vet, or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at
(888) 426-4435.
The riskiest
The riskiest of the list
Ranked highest to lowest risk, with what makes each one dangerous.
Severity of the reaction: can kill a cat · How often it enters a home: garden cut · Dangerous to dogs too: toxic
Why it is dangerous:poisoning that can kill a cat, not an upset stomach; the whole plant carries diterpene alkaloids, the young growth most of all; toxic to dogs and horses too
Deer: seldom damaged (Rutgers B)Not for cat households
68/ 100tap for the breakdown
Severity of the reaction45 / 50can kill a cat
How often it enters a home8 / 30garden cut
Dangerous to dogs too15 / 20toxic
Also on this list
More flowers the ASPCA lists as toxic to cats, in the same order of risk.
Severity of the reaction: serious poisoning · How often it enters a home: sold by specialist growers · Dangerous to dogs too: toxic
Why it is dangerous:serious poisoning in cats, a vet visit rather than a wait-and-see; the bulb holds the highest dose of lycorine, well above the flower; toxic to dogs and horses too
Deer: rarely damaged (Rutgers A)Not for cat households
62/ 100tap for the breakdown
Severity of the reaction32 / 50serious poisoning
How often it enters a home15 / 30sold by specialist growers
Severity of the reaction: stomach upset · How often it enters a home: sold in most shops · Dangerous to dogs too: toxic
Why it is dangerous:vomiting, drooling and stomach upset in cats; toxic to dogs and horses too
Not for cat households
58/ 100tap for the breakdown
Severity of the reaction18 / 50stomach upset
How often it enters a home25 / 30sold in most shops
Dangerous to dogs too15 / 20toxic
The protocol
How the score is built
3 rules, 100 points, no opinions. Every line reads one field of the table.
Severity of the reaction50 pointsa true lily kills; a tulip bulb upsets a stomach: severity is the number that matters Read from: the ASPCA toxicity listing.
How often it enters a home30 pointsa fatal flower sold in every grocery bouquet is a bigger real risk than a garden rarity Read from: whether it is grown as a cut flower.
Dangerous to dogs too20 pointsmulti-pet households need the wider flag Read from: the ASPCA toxicity listing.
Not ranked here: not on the ASPCA toxic list (non-toxic, or never evaluated). Scores are never sponsored
and never sold. The full method ↗
The leaderboard
The top ten
The 10 highest of 35 on the list. Tap any score to open the lines behind it.
Absence from the ASPCA list is not proof of safety.
not on the ASPCA toxic list (non-toxic, or never evaluated) (statusRoses, Sunflower, Marigolds and 47 more
!A note on pet safety.This page reports what published sources say: the ASPCA lists and university extensions. It is not veterinary advice, and no plant list is ever complete. If your pet may have chewed any plant, do not wait for symptoms: call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.
How we rank
We keep one table of 85 flowers,
with 25 documented facts each, drawn from university and extension sources. Every ranking is
a published formula worth 100 points; tap any score and it unfolds into the lines that made
it. A flower that does not fit a job is not scored lower: it is excluded, and the reason is
named. Nothing here is sponsored, and no score can be bought. When the table changes, every
score and stamp updates itself.
The full method ↗
So what can live in a house with a cat?
The same table, read the other way round: species the ASPCA lists as non-toxic.
