Is Lavender toxic to cats?
Lavandula angustifolia · Lamiaceae
Yes. Irritating, no death documented.
The plant on a windowsill is a minor problem. The oil in a diffuser is the one to think about, and it is not the same question.
For a cat
Irritating
For a person
Irritating
What to watch for
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Loss of appetite
Why, and which parts
The plant itself is mildly irritating. The essential oil is a different matter entirely and far more concentrated.
Toxic principle: Linalool, linalyl acetate
Linalool is the molecule that makes lavender smell like lavender, and in the growing plant there is very little of it: a nibbled sprig is a mild stomach matter. Essential oil is another product entirely, concentrated many times over, and cats process this class of compound slowly because they lack much of the liver machinery other mammals use for it. The plant on the sill and the bottle in the diffuser are not the same question, and only one of them is on this page.
How to recognize it
A low woody shrub with narrow grey-green leaves and slim spikes of small purple flowers on long bare stems. The smell settles it before the leaves do.
Plants it gets confused with
Both are grey-green Mediterranean shrubs grown on the same windowsills.
Why it matters: Rosemary is on the non-toxic list and lavender is not, though neither is a serious matter as a plant. The oils of both are a separate and more concentrated question.
And for a person?
Mildly irritating to a person
Culinary and cosmetic use is widespread and the plant is not considered a hazard to people. The difference in how cats handle concentrated oils does not apply to us, which is exactly the trap.
A plant's danger to a cat says nothing about its danger to you, and the reverse is just as true. This is a separate question with a separate answer.
This is information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot tell you what is wrong with your cat. Our rule is a simple one: if something is wrong with your cat, call your vet, and call an emergency clinic if it is out of hours. Nothing you read here is a reason to wait.
Worth keeping a paw on
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To recognize the plant the day you come across it, and warn the friends whose cat goes outside. One click and it sits in your board.
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Other plants at the same level
Same verdict for a cat as Lavender. The ones sharing its exact toxic principle come first.
