Is Rosemary toxic to cats?
Rosmarinus officinalis · Lamiaceae
No. Listed as non-toxic to cats.
Listed non-toxic to cats, dogs and horses. As with lavender, the essential oil is a different and far more concentrated question.
For a cat
Safe
For a person
Nobody has documented the risk to a person. That is not the same as safe.
Why, and which parts
None.
Listed as non-toxic to cats, dogs and horses. As with lavender, the plant and its essential oil are two different products, and the concentration is the whole difference. A herb pot in a kitchen is not the subject of the warnings written about rosemary oil.
How to recognize it
Woody stems crowded with narrow, dark, needle-like leaves, pale underneath, with small pale blue flowers along the stem. Unmistakable once crushed.
Sold as: Anthos. A label on a pot is a trade name, not a botanical one, and the two often disagree.
Plants it gets confused with
Similar grey-green Mediterranean look, often sold side by side.
Why it matters: Rosemary is listed non-toxic and lavender is not, though as plants neither is a serious event. Getting it wrong in either direction changes very little here.
And for a person?
Not documented for people
A kitchen herb, not toxic.
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 listed as non-toxic
Also on the ASPCA's non-toxic list, so also safe to keep.
