Is Tulip toxic to cats?
Tulipa spp. · Liliaceae
Yes. Irritating, no death documented.
A chewed petal is an upset stomach. A dug-up bulb is a different conversation, and bulbs are stored in garages and cupboards where cats go.
For a cat
Irritating
For a person
Irritating
What to watch for
- Vomiting
- Depression
- Diarrhea
- Excessive drooling
Why, and which parts
The whole plant, with by far the highest concentration in the bulb.
Toxic principle: Tulipalin A and B
Tulipalin is concentrated in the bulb and thin on the ground everywhere else, so this plant has two quite different risk profiles depending on which end of it a cat found. A chewed petal irritates. A bulb is a concentrated dose, and bulbs spend the winter in garages, sheds and cupboard boxes, which is precisely where a cat goes looking.
How to recognize it
The cup of six petals on a single smooth stem needs no description. The bulb is the part worth locking away.
Plants it gets confused with
Onion bulbs in storage
Stored flower bulbs and kitchen onions end up in the same boxes and sheds.
Why it matters: Both are a problem for a cat, for entirely different reasons, and neither belongs anywhere reachable. Bulb storage is worth one look.
And for a person?
Mildly irritating to a person
Handling large numbers of bulbs causes a well documented contact dermatitis, known in the trade as tulip fingers. Eating one is a different matter and belongs to a poison service, not to a page.
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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Other plants at the same level
Same verdict for a cat as Tulip. The ones sharing its exact toxic principle come first.
