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Foxgloves, toxicity and pets

PlantyPruPlantyPru Posts: 142
in Plants
I've just taken delivery of some foxglove plug plants and am now questioning having them in the garden with my pets and kids about. I know I'm being overly cautious at the minute with it being a strong possibility my beautiful Jinx was poisoned and as I don't know what with I'm guessing something from someone's garden but how many of you have these in your garden with pets/kids around or have you said no chance!?!
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  • HelixHelix Posts: 631
    I have never worried about foxgloves, or other poisonous plants.  And has never caused a problem.  The kids are taught from an early age not to stick things in their mouths without checking, and before that age they are supervised..
  • BenCottoBenCotto Posts: 4,718
    The list of plants poisonous to cats is a very long one, the list of cats poisoned by plants is very small.

    Young, inquisitive cats might be reckless enough to eat something hazardous but their innate sense of survival will just about never allow them to eat enough to be life threatening although they might ingest enough to necessitate a visit to the vets. Watch out for lily pollen which cats can lick off their fur, and seeds entangled in the coat of long haired cats could just possibly be a hazard.

    We have hundreds and hundreds of foxgloves in the garden and never have our cats tried to eat it. What’s more, they’re not especially bright.

    I have had cats for over 40 years. Never has one become ill from eating something in the garden - though one did lose much fur from once brushing against creosote - and I have never personally heard of a cat getting poisoned either. My next door neighbour is a vet, I will ask her.
    Rutland, England
  • Fishy65Fishy65 Posts: 2,276
    We lost our little border terrier in March but to cancer. We still have our black lab and neither of them have ever shown any inclination to want to ingest foxgloves, and I grow them every year. Grass they will certainly chew on if they have/had upset stomachs. I think you can enjoy your foxgloves without any worry as to causing harm to your pets.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    The pets will be fine.
  • SkandiSkandi Posts: 1,723
    We also have lots of foxgloves and while we lost our cat a few weeks back that was to a car. Neither dog are at all interested in eating them and I cannot say the pug has much in the way of brains.
  • WilderbeastWilderbeast Posts: 1,415
    We have lots of foxgloves and have no issues even though the entire population of cats spend most of there lives in our garden. 
  • Mary370Mary370 Posts: 2,003
    Same here, lots of foxglove and many other poisonous plants, very many plants are poisonous,  I have cats and dogs, never lost one to poisoning 
  • KiliKili Posts: 1,104
    If your worried about your cats eating plants grow catnip or  lemon grass in your garden and they will always head for that for something to chew on if there inclined to chew anything.

    'The power of accurate observation .... is commonly called cynicism by those that have not got it.

    George Bernard Shaw'

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Had cats for nearly 50 years and never lost one to poisoning from plants.  Have had dogs for 10 years, ditto.  As mentioned, lily pollen can harm them but I grow mine in pots above cat fur level and don't cut the stems for the house so they can't brush past.

    They ignore catnip but do all like grass.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • PyraPyra Posts: 152
    The cats should be fine. Lily pollen is very poisonous to cats but the rest they'll ignore. They might take the odd nibble to investigate but that won't hurt them.

    How old are your kids? If they're very young, I'd plant them somewhere they're not likely to get to easily if they're playing in the garden. If they're older and can be left unattended,  make sure they know to stay away from the foxgloves. 

    There are far more poisonous plants out there. 
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