Is Anthurium safe for cats and dogs?

Also sold as: Flamingo Lily, Tail Flower, Oilcloth Flower, Pigtail Plant, Painter's Pallet. Retail labels vary, so check the botanical name (Anthurium) if you are matching a plant you already own.

What the ASPCA lists for Anthurium

The ASPCA records its Flamingo Flower entry, filed under Anthurium scherzeranum (family Araceae), as Toxic to Dogs, Toxic to Cats, Toxic to Horses. Toxic principle: Insoluble calcium oxalates. Clinical signs listed: Oral irritation, pain and swelling of mouth, tongue and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting (not horses), difficulty swallowing. Read the ASPCA entry.

Insoluble calcium oxalates are needle-shaped crystals, the same ones behind most aroid cases, so the pain arrives on contact and usually stops a pet after one bite. Note the wording of the signs: vomiting is marked not horses, meaning horses show the mouth signs without the vomiting, which is a distinction the ASPCA makes on several entries in this family.

The ASPCA carries a single Anthurium species, Anthurium scherzeranum, and repeats it under several entry titles including Flamingo Flower, Oilcloth Flower and Painter's Pallette. There is no separate entry for the genus as a whole, so a page about anthuriums in general, as this one is, rests on that one species entry rather than on a genus verdict. Given every listed aroid in this family carries the same principle, that is a reasonable basis for the verdict, but it is worth knowing the entry you land on is describing one particular flamingo lily.

What this verdict does and does not mean

Being non-toxic does not mean a plant is chew-proof: even pet-safe houseplants can upset a cat's or dog's stomach if they eat a large amount, simply because it is plant matter. Most toxic houseplants cause irritant-level symptoms, such as drooling, mouth soreness, or a mild upset stomach, rather than a medical emergency. A small number of plants are a genuine emergency, most notably true lilies (Lilium and Hemerocallis species) for cats, which can cause fatal kidney failure from even a small amount of pollen or a nibbled leaf. If you are ever in doubt, or your pet has eaten part of a plant, call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center on (888) 426-4435.

Safer alternatives

Looking for something with a similar look and habit that is pet-safe instead?

• Calathea, see the care guide.
• Peperomia, see the care guide.
• Fittonia (Nerve Plant), see the care guide.

More on pet safety

Read the full care guide for Anthurium, browse the pet safety checker for other plants, or identify a plant from a photo first if you are not sure what you have. Verdicts here follow the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant list.