Is Cats Safe?
About Is Cats Safe?
Is Cats Safe? is a free, fast way to check whether a plant, food, essential oil, household product or medicine is safe, needs caution, or is toxic to cats. This page explains exactly where our information comes from, how each verdict is decided, and — just as importantly — what we are not.
What we are (and what we're not)
We are an editorial reference: a small team that compiles cat-safety information from established veterinary and poison-control authorities into a single searchable tool, rewriting it in plain language and linking back to every source. We are not veterinarians, and Is Cats Safe? is not a diagnosis, a treatment plan, or a substitute for professional care. Think of it as a fast, well-sourced starting point for a careful owner — not the last word for your individual cat.
How we decide each verdict
We use a clear three-level scale:
- Safe — no meaningful toxicity to cats is reported from normal exposure.
- Caution — risky only in certain forms or amounts, or causing mild upset (and, for foods, "safe" never means "a substitute for cat food").
- Toxic — reported to harm cats; keep it away and call your vet or a poison line if your cat is exposed.
The data is built in two ways. Plants come directly from the ASPCA Animal Poison Control toxic and non-toxic plant database (close to a thousand plants), with the scientific name, family, toxic principles and clinical signs taken from each ASPCA listing, rewritten in our own words and linked back. Foods, essential oils, household products and medicines have no single clean database, so each item is researched against multiple independent authorities and two separate AI-assisted research passes that we then reconcile by hand — and where sources disagree, we take the more cautious verdict. Before anything is published we check that the stated verdict matches the source and that any symptoms we list actually appear in it.
Our sources
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) — plant database, people-foods and household-product guidance
- Pet Poison Helpline — poison library and essential-oil guidance
- VCA Hospitals — veterinary client education
- Merck Veterinary Manual — veterinary toxicology reference
- Cornell Feline Health Center, the AVMA, and peer-reviewed veterinary toxicology where relevant
We use these as fact sources: classifications and clinical facts aren't copyrightable, but wording is — so we rewrite descriptions in our own words and link back to the original.
How we keep the data accurate
A safety reference is only as good as its details, so we run several checks beyond the original listings:
- Scientific names are validated against the GBIF taxonomic backbone. Source data contains transcription typos — for example Malus sylvestrus for the correct Malus sylvestris, or Borage officinalis for Borago officinalis. We cross-check every plant's binomial against GBIF and correct misspelt names so each entry points to the right species.
- Every plant photo is checked against the species, not just the name. Automated image matching can grab the wrong organism when a name is shared (the plant genus Leucothoe is also the name of an animal), or return a pressed herbarium specimen instead of a usable photo. We audit images by resolved taxon and by eye, and replace mismatches.
- We distinguish which part of a plant is dangerous. A blanket "toxic" label can mislead. With apple, cherry and plum the hazard — cyanogenic compounds — is in the stems, leaves and seeds; the ripe fruit flesh is not the listed toxic part. Where a source localises toxicity to specific parts, we say so, while still advising you keep the whole plant away from your cat.
- AI is used only to summarise verified facts, never to invent them. An automated fact-check gate blocks any generated summary whose verdict or symptoms don't match the source data.
Recent corrections (June 2026): validated and corrected 65 plant scientific names against GBIF; audited the plant-photo set and replaced mismatched images (including several that had matched the wrong organism); and added part-level toxicity detail (e.g. apple, cherry, citrus) so a whole-plant "toxic" badge isn't misread as the edible fruit being poisonous. Spotted an error? Email us — corrections are welcome and we act on them.
Important limitations
- We are not veterinarians and this is not veterinary advice or an emergency service.
- Individual cats vary — age, health and the amount and form of exposure all change the risk.
- Our lists are not exhaustive, and sources are sometimes incomplete or evolving (especially for foods, oils and medicines).
- When in doubt, or in any emergency, contact your veterinarian or a 24/7 animal poison line.
How current this is
The plant data reflects the ASPCA database as crawled for this release; curated items are reviewed and dated. The "Reviewed" date in the footer of every page shows our most recent review, and we update entries as the underlying sources change.
Contact
Corrections, questions or a source we should add? Email [email protected] — we genuinely want to get this right, because people make real decisions for their cats based on it.
Frequently asked questions
Are you veterinarians?
No. We're an editorial team that compiles information from veterinary and poison-control authorities and links back to them. For advice about your specific cat, always consult a veterinarian.
How do you decide whether something is Safe, Caution or Toxic?
Plants follow the ASPCA Animal Poison Control classification. Foods, oils, household products and medicines are cross-checked across several authorities (ASPCA, Pet Poison Helpline, VCA, Merck) plus two independent research passes that we reconcile conservatively — when sources disagree, we choose the safer verdict. Every entry links to its source.
How do you make sure the information is accurate?
Beyond compiling from established authorities, we validate every plant's scientific name against the GBIF taxonomic backbone to catch typos, audit each plant photo against its species (by taxon and by eye) to remove mismatched images, and note part-level toxicity where it applies — for example, the hazard in apple and cherry is the seeds, stems and leaves, not the ripe flesh. Generated summaries pass an automated fact-check gate before publishing. We log substantive corrections and welcome reports of any error.
How often is the information updated?
We review and date the data, and update entries as the underlying sources change. The current review date appears in the footer of every page.
My cat ate something — what should I do?
Don't wait for symptoms, and don't use this site as a substitute for help. Call your veterinarian or a 24/7 line right away: Pet Poison Helpline (855-764-7661) or ASPCA Animal Poison Control (888-426-4435).