Anthurium
Also known as Flamingo Flower, Flamingo Lily, Laceleaf, Tailflower. One plant, one grade per pet — the verdicts below are transcribed from primary sources and human-reviewed.
Anthurium (flamingo flower) is an irritant to cats (S2 Irritant): chewing it releases oxalate crystals that cause irritation and pain in the lips, mouth, and throat, and the ASPCA adds excessive drooling, vomiting, and difficulty swallowing for the flamingo flower it lists.
FULL VERDICT →Anthurium (flamingo flower) is an irritant to dogs (S2 Irritant): chewing it releases oxalate crystals that cause irritation and pain in the lips, mouth, and throat, and the ASPCA adds excessive drooling, vomiting, and difficulty swallowing for the flamingo flower it lists.
FULL VERDICT →Care at a glance
What happens if it's eaten
Signs on record for each animal, transcribed from the cited sources.
- oral irritation and pain of the lips, mouth, and throat
- intense burning of the mouth, tongue, and lips (ASPCA, A. scherzeranum)
- swelling of the mouth, tongue, and lips (ASPCA, A. scherzeranum)
- excessive drooling
- vomiting
- difficulty swallowing
- oral irritation and pain of the lips, mouth, and throat
- intense burning of the mouth, tongue, and lips (ASPCA, A. scherzeranum)
- swelling of the mouth, tongue, and lips (ASPCA, A. scherzeranum)
- excessive drooling
- vomiting
- difficulty swallowing
When to call the vet
Call your vet if drooling or vomiting persists or worsens, or your cat stops eating — and go immediately if you see swelling of the mouth or any trouble breathing or swallowing.
FULL VERDICT →Call your vet if drooling or vomiting persists or worsens, or your dog stops eating — and go immediately if you see swelling of the mouth or any trouble breathing or swallowing.
FULL VERDICT →Safe swaps, graded S0
Non-toxic on record for cats — verified against the index at build time.
FAQ
Is anthurium the "flamingo plant" — and is that the same as polka dot plant?
The name is shared; the plants are not. The ASPCA uses "Flamingo Plant" for two different plants: Anthurium scherzeranum, the flamingo flower covered here, which it lists as "Toxic to Dogs, Toxic to Cats," and Hypoestes phyllostachya, the polka dot plant, which it lists as non-toxic — S0 Safe on our index. This page is the anthurium, S2 Irritant. If a tag says flamingo plant, the scientific name settles it: Anthurium or Hypoestes.
Does this page cover every anthurium, or only one kind?
Every Anthurium, with one honest caveat. Pet Poison Helpline's entry is for anthurium as a whole, and its wording — oxalate crystals causing "irritation and pain to a pet's lips, oral cavity, and throat" — is what the S2 grade rests on. The ASPCA's five entries (flamingo flower, oilcloth flower, pigtail plant, painter's pallette, tail flower) all name a single species, Anthurium scherzeranum, so the extra signs we quote from the ASPCA are recorded for that species. Neither source grades any anthurium differently.