Plants / Mint / cats

Is mint toxic to cats?

Mint is mildly toxic to cats (S1 Caution): the ASPCA lists garden mint (Mentha) with essential oils causing vomiting and diarrhea with large ingestions — a nibble is unlikely to matter, a feast can.

  • TOXINessential oils
  • WHAT TO EXPECTvomiting (large ingestions); diarrhea (large ingestions)
  • CALL THE VETCall your vet if vomiting or diarrhea persists beyond a few hours or your cat stops eating or drinking.
S0S1S2S3S4

Symptoms

SIGN
vomiting (large ingestions)
diarrhea (large ingestions)

If your cat just ate it

S1 PROTOCOL
1
Move the pot out of grazing reach. After a small nibble, just watch; after a large ingestion, offer water and monitor for stomach upset.
2
When to call the vet: Call your vet if vomiting or diarrhea persists beyond a few hours or your cat stops eating or drinking.

Care at a glance

Lightdirect
Waterevery 3–5 days
Humiditymedium
Difficulty●○○

FAQ

Does "mint is toxic" cover peppermint and spearmint too?

Yes — the ASPCA's entry is genus-level: "Garden Mint," Mentha sp., which takes in the peppermints and spearmints in your herb pot. The listed toxic principle is "Essential Oils," and the clinical signs are "Vomiting and diarrhea with large ingestions." Note what that sentence actually says: the trouble comes with large ingestions, not a sniff or a chewed leaf. Keep the pot out of grazing reach, and call your vet if vomiting or diarrhea follows a real feast rather than a nibble. One caution on scope: this grade is for true mints (Mentha) — we don't extend it to every plant with 'mint' in its shop name.