Mistletoe
Also known as American Mistletoe, Christmas Mistletoe, Eastern Mistletoe, Pacific Mistletoe. One plant, one grade per pet — the verdicts below are transcribed from primary sources and human-reviewed.
American mistletoe is toxic to cats (S3 Toxic): its lectins and phoratoxins cause vomiting and diarrhea, and larger amounts can slow the heart, drop blood pressure, and make breathing difficult — a holiday sprig with berries needs to stay out of reach, not just out of sight.
FULL VERDICT →American mistletoe is toxic to dogs (S3 Toxic): its lectins and phoratoxins cause vomiting and diarrhea, and larger amounts can slow the heart, drop blood pressure, and make breathing difficult.
FULL VERDICT →Care at a glance
What happens if it's eaten
Signs on record for each animal, transcribed from the cited sources.
- vomiting
- diarrhea
- low blood pressure (rare)
- difficulty breathing
- low heart rate
- stumbling gait (large ingestions)
- vomiting
- diarrhea
- low blood pressure (rare)
- difficulty breathing
- low heart rate
- stumbling gait (large ingestions)
When to call the vet
Call your vet promptly after any ingestion; go immediately if you see labored breathing or wobbliness.
FULL VERDICT →Call your vet promptly after any ingestion; go immediately if you see labored breathing or wobbliness.
FULL VERDICT →Safe swaps, graded S0
Non-toxic on record for cats — verified against the index at build time.
Seasonal: this plant comes into homes around the December holidays.