Is Silver Ragwort toxic to cats?

Yes — silver ragwort is toxic to cats according to the ASPCA. Keep it well away from any cat that chews plants; reactions can be significant. The ASPCA lists Senecio/Jacobaea species including ragwort as toxic to dogs, cats, and horses. The toxic principle is pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which are metabolised in the liver to reactive pyrroles causing hepatotoxicity. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhoea, lethargy, jaundice, and liver failure with chronic exposure. Note this is silver ragwort (Jacobaea maritima), the low silver-leaved bedding plant — not common ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris, formerly Senecio jacobaea), the tall yellow-flowered weed of paddocks, verges and rough grass that gives ragwort its reputation. That is a livestock and equine problem above all: horses and cattle are far more susceptible than cats and dogs, the plant is bitter and rarely eaten willingly, and the real danger is wilted or dried material in hay, which loses the bitterness without losing the alkaloids. Both plants are Asteraceae and both carry pyrrolizidine alkaloids, so neither is a safe substitute for the other. The damage is cumulative and falls on the liver, not the kidneys.

The ASPCA lists Senecio/Jacobaea species including ragwort as toxic to dogs, cats, and horses. The toxic principle is pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which are metabolised in the liver to reactive pyrroles causing hepatotoxicity. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhoea, lethargy, jaundice, and liver failure with chronic exposure. Note this is silver ragwort (Jacobaea maritima), the low silver-leaved bedding plant — not common ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris, formerly Senecio jacobaea), the tall yellow-flowered weed of paddocks, verges and rough grass that gives ragwort its reputation. That is a livestock and equine problem above all: horses and cattle are far more susceptible than cats and dogs, the plant is bitter and rarely eaten willingly, and the real danger is wilted or dried material in hay, which loses the bitterness without losing the alkaloids. Both plants are Asteraceae and both carry pyrrolizidine alkaloids, so neither is a safe substitute for the other. The damage is cumulative and falls on the liver, not the kidneys. Signs usually appear soon after chewing rather than hours later — watch for drooling, pawing at the mouth, vomiting, loss of appetite, or unusual lethargy after your cat has had access to silver ragwort.

Stay calm. Remove any plant from your cat's mouth and take the plant away. Note how much was eaten and when, and do not induce vomiting unless told to. Call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center on (888) 426-4435 in the US, or Animal PoisonLine on 01202 509 000 in the UK and follow their advice; a leaf or photo helps the vet treat it correctly.

The ASPCA classification Growli uses applies to both cats and dogs: Silver Ragwort is toxic to dogs as well. See the full silver ragwort pet-safety guide for both species.

For a similar look without the risk, see the best cats-safe plants list — every plant there is ASPCA non-toxic to cats and dogs.