Snopes: Are poinsettia plants toxic to cats and dogs? Fears of serious harm are overblown

[sl8]

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/poinsettias-toxic-cats-dogs/

Are poinsettia plants toxic to cats and dogs? Fears of serious harm are overblown

Claims that poinsettias can cause serious health problems or death in pets greatly exaggerate their risk, experts say.

Megan Loe
Published Dec. 23, 2025

Claim: Poinsettia plants are poisonous to cats and dogs.

Rating: Mostly False

Context
Poinsettias are mildly toxic to cats and dogs, causing skin irritation from the plant's sap or stomach upset if ingested. Claims that poinsettias can cause serious health problems or death greatly exaggerate the risk, according to experts.

[...]

However, experts say these fears about poinsettias are overblown. The plants are only mildly toxic to cats and dogs, though they may cause skin irritation from the sap or stomach upset if ingested.

"While poinsettias are commonly 'hyped' as poisonous plants, they rarely are, and the poisoning is greatly exaggerated," the Pet Poison Helpline says on its website.

[...]

[biophile]

1. As with most toxins, the dose makes the poison

And just like with people, reactions can vary.
I don’t worry about my pets with poinsettias too much. Unless I have an animal that just can’t leave anything green alone 😆. My cats are more likely to knock the pots over than eat them. 😏

[MIButterfly]

2. Years ago, I went on vacation and left my cat, Boots, in my mother's care.

I got a call from her saying that she walked into the kitchen to find Boots chewing on the poinsettia plant. There was a vet's office a couple of blocks from her house so she called them and they said to just keep an eye on the cat. I was very upset then, but looking back on it, if it had been serious, they would have said to bring her in immediately. I still wouldn't have a poinsettia around my cats. Even if it's rarely poisonous, why take the chance?

I did have a cat once who chewed on a poisonous plant and I had to rush him to the vet for surgery. It cost me $60 back then; probably would've been over $1,000 today. I threw that plant away.

[oberle]

3. Years ago

I was given a huge poinsettia while I lived in Miami. I had 7 cats, indoor and outdoor. I planted the poinsettia outside, and they ate it down to the ground, with no problems for any of them.

[2naSalit]

4. Years ago...

I lived in a place with roommates, we all had cats. One day we discovered one of them was acting like she was on LSD or something, freaking out at everything that moved. We had to isolate her in the bathroom while we searched the house to see if she got into anything weird. She was vomiting as well.

We found the poinsettia had been chewed on, at least three leaves were damaged. She had been eating that, apparently. She was in a weird state for the rest of the night and then slept heavily for the next day and it took her another day before she would eat. We decided that poinsettias were poison for cats and that they should stay outside. Being San Diego, they were plentiful as outdoor shrubs so we left them out there.

Out of precaution, I never bought poinsettias when there cats in my home after that.