Think Twice Before Bringing Home This Plant If You Have Pets

I've always dreamed of having a house full of lush, green plants but the truth is, I'm not very good at keeping plants alive.

Plants require things like watering and trimming and my brain does this thing where I can't remember how long it's been since I last watered the plant. It feels like I did it two days ago but it's actually been closer to two weeks. I think the actual term for it is "time blindness" but regardless, owning a home full of live plants is still a dream that I hope to one day fulfill. It adds a whole other dimension to that comfortable, homey vibe that I want to create.

Another issue that I have with filling my home with plants is that I never know which ones are cat safe and I'm scared I'll bring home one that is toxic to our floofy little Jupiter Jack. The little dude has a rare blood disorder and we just got that straightened out and managed with medication - I don't exactly want to go poisoning him because I didn't know a particular plant is toxic. And I know I'm not alone in this.

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I keep an eye out for resources and I try to make mental notes when I do encounter something that tells me a particular plant is potentially harmful. That's exactly how I discovered that the Sago Palm, while highly popular and very beautiful, is lethal to both cats and dogs both. My friend Amber, who works with one of my favorite animal rescues shared a post on Facebook that was originally shared by Complete Care Animal Hospital about the Sago Palm and it stopped my in my tracks - or scroll in this case.

The Sago Palm is a beautiful, lush green with a tropical vibe and it's incredibly popular and as the post from Complete Care Animal Hospital points out - easily available at places like Lowes.

Here is another example of a deadly plant available at Lowes this weekend. This is a Sago Palm. Ingestion of ANY part of this by dogs or cats is toxic and often results in liver failure and death.

They go on to point out that while the entire plant is toxic, the seeds are the most dangerous. So the bottom line here is that if you have pets, the Sago Palm is not the houseplant for you and should be avoided at all cost.