Sunday, February 20, 2011

Dump that Dumb Thingy!

Hallo there! This is Prof Dr Angelina again. Remember how I said in my previous lecture that there are plants that are beneficial to cats? Well, today's lecture will touch upon a plant, very beautiful and very popular, that can pose a serious threat to our health. Not just felines, but to our brothers and sisters of the canine world too. So, listen carefully and analyse the pictures accompanying this lecture so that you can identify this threat and tell your hoomans. If you have this plant at home, tell (or force) your hoomans to get rid of it. It's a serious case of "it's me or the plant" scenario.

The plant I'm talking about is what is popularly known as dumb cane. Here's an excerpt from Uncle Wiki:
Dieffenbachia is a genus of tropical plants in the family Araceae noted for their patterned leaves. The name commemorates Ernst Dieffenbach, a German physician. Members of this genus are popular as houseplants because of their tolerance for shade. The common name is 'dumb cane' due to its poisoning effect on the throat due to raphides.
The cells of the plant contain needle-shaped calcium oxalate crystals called raphides. If a leaf is chewed, these crystals can cause a temporary burning sensation and erythema. In rare cases, edema of tissues exposed to the plant have been reported. With both children and pets, contact with dieffenbachia (typically from chewing) can cause a host of unpleasant symptoms including oral irritation, excessive drooling and localised swelling.

You may read more here.

Danger lurks in lovely gardens such as this. Look at that row of dieffenbachia. tsk tsk tsk. 
Should put up the crossed bones and skull sign here.

Angelina's note: If you have this plant at home, indoor or in the garden, get rid of it. Your beloved pet or this plant? Choose wisely. purrr....meow!

20 comments:

Pi Bani said...

I don't have a pet, so I choose the plant. ;)

Deb said...

Good Post. Not worth taking chances. Hugs, Deb=^..^=x5

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Aunty Pi,
Macam tak nak kasi kita lawat rumah dia je..... purrr....meow!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Aunty Deb,
Yeah. The plant must go. purrr....meow!

aby said...

nothing to worry,
all my cat is in house...
so chances of getting infected by the so called Dump plant is zero ..
he..he..

neway .. a good info
can beware of the plant

i amsterdam said...

Hihihi.. definitely Prof Angelina will stay.. and out with the plant... :D

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Aby dear,
Yeah for indoor cat power!!!! purrrr....meow!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Mother of Ilham,
Oooohhh...am so honoured. purrrr.... meow!

meowwmania said...

good info ;)

i choose my jebonsssss.... :D

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Aunty Meoww,
Yes....the jebons are precious indeed. purrrr....meow!

Cat and DOG Chat With Caren said...

that is so helpful to post the photos with the plants...thank you!!!
I don't have those thank goodness!
I was thinking of you today....On the Oprah Network they had a Curtis Stone marathon (Take Home Chef) and this one married woman was totally and blatantly hitting on him! It was unreal!

The Island Cats said...

Y'know...we got one of those plants in our house...but we have never tried to eat it.

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Aunty Caren,
Phew! My darling Cody is safe!
As for Curtis, didn't we make a pact with him? The only married women he'll have eyes for are you and my Mama. Other than that, it's adulterous. har har har *evil laughs*

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Island Cats,
That's like having the forbidden fruit tree in paradise! Tell your mom to get rid of it. purrrr.....meow!

Ellen Whyte said...

great post, furry informative. Our plants are mostly ferns.

Guess what? Au is eating!!!!!!!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Au & Target,
Now now...don't you two kitties chew your mom's ferns, OK? purrrr.....meow!

Purrrs for Au,
Angelina

Sandy said...

waaa... but that plant is so ubiquitous ! Almost every home in Indonesia has one -.- I have a pot of aglaonema , which is basically the only plant that doesn't die on me. And I just checked "Some of the Aracaea found among houseplants also contain poisonous sap. Examples are the dieffenbachia (Dieffenbachia), Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema),..." Oh noooo

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Tante Sandy,
When the day comes that you have to choose between a cat and the plant...well....you know what to do. purrr....meow!

~CovertOperations78~ said...

Thanks for the tips, Kitties! I will check my garden and my friends' gardens for these offending plants from now on. So far, my garden is cat-safe!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

CO78,
There are other plants that are equally poisonous. Will reveal them one at a time, OK? purrr....meow!