Plant safety for cats
Is oleander (कनेर) toxic to cats?
DeadlyListed toxic to cats by ASPCA
Yes — oleander (kaner) is deadly to cats. Every part, and even water that held its flowers, carries heart poisons that cause vomiting, an irregular heartbeat and collapse. Go to a vet at once.
Why deadly: Heart poison in every part — even in water that held the flowers.
- Name
- Oleanderalso Kaner, Pink kaner, White kaner, Rose-bay
- Hindi
- कनेर · kaner
- Botanical name
- Nerium oleander · Apocynaceae
- Other Indian names
- Marathiकण्हेर (kanher)
- Bengaliকরবী (karabi)
- Tamilஅரளி (arali)
- Teluguగన్నేరు (ganneru)
- Gujaratiકરેણ (karen)
- Sanskritकरवीर (karavira)
Toxic parts
All parts — leaves, flowers, stems, seeds, roots and sap — and water that held the flowers.
What's in it
Cardiac glycosides (oleandrin) — heart poisons that upset the heart's rhythm.
How to recognise it
- Evergreen shrub, often clipped into hedges
- Long, narrow, leathery dark-green leaves, often three around the stem
- Clusters of five-petalled flowers — pink, white, red or peach, single or double
- Long, thin seed pods in pairs
Look-alikes and name traps
Both kaners are deadly. Pink, white and red kaner is Nerium; peela kaner (yellow oleander) is Cascabela. Desert rose (adenium) is a relative with the same kind of heart poison.
Symptoms to watch for
- Drooling, vomiting, diarrhoea
- Belly pain
- Slow, fast or irregular heartbeat
- Weakness, collapse
What to do — now
Go to a vet now — don't wait for signs. Heart poisons need a vet who can monitor the heart.
- Take your cat, a piece of the plant (or a clear photo) and tell the vet what was eaten, when and how much.
- Don't make your cat vomit at home unless a vet tells you to.
- No milk, oil, salt water or home remedies.
- Don't let your cat drink from water that held kaner flowers — puja water, vases, temple plates.
- Vets have treatments: a 2020 report describes a cat whose oleander heart-rhythm problem was treated with an antidote.
Where Indian cats meet it
Planted on national-highway medians and road dividers, in parks and housing societies — and its flowers are offered at temples and in home puja, especially to Shiva in Sawan and on Mahashivratri. In one South Tamil Nadu hospital series, oleander caused two in three human plant poisonings.
Cat-safe swap: For puja and the balcony: roses, mogra or ixora — all listed non-toxic.
Sources
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control: Oleander
- Pet Poison Helpline: Oleander
- JFMS Open Reports 2020: suspected oleander toxicosis treated in a cat
- Lok Sabha document: kaner planted on national-highway medians
- The Tribune: kaner recommended for road verges
- IJRMS: plant poisoning in South Tamil Nadu (human data)
- Free Press Journal: Mahashivratri, favourite plants of Lord Shiva
- Wikipedia: Nerium (names and where it grows)
Facts last checked
General information for cat parents, not a diagnosis or a treatment plan. The facts come from ASPCA, Pet Poison Helpline, International Cat Care, the Merck Veterinary Manual and the other sources listed on every page — and we say so when the evidence comes from dogs or people. If your cat may have eaten something harmful, call your vet.
