Aloe Plant and Cats: Is Aloe Vera Toxic to Cats and Dogs?

ASPCA Animal Poison Control lists Aloe Vera (Aloe vera) as toxic to cats and dogs. The toxic principle is Saponins, anthraquinones. Signs reported: Vomiting (not horses), lethargy, diarrhea..

ASPCA note in the original entry: "The gel is considered edible." (The gel itself is considered edible; the toxicity comes mainly from the leaf skin/rind.)

If a pet may have eaten a plant, contact a veterinarian, ASPCA Animal Poison Control (888) 426-4435 or Pet Poison Helpline (855) 764-7661. Note what was eaten, how much and when, and bring a photo or a piece of the plant. Do not induce vomiting or give home remedies unless a professional tells you to.

• Azalea
• Chrysanthemum
• Cyclamen
• Daffodil

Toxicity lists are by species, and many houseplants look alike. Photograph the whole plant, a leaf close-up and any flower in even light; the app reads the species first, then you can check it here. If the species is uncertain, act as if it were toxic.

Aloe vera is toxic to cats. The ASPCA lists it as toxic to cats, dogs and horses, names saponins and anthraquinones as the toxic principles, and gives vomiting (not in horses), lethargy and diarrhoea as the signs. Pet Poison Helpline explains the mechanism: the plant contains anthraquinone glycosides, which are purgatives, so the result is stomach and bowel upset rather than organ damage.

The sources differ slightly on which part is the problem. The ASPCA notes that the gel is considered edible. Dr. Crimson Primicias, writing for VEG emergency hospitals, puts it the same way from the other side: the gel is non-toxic, the sap is what causes severe vomiting and diarrhoea, which can lead to dangerous dehydration. Pet Poison Helpline does not separate the parts. A cat chewing a leaf gets skin, sap and gel together, so treat any chewed leaf as a possible poisoning.

Expect gastrointestinal signs: vomiting, diarrhoea and lethargy (ASPCA, Pet Poison Helpline). How bad it gets depends on how much was eaten, the size of the cat and whether it has other health problems, which is why Pet Poison Helpline asks you to call rather than wait. A lick of gel is a different exposure from a chewed leaf, but you will rarely know which it was, so call.

If a pet may have eaten a toxic plant, call your veterinarian, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center on (888) 426-4435 or Pet Poison Helpline on (855) 764-7661. For a person, call Poison Control on 1-800-222-1222 (US). Note what was eaten and when, and bring the plant or a photo. Do not induce vomiting or give home remedies unless a professional tells you to. With vomiting and diarrhoea the risk is dehydration (VEG), so a cat that stops drinking or keeps vomiting needs to be seen.

Yes, if the cat cannot get to it, and a room it never enters is the only reliable way. A high shelf may not be out of reach for a cat that climbs. If you want a spiky succulent on a sunny windowsill the cat uses, pick one from the ASPCA non-toxic list instead; our house plants safe for cats list includes succulent options. Before putting any aloe product on a cat's skin, ask your vet: cats groom and swallow what is on their coat.

The poisoning described by the ASPCA, Pet Poison Helpline and VEG comes from eating the plant. None of them describes harm from a cat sniffing an aloe, and none of the sources we opened explains whether cats are drawn to its smell or why some cats chew it, so we will not guess. The practical point is that sniffing leads to chewing often enough that a cat interested in the plant should not share a room with it.

Lilies. VEG's list of plants poisonous to cats ranks them as the most dangerous, warning that even a small amount of pollen can cause signs ranging from nausea to kidney failure and death, and advising that lilies be kept out of homes with cats altogether. Aloe, by comparison, causes gastrointestinal upset rather than organ damage, Pet Poison Helpline says. See our lily page for the species concerned.

The sections on aloe and cats, licking, keeping aloe with a cat and the most toxic plants were added on 2026-09-25. Research and drafting were done with the help of AI, and every figure was checked line by line against the sources listed on this page. If you find a mistake, tell us and we will correct it.