Baby Doll Ti Plant Poisoning in Cats

Once a cat has ingested the leaves of the Baby Doll ti, it will develop poisoning symptoms. Fortunately, most cats experience mild only mild symptoms, thanks to the low level of toxins in the plant and its bitter flavor, which discourages cats from eating a large amount of the plant material.

Baby Doll Ti, also known as the good luck tree, Hawaiian ti, ti tree, red ti, green ti and, every so often, the giant dracaena, is poisonous to cats. The plant contains saponins, which are toxic to pets. 

After eating some of the leaves of the Baby Doll Ti plant, your cat may develop the following symptoms:

• Lack of appetite/anorexia
• Diarrhea (may be bloody)
• Vomiting
• Drooling
• Dilated pupils
• Depression

The main chemicals in the Baby Doll ti plant fall under the saponin family. Saponins are naturally found in plants, helping to protect them from fungi, insects and microbes. This tree also contains polysaccharides, which can poison your feline. In the Baby Doll ti, this poison level is not very high. The taste of the leaves is extremely bitter, making it difficult for your cat to eat very many of the leaves. Still, it may eat enough to develop gastrointestinal illness.

You may have an excellent idea of what has made your cat sick. If so, snip off a few leaves from your Baby Doll Ti plant and slip them into a sealing plastic bag. If your cat has begun to experience diarrhea or vomiting, collect samples of these in separate plastic bags. The vet will need to examine or test each of these samples to ensure that your cat has, indeed, been poisoned by a Baby Doll ti plant. 

Your cat will also undergo a physical exam so your vet can note any abnormalities they may find. The results of the physical, the cat’s symptoms, and the test results from each sample help the vet confirm a diagnosis. 

Do not delay veterinary treatment by administering first aid treatments at home. Your cat needs to be seen by the vet so the effects of the poisons in a Baby Doll ti plant can be reversed. Treatment typically involves flushing any remaining toxic material out of your cat’s system, or administering activated charcoal to absorb any poison remaining in its digestive tract.

While the vet is giving treatments to your cat, they may give it a dose of sucralfate, which combines with your cat’s stomach acids to form a thick paste. This paste helps to line your cat’s stomach, protecting it from anything that may remain in the stomach. Your cat may also receive Kapectolin, another medication used to protect the stomach lining and remove toxins.

If your cat has experienced a lot of vomiting and diarrhea, it is likely to be dehydrated. Your vet will provide fluids to your cat through an intravenous line. 

While the poisons in a Baby Doll ti plant are potentially toxic, they make the leaves of this tree so bitter that it is unlikely your cat will eat very much of the foliage. The less it can ingest, the less poison it will take into its body, which makes the cat’s chances for recovery much better.

As long as you get your cat to immediate veterinary treatment, it stands a good chance of recovering fully. Once your cat has come home, make sure it can’t eat any more poisonous plants inside your home or in your yard.