Tomato Plant Poisoning in Cats

The scientific name of the tomato plant is Lycopersicon spp and it resides in the Solanaceae family. If you see your cat eating the leaves or stems of a tomato plant, get him to your vet right away.

While humans can easily eat tomatoes, substances in the stems and leaves of the tomato plant are toxic for some animals if eaten in large amounts. The tomato plant contains αlpha‐tomatine and αlpha‐dehydrotomatine, which are potentially toxic for your cat. If they nibble on tomato plants, they may develop signs of illness. Fortunately for your cat, tomato plant poisoning isn’t typically fatal, but can cause uncomfortable symptoms.

You’ll notice the following symptoms after your cat has eaten from a tomato plant:

• Excessive salivation
  
• Lack of appetite
  
• Diarrhea
  
• Extreme stomach upset and vomiting
• Drowsiness
• Confusion
• Behavioral changes
• Central nervous system depression
• Apathy
• Physical weakness
• Slowed heart rate
  
• Enlarged (dilated) pupils

Tomato plant poisoning in cats is caused by ingesting toxins within green parts of the plant and/or the unripe fruit, including alpha‐tomatine and alpha‐dehydrotomatine.

Cats who are bored and have easy access to tomato plants are at higher risk of poisoning, due to their increased likelihood of eating the plants out of curiosity.

When your cat gets sick, you may find evidence that he ate from a tomato plant in your yard. Take a sample from your tomato plant with you to the vet to help confirm a diagnosis.

If your cat is in pain or drooling, the vet will examine their mouth and lips to look for irritation. Your vet may also take a blood sample for testing, or a urine sample to test for your cat’s kidney function. 

If your cat ate a large amount of your tomato plant, your vet may decide to run an ECG to test their heart function. Fecal and vomitus samples may also help your vet to narrow down the exact toxin making your cat sick.

The treatments your vet gives to your cat will be based on their symptoms, giving support to your cat until they begin to improve.

Reducing toxins

If your cat ate a large amount of tomato plant, the vet may induce vomiting, using a 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide. Once that process is over, any remaining toxins may be neutralized with activated charcoal.

Supportive care

Bringing your cat to the vet after they have eaten any part of your tomato plant is the most prudent thing to do. This, in combination with eating only a small part of the plant, means their symptoms should be fairly mild. After all of the toxins are out of their system, they should make a full recovery.

It may be difficult for you to keep your cat away from vegetable plants you grow for your family. If you can’t remove the plant, you may need to retrain your cat to live indoors 24/7. While they'll have to make an adjustment, your cat will be safer and happier living indoors.

Make the adjustment to living indoors easier by buying cat-friendly plants and cat grasses that you can grow from a small kit. Once these have sprouted, place them in different areas of your house for your cat to nibble on.

Tomato poisoning can be expensive to treat. To avoid high vet care expenses, secure pet health insurance today. The sooner you insure your pet, the more protection you’ll have from unexpected vet costs.