Kalanchoe blossfeldiana or Flaming Käthchen is a succulent thick-leaved plant that has a variety of colorful flowers during the dark season and is therefore a popular houseplant to cultivate - the red or orange, four-petalled flowers provide a pleasant atmosphere in low-light times little happiness. Like so many other attractive houseplants, the Flaming Cat is poisonous - but only for cats, as the plant is completely harmless to humans.
Is Flaming Kat poisonous?
The Flaming Cat (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana) is harmless to humans as symptoms of poisoning are extremely rare. For cats, however, the plant is highly toxic due to the steroid it contains and can cause severe symptoms of poisoning or even death.
Flaming Käthchen harmless to humans
According to information from the information center against poisoning at the University Hospital of Bonn, the ingredients of Kalanchoe have largely not (yet) been researched and are therefore unknown. However, symptoms of poisoning in people, whether large or small, are extremely rare. This is why the plant, which originally comes from tropical East Africa, is considered non-toxic and therefore harmless, at least for humans. Only very rarely have symptoms of poisoning such as vomiting and abdominal pain been described after consuming large quantities of plant parts. However, Flaming Cat is not considered food, which is why you should avoid eating leaves and flowers.
Cat owners should avoid Flaming Käthchen
However, Flaming Cat is highly toxic to cats due to the steroid it contains and, if the cat nibbles on it frequently, can cause severe symptoms of poisoning and even death. As a cat owner, you shouldn't assume that your furry friend will know what he's getting or not - cats actually can't estimate this and prefer to nibble on plants that are poisonous to them. Therefore, it is better to avoid a flaming cat or make sure that your cat definitely doesn't get to it.
Tip
If you're an outsider, keep an eye out for possible poisonous plants in the garden or in your neighbors: Flaming Käthchen in particular is often placed outdoors or planted in the garden during the summer months.