Oleander
Nerium oleander · Apocynaceae
How it looks
Oleander is an evergreen shrub with narrow, long, leathery leaves arranged three to a whorl along the branches. White, pink, deep pink, or yellow flowers bloom in clusters at the branch tips and are strongly fragrant. At 7-16 ft (2-5 m) tall it is common as an outdoor street tree or garden shrub, and cutting the stem releases a white latex.
Deadly — a single leaf can stop the heart
All parts of Oleander contain powerful cardiac glycosides such as oleandrin and neriine; eating even a single leaf can lead to heart arrhythmias and death.
If ingested
Contact your nearest vet immediately
- Onset
- 6–24 hours after ingestion (symptoms may be delayed)
- Symptoms
- Drooling, vomiting, incoordination, heart failure
- Action
- Go to a 24-hour animal hospital immediately. Don't wait, even if there are no symptoms.
Guide for parents
Oleander is sometimes planted as a street or garden tree in warmer regions, but never bring it into a home shared with a cat. The entire plant contains powerful cardiac glycosides such as oleandrin and neriine, so ingesting even a single leaf can be fatal.
Plants in the same family
Oleander sits alongside yellow oleander and desert rose in the dogbane family, and all of them share cardiac glycosides that attack the heart directly. The name and look differ, but the risk is the same, so keep every plant in this group out of your cat's space regardless of the variety.
How cats get exposed
Every form is dangerous — bouquet, dried flower, or garden shrub — down to a single piece, and even the smoke from burning cut branches is reported to be hazardous. Don't leave branches sitting in a vase or lying cut, keep the white sap off skin and fur, and if it's in the yard, fully block it off from your cat's paths.
How symptoms progress
Cardiac glycosides disrupt the heart's electrical signals. Signs usually begin 6–24 hours after ingestion with drooling, vomiting, and staggering (ataxia), but the heart trouble — an irregular pulse worsening toward heart failure — can surface late. A cat that looked fine early on can collapse suddenly.
What to do right now
If you suspect ingestion, go to a 24-hour emergency vet immediately even without symptoms. Do not induce vomiting at home, and tell the vet what and how much was eaten. With oleander poisoning, the window for treatment is very short.
Details
- Scientific name
- Nerium oleander
- Common name
- Oleander
- Family
- Apocynaceae
- Toxic parts
- All parts
- Compounds
- Oleandrin, Neriine (a cardiac glycoside)
- Source
- ASPCA
Related plants
Same plant family· Apocynaceae
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