Safety verdict
Consulted references classify the plant as toxic or irritating for that pet type.
Pet ingestion lookup
My cat ate Pothos - what should I do?
Epipremnum aureum
Potentially toxic
Contact your veterinarian or an animal poison-control resource now, especially if any amount was chewed or swallowed.
Verified against ASPCA/provenance audit 2026-05-06 on May 6, 2026.
Signs to watch for
Oral irritation, intense burning and irritation of mouth, tongue and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting, and difficulty swallowing.
Escalation note
The presence of insoluble calcium oxalate crystals causes immediate mechanical irritation. If your cat has ingested this plant, please contact your veterinarian or a pet poison control center.
First aid at home
Remove any leaf material still in your cat's mouth and gently rinse the mouth with clean, cool water to flush out remaining crystals. Do NOT induce vomiting — bringing the oxalate material back up causes additional burning to the esophagus and mouth. Then call your vet or Pet Poison Helpline.
What to watch for
First few minutes: hypersalivation, lip licking, head shaking, pawing at the muzzle, and rubbing the face on furniture or the floor. Within roughly half an hour: vomiting (often with visible leaf fragments), gagging, reluctance to eat or drink, and mild lethargy. Less common but worth watching for: visible swelling inside the mouth or any change in breathing.
Time window
Hypersalivation and pawing usually start within 0–5 minutes of chewing. Vomiting and reluctance to eat tend to follow within 5–30 minutes. With supportive care, most cats recover within 1–3 days.
When to call the vet
Call your vet or Pet Poison Helpline (855-764-7661) any time drooling persists more than an hour, your cat won't drink water, vomiting keeps recurring, or you see swelling of the lips or tongue. Difficulty breathing or any sign of airway swelling is an emergency — head straight to a clinic.
What this means for your cat
Pothos is one of the most-chewed houseplants in cat households because the trailing vines look like prey. The leaves are studded with insoluble calcium oxalate raphides — needle-like crystals that fire into the tongue and gums the moment a cat bites down. The reaction looks alarming (drooling, pawing, vomiting) but in most cats stays confined to the mouth and stomach and resolves within a couple of days.
Sources: ASPCA, Pet Poison Helpline.
Poison-control resources
This page summarizes source-bound plant-safety information and is not veterinary advice.