Desert Bird of Paradise

Yes, Desert Bird of Paradise (Caesalpinia gilliesii) is potentially toxic to cats. Ingestion can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain, and should be treated as a veterinary concern.

Expect sudden drooling, pawing at the mouth, vomiting, and diarrhea. Cats may also show difficulty swallowing and unsteady movement. Oral irritation tends to appear quickly due to a burning sensation in the mouth, with gastrointestinal signs following over the next several hours.

Call your veterinarian or ASPCA Animal Poison Control (888-426-4435) right away, especially if your cat is drooling heavily, vomiting repeatedly, seems uncoordinated, or is showing signs of oral pain or swelling. Do not wait to see if symptoms resolve on their own.

Oral irritation can appear shortly after your cat bites the plant; gastrointestinal signs such as vomiting and diarrhea typically follow over the next several hours. The ASPCA's listing does not specify exact onset or duration beyond this general pattern.

Yes, Desert Bird of Paradise (Caesalpinia gilliesii) is potentially toxic to dogs. Ingestion can cause irritation to the digestive tract, resulting in vomiting, diarrhea, and lethargy.

Expect vomiting and diarrhea, often accompanied by drooling and pawing at the mouth from oral burning. Some dogs become uncoordinated, especially after eating multiple seed pods, and repeated GI losses can leave dogs visibly tired or dehydrated.

Call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 if vomiting persists, your dog refuses water, or you notice ataxia or weakness. Dehydration from repeated vomiting and diarrhea is the main reason this becomes urgent.

The ASPCA does not quantify exact onset times, but signs typically appear within hours of ingestion. Symptoms generally resolve as the gastrointestinal tract clears, though severity depends on how much of the plant — particularly the seed pods — was consumed.