South Yorkshire cat owner warns of plant poisoning after cat collapsed at Christmas

Tara Christmas with her cat Elsa.Tara Christmas with her cat Elsa.
Tara Christmas with her cat Elsa.
A South Yorkshire cat owner called Tara Christmas has issued a warning for the festive season after her kitten developed poisoning from her poinsettia houseplant.

Six-month-old Elsa kept nibbling leaves from the decorative plant until she got sick and collapsed on Christmas Day last year.

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Tara, 27, from Rotherham, had no idea poinsettias were poisonous to pets. She said: "I was given the plant as a gift and had put it on the table, but I noticed the leaves were being nibbled.

"I kept moving it but Elsa would always find a way to reach it. I had no idea that it was poisonous though, so when Elsa started being sick and collapsing I didn't know what was causing it."

She contacted the PDSA charity and tests at its Sheffield Pet Hospital revealed the cause of the kitten's poisoning. She was put on a drip before recovering.

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"The poinsettia went straight in the bin, of course, and I check very carefully before bringing any flowers or plants into the house now," said Tara.

Senior Vet at Sheffield PDSA, Robert Haselgrove, said: "When I came in on Boxing Day morning and saw the name on our in-patient lists - Elsa Christmas - I thought someone was playing a joke at first.

"But thankfully she'd been brought to us in time and after receiving treatment Elsa was able to go home."

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The PDSA charity is running a Christmas appeal and is asking supporters to text STAR to 70025 to give a one-off donation of £5* - with the asterisk indicating the texter will also be charged one standard rate message.