Is lantana toxic to cats?

Yes. The ASPCA lists Lantana camara as toxic to cats. The toxic principles are pentacyclic triterpenoids that cause vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, and labored breathing. Liver failure is documented in livestock and possible in cats at higher doses.

Are unripe lantana berries more dangerous than ripe ones?

Yes. The green unripe berries contain the highest concentration of triterpenoids. They are the part most often implicated in serious poisonings in animals and children.

What happens if my cat eats lantana?

Expect vomiting and diarrhea within hours, then lethargy. Most cases self-resolve in 24 to 48 hours, but call a vet if symptoms are severe or persistent, or if you saw the cat eat unripe berries.

Is lantana more toxic to livestock than to pets?

Yes — the most severe cases on record are in cattle and sheep, where liver failure and photosensitisation are common. Cat and dog cases tend to be GI-dominant and less severe, but the same toxin is present.

What is a cat-safe alternative to lantana?

For bright clustered colour in a pot, African violets indoors and wax begonias outdoors are ASPCA non-toxic. Orchids cover the long-lasting bloom role.

Library/Verbenaceae/Lantana/camara

Last reviewed · 2 June 2026

Lantana

Lantana camara

The verdict

Toxic — triterpenoids, GI + possible liver

Lantana is toxic to cats per the ASPCA. The pentacyclic triterpenoids cause vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, and labored breathing. Liver damage is documented in livestock and possible in pets at higher exposures.

Botanical plate — Lantana, clustered multicoloured flowerheads and rough-textured leaves

⚠ Toxic to cats

25 cm

Plate ILantana camara — also called shrub verbena, yellow sage, red sage. A tropical and warm-temperate ornamental whose multicoloured flowerheads shift from yellow to pink to red as they age.

§ I · Safe lookalikes

Three plants that look the part, without the risk.

Bright clustered patio blooms without the triterpenoids — these three give the same hot-weather colour for a cat-safe outdoor or balcony pot.

◦ Cat safe

African Violet

Saintpaulia ionantha

Bright clustered indoor blooms in similar colour palettes. ASPCA non-toxic.

From £14

Buy on Amazon →

◦ Cat safe

Begonia

Begonia spp.

Bright outdoor and indoor flowers in pink, red, and orange. ASPCA non-toxic species (wax begonia, Rieger).

From £16

Buy on Amazon →

◦ Cat safe

Orchid

Phalaenopsis spp.

Long-lasting indoor blooms across the colour spectrum. ASPCA non-toxic.

From £22

Buy on Amazon →

At a glance

Toxicity

ModerateGI + possible liver

Onset

Hoursvomiting, weakness

Toxin

Triterpenoidspentacyclic alkaloids

Lethal part

Berries · leavesunripe green berries most concentrated

Severity

Severe at doseliver failure mostly in livestock

What it does to a cat.

Yes — lantana is toxic to cats. The ASPCA lists Lantana camara — also sold as shrub verbena, yellow sage, or red sage — as toxic to cats, dogs, and horses. The toxic principles are pentacyclic triterpenoids, a class of bitter, hepatotoxic plant alkaloids.

Most pet cases are GI-dominant and recover with supportive care. Severe cases — typically involving the unripe green berries — can produce liver injury and respiratory distress.

Why lantana matters more for outdoor cats

Lantana is mostly an outdoor patio and garden plant in warm climates: the southern US, parts of Australia, the Mediterranean. Unlike most plants we cover, the bigger risk in many lantana cases is for outdoor cats — the ones patrolling gardens, balconies, and patios where lantana is planted for colour. If your cat goes outside, lantana is one of the planted ornamentals worth removing.

The green berry trap

The flowers shift colour as they age — yellow, pink, orange, red — and produce small green berries that ripen to dark purple. The unripe green berries carry the highest concentration of triterpenoids in the entire plant. Most reported severe poisonings, in both livestock and pets, involve green berry ingestion. Ripe berries are also toxic but lower-dose.

What the toxin does

Pentacyclic triterpenoids irritate the GI lining (the source of the vomiting and diarrhea) and are hepatotoxic at higher dose. In cattle, lantana poisoning is one of the most studied ruminant hepatotoxicoses and includes photosensitisation. In cats, the GI signs dominate and liver injury is uncommon but possible. Treatment is supportive — IV fluids, GI protectants, and monitoring of liver enzymes if exposure was significant.

What to do if your cat ate lantana

Most cases resolve within 24 to 48 hours with supportive care. Call a vet if your cat ate unripe berries, if vomiting persists, if lethargy lasts beyond a day, or if you see yellowing of the gums or eyes (jaundice). ASPCA Animal Poison Control is available 24/7 at (888) 426-4435.

Cat-safe substitutes

For the bright clustered colour of a lantana pot, African violets indoors and begonias (the wax and Rieger types) outdoors deliver similar palettes and are ASPCA non-toxic. Orchids fill the long-lasting bloom role.

For the other deadly garden ornamentals we cover, see our oleander and foxglove profiles.

“Most lantana cases in cats are unhappy GI episodes, not liver failure. But the same molecule that kills cattle is in the leaf, and the green berries concentrate it.”

Symptoms — first 24 hours

Watch for, in order of seriousness.

Vomiting within hoursmost common sign
Diarrhea, fluid losstriterpenoid irritation
Weakness, lethargysystemic onset
Labored breathing, jaundicecall the vet immediately

Call the vet if

Symptoms persist or escalate.

Cat ate green unripe berries
Vomiting more than a few times
Lethargy lasting beyond 24 hours
Yellowing of gums or eyes (jaundice)

ASPCA Poison Control · 24h

When in doubt.

+1 (888) 426-4435

ASPCA Animal Poison Control · $95 consult · case number for your vet.

Outdoor cat prevention

It is a patio and garden plant.

Lantana is most often planted as outdoor colour in warm climates, so it is one of the few entries where the outdoor cat is the bigger risk than the indoor cat. Remove from any area an outdoor cat patrols.

Particularly important in the southern US and Australia.

§ II · Observed effects

What we have actually seen.

Obs. 01

Vomiting and diarrhea

First and most common sign within hours of ingestion. Triterpenoids irritate the GI lining.

◦ Common

Obs. 02

Weakness and lethargy

As fluid loss and toxin absorption progress, cats become weak and reluctant to move. Often the first sign noticed by owners.

◦ Common

Obs. 03

Labored breathing

Reported at higher doses. May reflect cardiovascular and hepatic involvement.

◦ Occasional

Obs. 04

Liver damage

Hepatotoxicity is well documented in livestock and possible in pets at significant exposure. Jaundice and elevated liver values can appear days after exposure.

◦ Rare in cats but possible

§ V · Sources & references

ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center. Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants: Lantana.Accessed June 2026 · aspca.org · Toxic Principles pentacyclic triterpenoids
Pet Poison Helpline. Lantana toxicity in companion animals.Clinical reference · 2024
Merck Veterinary Manual. Lantana camara toxicosis in livestock and pets.Standard small-animal and large-animal toxicology reference

cat safe plants · Pl. LXI

— if in doubt, look it up —

Jun 2026