Is Monkshood Toxic to Cats?

Aconitum napellus

Aconitum contains aconitine, a neurotoxin with no specific antidote. Poisoning causes drooling, vomiting, weakness, abnormal heart rhythms and seizures, and it can progress very fast.

It is a garden perennial and also grows wild in damp ground. The toxin is absorbed through broken skin, so even pulling it up without gloves is inadvisable.

Which parts are dangerous

• roots
• leaves
• flowers
• seeds

What to watch for in the UK

• Sold in specialist garden centres as a late-summer perennial.
• Grows wild beside streams and in damp meadows.
• Wear gloves even to weed it out — skin absorption is documented.
• Never compost it where cats dig.

If your cat has already chewed it

1. Emergency vet immediately.
2. Do not handle the plant with bare hands before driving to the vet.
3. Take a photo on your phone rather than a cutting if possible.

Take a photo of the plant, and a cutting if you can do it safely — identification is half of the vet's decision. Out of hours, use your practice's emergency number. This page explains risk; it cannot diagnose your cat and it contains no home treatments.

If your cat has vomited after eating a plant, see the cat vomiting guide and, if there is blood, vomiting blood. For a general red-flag checklist, use sick cat symptoms. If the worry is food rather than a plant, the can cats eat guide covers 36 everyday foods.

Related plants

Browse the full UK plant checklist (72 plants).