This is because cats lack the enzymes needed to metabolize these volatile agents. Cats Lack Enzymes needed to Metabolize Mint Leaves Many cats start immediately sneezing when they come in contact with any of these genus-mentha plants or their essential oils. Some like pennyroyal can even kill your cat. These essential oils come in very handy during aromatherapy for humans and they also impart a delicious flavor to our gourmet dishes, but to our cats, these strong scents and flavors can be very irritating. Harmful essential oilsīut did you know that every time we have a fragrant or aromatic plant on hand, it has some essential oils triggering those aromas and flavors? There are many plants in this genus including spearmint, peppermint, wild mint, garden mint, horsemint, Australian mint, pennyroyal, and sweet mint.Įach of these has a characteristic feature that draws us humans to these herbs – they all have an alluring aroma and flavor that finds use in perfume-making, in chewing gum and candies, in cooking, etc. The Mint species of plants and herbs belongs to the genus ‘ mentha’. There are different types of mint species More importantly, we will understand the ‘ why’ behind this fact. So now that you know the answer to the question: can cats eat mint leaves? It is time to dive a bit deeper into this topic. However, if your pet starts vomiting and the symptoms do not ease up, then it could be mint poisoning, and you’d be better off taking it to the vet.

But the ones that do could suffer from debilitating symptoms like vomiting, skin irritation etc.ĭon’t worry, if you have some mint bushes in your garden and your cat chews them- it should be fine. Note that not all cats show signs of mint poisoning. That is why, it is important for all cat parents to note that many members of the fresh mint family are extremely toxic to our beloved cats. And it makes sense too since most cats know – to some extent – what is and isn’t good for them.īut, mint poisoning in cats does exist and can occur if your cat consumes mint leaves or inhales or licks peppermint oil in large quantities. After all – there are very few reports of cats being killed by mint leaves. Mint poisoning in cats is not a common occurrence. Please understand that I am not trying to frighten you. So if you think that catmint, catnip, spearmint, and peppermint are all the same, think again! There are literally thousand different varieties of mint plants and not all of them are safe for pets, especially for cats. No – cats should never ever consume mint leaves because the essential oil or peppermint oil found in the mint plant can cause toxicity in cats.

Cat mint bushes