A small amount of sage would not cause any harm to your cat. Pet Health experts say that nibbling a bit on leaves of plants enriched with aromatic herbs, like Sage is safe for cats. However, cats are also better off without sage, let’s know why.

Many times when we leave our cat alone at home, it started exploring the house and eats anything that it finds interesting or eatable. But, what if instead of food, your cat have munched on your sage plant? Is sage safe for cats or is it toxic? Will the cat be fine after consuming a bit of sage?

Sage

Salvia Officinalis, more commonly known as sage is a medicinal and ornamental culinary herb that belongs to the Lamiaceae (mint) family. The leaves of these plants contain oil, which is used in various medicinal and aromatic uses.

Can Cats Eat Sage?

It is usually said that sage and other aromatic culinary herbs are toxic for cats, though it is true, but it becomes toxic only in very extreme cases. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ASPCA‘s list of toxic herbs and plants toxic, sage is considered safe for cat’s consumption.

Though your own garden-grown sage is non-toxic for cats, you still precariously want to keep your little furry pet away from the essential oils of sage. Cats, sadly don’t have enough live enzymes required to break the chemicals found in this essential oil, therefore, never expose your cat to this oil either directly or through a diffuser.

Do cats like sage?

Sometimes cat owners face a huge problem in keeping their cat away from certain types of plants like Solver vines, valerian roots, etc because they contain a chemical called nepetalactone which cats find absolutely irresistible. Fortunately Sage doesn’t contain it therefore, cats don’t get attracted a lot to it.

But your cat can still like to munch on sage because of sage’s texture and odor, also maybe because they are curious because of which they keep investigating the herb from time to time.

Is burning sage safe for cats?

White sage is also known as burning sage as part of various rituals in ancient native American culture, but in recent times it has gained popularity all over the globe.

Burning sage has numerous benefits from boosting cognition, energy levels in the mood to improving sleep. But still, now there are not enough studies conducted that can tell how smudging the burning sage affects kittens. Going by some vets, smudging is not dangerous for cats but the smoke might irritate their respiratory system. Therefore it is highly advised to keep kittens with already lung problems like asthma, away from it.

Final thoughts?

To sum up the discussion, sage is either toxic or poisonous for cats. It’s okay for your cats to nibble on it a bit, but do know it will not benefit the cats either.