According to a news release from the Pet Poison Hotline (800-213-6680), these were the top five toxins for cats in 2012:

1. Topical spot-on insecticides: Topical flea and tick treatments that contain pyrethrins or pyrethroids made for dogs should not be used on kitties, and should be avoided on dogs that share homes and are exceptionally friendly with kitties. Read the labels to avoid these active ingredients, because if your cat comes in contact with them, it could result in severe drooling, tremors and seizures. From personal experience, keep an eye on bug-repellant outdoor clothing that sometimes contains these ingredients. My husband has a hat that is relegated to the garage because it’s coated in this stuff.

2. Household cleaners: This doesn’t give you permission to stop cleaning your house (sorry) but it does mean you have to be careful when storing toilet bowl cleaners, rust removers and drain cleaners. If ingested, this stuff is bad news for your cat and can result in difficulty breathing, vomiting and chemical burns to the mouth and esophagus.

3. Antidepressants: You don’t want to know me without my Prozac, but I don’t want Thai getting anywhere near my meds. Same goes for Zoloft, Cymbalta and especially Effexor, which must smell like canned cat food because kitties are drawn to it. These medicines can cause loss of appetite, lethargy, vomiting, tremors, seizures, hyperthermia and diarrhea.

4. Plants: Not all plants are bad, but cats have an instinct to nibble on leaves, so you want to make sure to leave the ones that could harm your kitty at the flower shop. The list includes a lot of lilies: tiger, day, Asiatic, Easter and Japanese show. Even a little pollen from these plants can cause kidney failure.  Peace, Peruvian and calla lilies are not true lilies and are not as dangerous, but can cause some minor symptoms. Choose roses, you can never go wrong.

5. NSAIDS: You know them as aspirin, naproxen and ibuprofen. To cats, these anti-inflammatories are a bad trip that can result in kidney failure and stomach ulcers. Acetaminophen, most commonly known as Tylenol, doesn’t get off the hook either. One pill can be fatal to a kitty. Just make sure these pills stay out of a curious cat’s path, and if you drop a pill, be sure to find it.