Can a cactus kill a animal?

Yes, cactus plants can kill animals/ One way that they can do so is by the way in which they grab the available moisture from a desert environment. Their modified leaves channel any available moisture -be it dew, fog, or rainfall - to the ground, to be added to the water table or taken in by the roots. A cactus is used to dominating the desert landscape. So it's used to sharing the sunlight and to not sharing the water.

Additionally, a cactus plant fruits, flowers, and seeds. But the buds, blooms, and berries are surrounded by a defensive array of modified leaves in the form of thorns, spines, spikes, quills, prongs, needles, hairs, or bristles. A cactus' defense mechanisms can do damage, particularly if the modified leaves are barbed.

As a consequence, an animal can be left without drink or food in an environment where the pickings are few and far between.