IT’S THE SEASON FOR BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS!, BUT PLEASE BEWARE OF LILY FLOWERS AND CATS !…these can kill cats!
Several members of the Lily family, including Easter Lilies (Lillium longiflorum), daylilies (Hemerocallis), tiger lilies ( Lilium t…igrinum), and Asiatic lilies ( Lilium speciosum and Lilium lancifolium) can cause KIDNEY FAILURE in CATS.The exact toxic principle is unknown, nor is the toxic dose; but ALL PARTS of the plant are toxic, including the stems, stamen, leaves, petals AND pollen. Even a very small amount ingested by a cat (a bite of a leaf, or a lick of pollen off the fur, can be fatal.
Whenever I see lily’s in the homes of my housecall clients, and they have cats, I ALWAYS recommend carefully disposing of them, and letting all their friends and family know, to NEVER bring lily’s into a household with cats!….and please tell your florists too! (sorry flower people…)
If you think your cat has been exposed to a Lily plant, bring them into your local veterinary emergency hospital RIGHT AWAY. Early and aggressive treatment [< 18 hours of exposure) typically yields a good prognosis. If the cat is ill already though [salivation, vomiting, anorexia, dehydration and depression], the prognosis goes down…In all the homes that I’ve visited and done housecalls for cats, NONE of the owners knew that they were poisonous; please tell your lovely friends who give these to you, and please tell your florists….there a plenty of other non-toxic beautiful flowers out there!