Every year around Easter Sunday I get a sweet gift of an Easter Lily from a well-intentioned friend. I think they are absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately, Easter Lily is poisonous for cats. Actually, Lilies of all types are poisonous for cats, so I don’t bring them into my house. I wondered what I could find to share with my clients about the effect Lilies have on their kitties. I checked the blog of one of my favorite veterinarians. It was no surprise he’d written about this exact problem.
Here’s what veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker had to say on his blog about Lilies:
“We don’t know why, but cats are highly sensitive to all parts of the lily: leaves, flowers, stems, and possibly even the pollen and the water in which the flowers are placed. A cat who nibbles even a single petal or leaf of an Easter lily can go into severe kidney failure and die unless he receives aggressive treatment right away. That usually means a two- or three-day stay in the hospital receiving intravenous fluids and other supportive treatment to keep the kidneys functioning and flush the toxins out of his body. Even with extensive treatment, the prognosis is guarded. That all adds up to big bucks and lots of heartaches!
Lilies of all kinds, not just Easter lilies, are popular ornamental plants that you can buy just about anywhere. It’s very common to see them in bouquets and flower arrangements. The Pet Poison Helpline says to beware of tiger lilies, daylilies, Asiatic hybrids, Japanese show lilies, rubrums, stargazers, red, Western, and wood lilies and lilies of the valley.
Normally if people are having problems with cats chewing on ornamental plants, I advise them to keep the plants out of reach, but I don’t think that’s a safe enough method to prevent lily toxicity. If you are a cat lover or love someone who is, you should never allow lilies in your home or yard or send them as gifts, no matter how beautiful and fragrant they are.”
https://www.drmartybecker.com/petconnection/dont-eat-that-lily-little-tiger/
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