Lilies Are Highly Toxic for Cats
by matt @ 11:11 pm. Blogged under Living and Dying
With the arrival of baby Maria in July we’ve had a lot of celebratory flowers in the house of late, some of which have been Lilies. A visitor tonight reminded me of something I read online last year about Lilies being fatally toxic to cats, having done some more research tonight I’m now even more concerned than ever… Lily pollen or leaves prove fatal to cats if ingested; eventually their kidneys pack up and any unfortunate animal goes on to die a very painful death within five days of consuming the pollen. It seems that there is a six-hour window within which to get your cat to a vet for treatment following a lily eating incident, after that it’s goodbye moggy. The main symptoms to watch out for are lethargy, a lack of appetite and vomiting.
I found many articles on dubious looking US based sites, but the official RSPCA line in a Daily Telegraph article from 2005 clarified the position for me. Needless to say, unfortunately the lilies in our house have gone to my mother in law’s where my wife can enjoy them on her daily visits with Maria and our cats can stay safe. With even a small amount of lily pollen licked off of fur being enough to cause serious illness I’m taking no chances, especially as we’ve lost track of the number of times we came home to a mauled vase of tulips!
Technorati Tags: lily, lilies, cats, cat illness, flowers, toxic, pets, kittens, pollen, animal allergies
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September 3rd, 2007 at 9:03 pm
Wel I never knew that. Thanks Matt. No more Lilies for me. I’m not that keen on them anyway - smell too much of cat wee.