Posted on 04/11/2009 1:20:30 PM PDT by JoeProBono
With Easter coming up, it's good to remember that plants of the genus Lilium, more commonly known as lilies, produce a chemical that can cause kidney failure in cats. For a feline, even something as seemingly innocuous as licking a paw that has touched lily pollen, biting into a lily leaf, or drinking the water from a vase containing lilies can be fatal.
According to UC Davis veterinary professor Larry Cowgill, co-director of the UC Veterinary Medical Center-San Diego, symptoms of lily poisoning include vomiting, lethargy and loss of appetite. Per Cowgill, “If cat owners suspect lily poisoning, they should contact their veterinarian immediately because a cat that has consumed the lily toxin very likely will experience kidney failure within 36 to 72 hours unless it receives appropriate treatment.” Dr. Sharon Gwaltney-Brant, Veterinary Toxicologist at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center says "unfortunately, all parts of the lily plant are considered toxic to cats and consuming even small amounts can be life threatening."
The Cat Fanciers Association recommends that cat owners remove lilies from their cats' access and consider safer alternatives such as Easter orchids, Easter cactus, Easter daisies or violets.
Look,I agree.You need to be safe when it concerns your pets,but an Easter Cactus?
Hmm, is there a lily species that grows wild in the american midwest? If so I want it in my yard...all over my yard.
But that's a story for another time.
Well crap! I saw our kitty Felix chewing on the greens of some Stella D’Oro day lilies in our back yard the other day. No sign of sickness whatsoever, thankfully. But now, do I dig them up? Ugh. Guess I’ll have to do some research.
My lily is on the front porch. Bella seems to be quite content to munch on my still blooming, but missing many leaves, Christmas cactus. She did bite the also still in bloom Poinsettia and promptly barfed...and never went near it again. That was back in Dec though.
My lily is on the front porch. Bella seems to be quite content to munch on my still blooming, but missing many leaves, Christmas cactus. She did bite the also still in bloom Poinsettia and promptly barfed...and never went near it again. That was back in Dec though.
The mighty hunter likes to show off his kills.
I have a friend whose 2 cats ate an Easter Lily. They were in kitty intensive care for a week and a half on kitty dialysis. They lived, but he won’t talk about how much it cost him.
Just watch her VERY carefully for signs of illness and get to the vet immediately if she shows any. She might not have really ingested any, but it really takes only a tiny amount. How much may depend somewhat on what part of the plant, the type of lily plant, and other such factors — apparently only certain types of day lilies contain the toxin: http://www.cfainc.org/articles/lilies.html But I know some cats have been critically poisoned by stepping on a floor where some lily pollen had fallen from cut flowers, and then later licking their paws.
Yeesh! Well he hasn’t shown ANY signs of illness, thankfully, and I didn’t see anything on the list about the Stella D’oro variety, so hopefully we’re in the clear there. But my husband has given me stargazer lilies before, so we’ll have to put an end to that (and I’ll have to stop ordering them for my mother for her kittie’s sake).
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