While their flowers are lovely to see and smell, lilies pose a significant safety threat for your cat. Lilies in the “true lily” and “daylily” families are very dangerous for cats. The entire lily plant is toxic: the stem, leaves, flowers, pollen, and even the water in a vase.
Yes, lilies are toxic to cats. Many kinds of plants have “lily” as part of their name, but not all contain the same toxins. Two species of toxic lilies were in the top five common exposures in 2020: true lilies (Lilium species) and daylilies (Hemerocallis species), which can both cause kidney failure in cats.
Lilies can drop a lot of pollen, and cats can walk through this or brush against the flowers, getting pollen on their coat. One of the most common ways for cats to ingest lilies is as they clean pollen from their fur. If you do receive lilies, cutting out the stamens can reduce the pollen drop and therefore the risk.
Cats seem to be especially attracted to Lilies as well and will often seek them out to chew on. Brushing by a flower and having pollen cling to the fur can cause a secondary toxicity when they groom themselves later, thereby ingesting the pollen and the toxin along with it. Interestingly, Lilies are not toxic to dogs!
Some poisoned cats recover with minimal therapy, while others require costly dialysis to live long enough for the kidneys to possibly repair themselves. Many affected cats never recover kidney function following lily toxicity, and die or are euthanized within days of becoming ill.
The effects of lily toxicity are rapid. Within 1-3 hours of ingestion, cats become nauseous leading to a decreased appetite, drooling and vomiting as well as display signs of depression and lethargy.
Mortality is between 50-100%. Early, aggressive intervention (suspecting ingestion or prompt treatment when clinical signs are first noted) results in a 90% survival rate. So during this romantic, flower-giving time of year, please make sure your Valentine knows to stay away from lilies if you are a cat lover. What?
Once a cat ingests or comes in contact with a toxin, symptoms may not show up right away. Some toxins may take 3 to 4 days to show any effects. The types of symptoms a cat will exhibit will depend on the toxin she has been exposed to.
“Lilies” that are not considered toxic to cats (because they are not true lilies) include the following: Peruvian lily, sand lily, corn lily, ginger lily, sego/mariposa lily, canna lily, Saint Bernard's lily, red palm lily, resurrection lily, and Scarborough lily.
Peace lilies are mildly poisonous to cats, although the compounds they contain are fortunately not as toxic as those of true lilies. Even so, call your vet immediately! Your kitty is very uncomfortable, but she should survive the ordeal.
Easter/Asiatic Lily (Lilium spp.)
Lilium sp, are ones to keep your cats away from. They have several common names: Asiatic Lily, Easter Lily, Stargazer lily, Oriental lily. All of these should be avoided by pet parents. All parts of the plant are toxic and small amounts can cause severe injury to the kidneys.
Their sweet scent may attract cats over for a taste. Most often find out quickly that the flower is not that yummy, however, a few end up with a penchant for eating the roses. The good news is that roses by themselves are not toxic to cats, says Dr. Maureen K.
A lovely bouquet of flowers containing lilies may look beautiful on your table, but to your dog or cat, they could be deadly. Lilies have a very pretty characteristic flower, yet all parts of the plant are toxic to dogs and cats.
Many of us buy lilies but not many people realise how dangerous they are to cats. Lilies are extremely toxic to cats and can kill, with all parts of the plant being potentially poisonous, including the leaves, pollen and flowers.
Our curious kitties love to investigate anything aromatic, especially plants and flowers. So, being their natural, lovable selves, they'll nudge against them, smell them, and maybe even eat them to see if they taste as good as they smell. However, this can be dangerous—and even fatal—depending on the flower or plant.
Lilies may seem like beautiful, fragrant and harmless plants to humans, but when it comes to your family pets they can be extremely poisonous and potentially fatal.
Lilies are at the top of the list of poisonous plants for cats, which also includes Asiatic lilies, Easter lilies, Japanese show lilies, rubrum lilies, stargazer lilies, red lilies, tiger lilies, Western lilies, wood lilies, and daylilies.
Anna Denisova / EyeEm/Getty Images Tulip bulbs are the most toxic to cats. Even a small amount of toxins from tulips can cause your cat discomfort.
All parts of the lily plant are toxic to cats, including the petals, the stems, the pollen, and even the water in the vase. Even a very small amount of lily pollen, water, or petals ingested can cause lethal liver damage in your cat.
The signs of toxicity are brown gums, difficulty breathing, blood in the urine, jaundice and swelling.
Recovery from poisoning in cats depends on timing. The sooner your cat has medical attention, the sooner treatment can begin and the less time the poison has to make its way through your cat's system. For many cats, those who receive early treatment will return to their normal selves within a short time.
Cats can and do survive being poisoned if they're treated early and appropriately.
The majority won't cause much more than skin irritation or an upset stomach, and it's very unlikely that cats will intentionally eat plants that are poisonous to them. However, some plants can make cats very ill, even if they haven't eaten the plant.
Sunflowers. If you're a cat owner with a passion for sunflowers, you can welcome these plants into your home as they're non-toxic if you cat accidentally manages to ingest them.
Cats are very sensitive to these medications and just one tablet can lead to severe liver damage and even death. Signs of poisoning include swelling of the face and paws, pale blue gums, difficulty breathing, vomiting, and dark urine.