Cats and poisonous plants - especially lilies

[TheBunsOfPanettone]

An acquaintance recently had to leave her poor cat at the vet overnight on a drip following a run in with a lily that she had taken care to put in a room she didn't let her cat into. Well of course the cat had other ideas, snuck in unobserved and ate some of the lily. Happily the danger was discovered in time, the cat recovered following treatment and the cat's mum is never going to risk lilies anywhere in the house again.

I just thought it would be worth posting this as there are several people around with new kittens and cats. The really scary thing about lilies is that the cat doesn't even have to help itself to the plant - the highly toxic pollen can just fall on its coat and it will then ingest it later when it grooms. Lily poisoning can lead to kidney failure and death if not treated immediately.

There's a list here of indoor and outdoor plants that are toxic to cats, some advice on the subject of prevention and some info on poisoning symptoms that would necessitate a trip to the vet.

www.icatcare.org/advice/keeping-your-cat-safe/cats-and-poisonous-plants

Also

www.noliliesforcats.com/site/view/169876_FAQ.pml

Useful post, Buns. The sad thing is that lilies are such a very common plant in florist or supermarket bouquets, being so showy. I've talked loudly about it to all family and friends so as to avoid any coming into the house for some event.

Thanks for posting.

I lost my lovely little 7 month old kitten to a bastard lily. :(

We found her too late, she was gasping for breath and shaking. She died quickly after (fortunately to end her suffering, but not fortunately as we could not get her to a vet quick enough).

The only reason I knew what it was is because she was covered in yellow pollen (she was white).

I will never have a lily in my home again. Cat or no cat.

Oh your poor baby detective. That's really sad, and I'm sorry your little kit had to go through that. At least you were there with her.

Thanks for the post buns.

TheDetective that is heart-breaking about your poor kitten. It's very frightening just how quickly the poison takes effect. Thank you for posting about her.

Apparently some Christmassy plants can be problematic - it's well worth checking with so much foliage coming in and so many house plants being given as presents at this time of year.

Pointsettias are poisenous too I believe.

It's not just lilies, it's all alliums such as onion, garlic, chives.