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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

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Original poster

Neighbours’ lily plant

63 replies

Judystilldreamsofhorses · 03/08/2019 23:14

Please help. Our neighbours have recently got a big lily thing in a pot in their back garden. Our cat doesn’t roam, but she sees their garden and ours as both being “hers”, and I am really scared she goes near the lily. We’re on good terms with the neighbours, but just general chatting over the wall about the weather type stuff, taking in parcels for one another, not actually friends - would it be really off to explain how toxic lilies are, and politely ask if they might consider moving the lily to the front? (Cat never goes out the front.) Neighbours have two small dogs, but I don’t know if lilies are toxic for dogs too?

I know the right thing would be to keep the cat in, but she is used to being able to go in and out, particularly in nice weather - even in horrible weather she would rather burst than use the litter tray. She’s five and would be bewildered to suddenly not be allowed out. Keeping her in for 24 hours after a GA for a dental procedure earlier in the year was quite the battle.

OP posts:

Bloomburger · 05/08/2019 11:49

Is this true?

Will cats avoid Lilly's?

I'm off to the garden centre immediately.

Any Lilly? Or a specific kind of Lily?

Bloomburger · 05/08/2019 11:50

Is this true?

Will cats avoid Lilly's?

I'm off to the garden centre immediately.

Any Lilly? Or a specific kind of Lily?

Bloomburger · 05/08/2019 11:51

Is this true?

Will cats avoid Lilly's?

I'm off to the garden centre immediately.

Any Lilly? Or a specific kind of Lily?

Bloomburger · 05/08/2019 11:52

Is this true?

Will cats avoid Lily's?

If so I'm off tot he garden centre now to stock up on them for my front garden.

thecatneuterer · 05/08/2019 12:42

Bloomburger - of course it's not true.

Having said that - Arum lilies aren't deadly - if you really want a lily fix. If they ate them they would burn their mouths but that's all, but I've never known a cat try to eat them.

The thing with normal lilies is they only need to walk near them to be poisoned.

MoreSlidingDoors · 05/08/2019 12:56

My garden is full of lilies. They’re my favourite flower. I don’t want cats in my garden, so have cat proofed as much as possible. But if (selfish) people think okay their cat has the right to come and crap in my garden, they can’t expect me to be responsible for its wellbeing.

thecatneuterer · 05/08/2019 13:00

MoreSlidingDoors - and no one has suggested that you should be. And if your neighbour politely asked you, you could politely say no and think no more about it - like a pleasant, reasonable person.

Cloudtree · 05/08/2019 13:03

I have lillies in my garden and two cats and a puppy. I'd think you were a bit bonkers.

NotUnderMyHeart · 05/08/2019 13:04

Oh my goodness I had absolutely no idea about this! I’ve recently started getting interested in my garden and plants and a lovely neighbour (who has 2 cats who are her pride and joy) helped me out with some advice and gave me some specific soil I needed. I bought her a beautiful lily plant as a gift to say thank you!

SpamChaudFroid · 05/08/2019 13:08

I would mention it to ndn, from the angle that you know they are fatally toxic to cats, so therefore possibly toxic to her dogs.

I do wish places selling lillies would label them with a warning.

thecatneuterer · 05/08/2019 13:16

Cloudtree well you have been lucky so far. So is it that you don't believe the danger or that you don't care if your cats die?

thecatneuterer · 05/08/2019 13:17

Notunder - you need to replace it immediately.

thecatneuterer · 05/08/2019 13:19

Arum lilies are OK and are hardier plants generally. Maybe replace with those?

Nautiloid · 05/08/2019 13:23

You cannot ask your neighbours to move their lilies. You just can't.

A huge number of garden plants are toxic to cats.

mumwon · 05/08/2019 13:28

if its anything like our old cat its probably been eating insects!

thecatneuterer · 05/08/2019 13:29

Nautiloid. Yes lots of plants are slightly toxic but lilies are in a class of their own. They are deadly and don't even need to be eaten to kill.

Of course you can ask. You can politely ask anything at all. What you can't do is insist but no one has suggested that.

viccat · 05/08/2019 13:47

If you approach it from the perspective of letting people know they're toxic rather than insisting they do anything, it's perfectly reasonable to mention it.

I really wish it was mentioned everywhere lilies are sold, I come across cat owners and prospective cat owners who don't know about it all the time. They are really not like other "potentially toxic" plants at all and the smallest amount of pollen can be lethal.

Cloudtree · 05/08/2019 14:05

Cloudtree well you have been lucky so far. So is it that you don't believe the danger or that you don't care if your cats die?

I had no idea about it. But I have had cats for the past 20 years and we have always had lilies in the garden and frequently also in the house

thecatneuterer · 05/08/2019 14:07

Ok. Well you have been very lucky. None of the cats died from sudden, unexplained liver failure?

Cloudtree · 05/08/2019 14:09

nope

thecatneuterer · 05/08/2019 14:12

Well that's good! So yes, you've been lucky

HuggedTheRedwoods · 05/08/2019 19:37

@Judystilldreamsofhorses - I think you've had some harsh responses here, but I wouldn't take offence if a neighbour mentioned it to me, especially if they have little dogs and might not be aware themselves. I'm not especially friendly with my ndn but when I found I had hedgehogs living in the garden and noticed them trundling between mine and their garden of an evening I told her about them and asked would she think about not putting slug pellets down and she was perfectly fine about it. Can't hurt to ask.

Original poster

Judystilldreamsofhorses · 09/08/2019 10:31

I’m almost scared to bump this post, but thought I should update in case anyone’s interested.

I saw my neighbour this morning, and after a chat about the weather said something along the lines of “I just wondered, did you know that plant is toxic for animals?” He was like, no, what, really, this one? He seemed really shocked, obviously had no idea, and immediately said he would get rid of it, no polite question or suggestion on my part needed. I said I hoped he didn’t think I was rude to mention it, and he said not at all, and thanks for letting him know.

I agree with PP that plants should be labelled. I get a monthly flower delivery from Bloom and Wild, and you have the option to tick “make my bouquet lily free” when you subscribe.

OP posts:

wheresmymojo · 09/08/2019 11:22

Honestly pretty shocked at those who have cats themselves and also have planted lilies knowing they are deadly toxins.

Especially when people who work at vet clinics have said on the thread that they see many cases each year.

That is irresponsible pet ownership.

MoreSlidingDoors · 09/08/2019 12:24

I just wondered, did you know that plant is toxic for animals?

Bit of a shame that animal owners don’t give a toss that their pets are toxic to humans (allergies, blindness due to contact with cat shit etc)

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