Lily Flowers: Harmful For Your Cat

Spring has sprung and so has the season of the Lilies! While these are beautiful flowers and a popular gift for Easter and Mother’s Day, they actually present a great health hazard to your cats! This blog outlines more information every cat owner should know about seasonal flowers.

What Types Of Lily Are Harmful?

We recommend keeping any variety of the Lilium Species out of the home if you have a cat. Common varieties that may be in your household include, but are not limited to, the Asian Lily, Easter Lily, Japanese Show Lily, Rubrum Lily, and Tiger Lily.

Did You Know? Every part of the lily is reported to be toxic to cats:           flower, stem, leaves, and even the root. 

What To Do If Ingested…

It is important if your cat ingests any part of a lily, that you take him/her to the veterinarian ASAP. Delay can result in serious consequences for your pet.  The effects of Lilies mainly impact kidney function, resulting in acute renal failure within 1-2 days of ingestion.

If taken to the veterinarian within 1 hour, your veterinarian can induce vomiting or perform gastric lavage (washing out of the stomach).  It is best, if time allows, to get everything out of the stomach, then continue supportive care.

If taken to the veterinarian 1-2 hours after ingestion, the plant material has been digested and therefore treatment becomes more in-depth.  At this point, your veterinarian may recommend the use of activated charcoal and supportive care based on symptoms.

Prognosis varies based on the time frame between ingestion and when your pet is examined by a veterinarian.  Once acute renal failure develops, the prognosis is poor with high mortality rates.

Case Study: Chooch the DSH

Chooch ingested lily from a bouquet brought home from a husband to a wife. While the intent of a romantic gesture was appreciated by his owner, Chooch was a little too curious about the new addition to the house. Luckily his owner knew that Lilies are toxic to cats, and when she found evidence that he may have ingested some, they went straight to the vet for treatment! His outcome was a success due to the quick actions of his owner, but his recovery still took time, medication, and patience!

We recommend keeping lilies out of the environment of your cats.  Keep your pets safe all year round, including the spring season. We also recommend knowing what household plants and toxins may be harmful to your pet. Find out more here.

If you have any questions or concerns about the harmful nature of the Lily flower, please give our office a call.