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Although I love doing therapy cat visits at the big hospital, there’s one time I just don’t go: around Easter. There’s a very good reason for that. Lots of patients bedridden in hospitals over Easter receive lilies to brighten their holiday. And sometimes the staff gets them too. And lilies are deadly to cats.
So why can’t I just avoid being near a bouquet of lilies when I’m visiting? It’s not that simple because every single part of the lily is toxic enough to kill me. Not just the leaves and the flowers. Also the pollen. Also the water in the lily’s vase. If I come in contact with any of these — if pollen or vase water got on the bed or patient, for example — I’m at risk for kidney failure. Yes, it’s that serious.
My human has known for decades how dangerous lilies are when it comes to kitties. But not everyone knows, and every year, cats die because their family wasn’t aware of lily toxicity. So let me fill you in on a few facts.
Both True Lilies and Daylilies Are Fatal to Cats
Every single part of the true lily and daylily families of plants can kill a cat. Most commonly cats get sick because they’ve eaten part of a lily plant, even just a tiny bit. Or because they got pollen on their fur as they brushed by it and then licked it off. If not treated, even a tiny amount of lily ingested can kill a cat in three days or less.
The lilies that have the highest toxicity to cats include:
- Asiatic Lily
- Casa Blanca Lily
- Daylily
- Easter Lily
- Japanese Lily
- Oriental Lily
- Rubrum Lily
- Stargazer Lily
- Tiger Lily
- Wood Lily
What About Flowers That Aren’t True Lilies or Daylilies?
Some plants, such as lily of the valley and the gloriosa lily (also known as the flame or fire lily) don’t cause kidney failure. But they are still dangerous because they cause a potentially life threatening, abnormal heart rhythm in both cats and dogs.
Calla lilies and peace lilies contain irritants that can cause drooling, vomiting and diarrhea. Peruvian lilies can cause stomach upsets.
So while these types of flowers aren’t as deadly as true lilies and daylilies, you still don’t want them around your cat.
What Is the Treatment if My Cat Has Ingested a True Lily or Daylily?
Shockingly, nobody knows the exact toxin in lilies that causes a cat’s kidneys to fail! The treatment consists of preventing absorption of the toxin through giving the cat activated charcoal, and later through IV fluids to help the kidneys. Depending on how sick your cat is, this could involve a few days stay at the veterinary clinic. The worst case scenario (other than death) is that your cat’s kidneys are so damaged they need dialysis.
What Are the Symptoms My Cat Might Have if They’ve ingested a Lily?
Symptoms are deceptively mild at first. Within about 1 to 3 hours, the cat might vomit, drool, lose their appetite and become lethargic. Then within 12 to 24 hours, as kidney damage sets in, you might see the cat urinating frequently and becoming dehydrated. After a day or so, the kidneys can start shutting down completely.
If you even suspect that your cat has come in contact with a lily, it’s important to seek veterinary help right away. If you can bring a photo of the plant with you, or even the plant itself, that will help the vet identify the type of lily.
As you can see, even if your cat’s contact with lilies isn’t fatal, it can still make them very, very sick, and result in a very expensive vet bill. It’s much better to be safe and keep lilies out of your home completely.
On our therapy cat visits, my human won’t even allow me in the same room with lilies, and now you know why. The big hospital I visit will see me again a couple of weeks after Easter, when all the lily bouquets have died, been thrown away, and the rooms cleaned. Meanwhile, we visit the children’s hospital, which is an outpatient facility, and the assisted living residences, where I just visit one big recreational room, where any plants are just plastic.
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