Lethal Lilies and the Danger to your Cat

1. Lethal Lilies and The Danger to Your Cat www.365vet.co.uk

2. •Dehydration •Inappropriate thirst or urination •Seizures •Death If you get a beautiful bouquet for an anniversary, Valentine’s Day, your birthday or another special occasion, you will want to put those lovely flowers on display in your home. However, if the bouquet contains lilies and you are a cat owner you should give it a second thought. Moderate and Extreme Danger There are two types of lilies out there, ones that will make your cat quite sick and ones that will very likely kill your furry friend. The Calla, Peruvian and Peace lilies contain compounds that will cause minor sign of irritation to the esophagus, tongue and mouth. You will notice your cat pawing at its mouth, foaming, drooling and vomiting. Although lilies are beautiful, they are toxic to cats and can be very dangerous for your feline friend. All parts of the lily flower are poisonous for a cat, including the petals, leaves, pollen and stamen. Cats are curious creatures, they love to taste and smell everything in the house. If your cat chews on one of the leaves of the lily or even rubs against it and then licks the pollen out of its fur later, this can be extremely harmful and even fatal. The much more dangerous types of lily include the Tiger, Easter, Japanese Show, Asiatic Hybrid, Day, Stargazer, Rubrum, Red, Wood and Western lilies. These types of lilies are truly toxic to cats can be fatal. Even if the cat ingests a small amount, such as a couple of petals or some pollen or even the water from the vase, they can suffer from serious kidney failure. Once a cat ingests the lily flower, the poison acts quickly. If they are not treated, they will develop acute renal failure and die. They will suffer from depression, vomiting, partial or complete loss of appetite, dehydration and much more. Bloodwork will show that the cat has an increase in potassium, phosphorus, creatine and blood urea nitrogen. There is another type of dangerous lily called Lily of the Valley, which doesn’t cause kidney failure but will cause a life threatening heart arrhythmia and death when it is ingested by a cat. Symptoms Here are some of the symptoms that you should watch out for, which would indicate that your cat has been poisoned by a lily. Watch your cat closely for any symptoms, as cats tend to try to hide illnesses as an instinct from when they were living in the wild and didn’t want to appear vulnerable. How to Prevent This There are many things that you can do to decrease the chances of lily poisoning in cats. First of all, make sure that you spread the word about this danger and let all of your friends and neighbours know. •Lack of appetite •Hiding •Lethargy •Vomiting •Diarrhoea •Halitosis Whenever you give flowers to a house that has cats, make sure that you ask for lilies not to be included in the arrangement. Talk to the florist and make sure that they know about lilies and how they are poisonous to cats. www.365vet.co.uk

3. The vet will try to decontaminate the cat by giving them binders such as activated charcoal or inducing vomiting. Usually a florist will allow for a special request to be made. Also, when the recipient gets their flowers you can talk to them and check to make sure that lilies have not been included. Then, the cat will be given intravenous fluids for approximately 48 hours. The vet will refer your cat to an emergency hospital for continued care if necessary. The vet will take bloodwork from your cat when it is admitted to the hospital and this will be repeated in 24 hours. If you have cats, never bring lilies into your home. If you receive a bouquet of flowers with lilies, throw them away or bring them to another location where there are no cats – such as your workplace. Cats are curious and can climb, so don’t think that you have put the lilies “off limits” just because they are high on a shelf somewhere. Prevent Lily Poisoning in Cats Lily poisoning is a danger to cats and if you bring these flowers into your home without knowing, you could seriously hurt your pets. However, once you know that lilies are dangerous to cats you can avoid this by simply not letting these flowers get anywhere near your pet. Making sure that lilies are avoided at all costs means that your cat will not be exposed to this dangerous and potentially deadly poison. Also, take a look in your garden. If you have outdoor cats, make sure that there are not any daylilies or other types of lilies growing in your garden. Also, if there is a cemetery nearby, ask for a notice to be put up so that people do not leave lily flowers on the graves. What Should I Do If My Cat is Exposed to a Lily? If you have any other questions about lily poisoning, make sure that you ask your trusted vet. If you know that your cat has been exposed to a lily, or they are acting ill and there is a lily nearby, you should take them to the vet immediately. If the cat is treated for lily toxin exposure within 18 hours, they have a much better chance of recovering. However, if the treatment is delayed the prognosis is poor and many cats will be euthanized. There are no effective at home treatments for cats that have been exposed to lily poisoning, so it is essential to take them to the vet so that you can help them as soon as possible. What Can be Done? What can the vet do for your cat if it has eaten a poisonous lily? First of all, the vet will give the cat medicine that will help the cat to eliminate the plant. www.365vet.co.uk

4. Keep Your Cats Protected! Beeston Animal Health Ltd., Whitchurch Road, Beeston Castle, Tarporley, Cheshire, CW6 9NJ www.365vet.co.uk