CAUTION: Lilies can be highly dangerous to cats!
Easter is this weekend and we want to remind you about lilies being VERY dangerous to cats. To be safe we recommend that all cat owners avoid lilies altogether, both inside and out.
The potentially fatal lilies are true lilies, including Tiger, Day, Asiatic, Easter, and Japanese Show lilies. These are all highly toxic to cats. Even small ingestions (such as chewing on the pollen, petals or leaves) can result in kidney failure and death.
Some other varieties of lilies are a little more benign: Peace, Peruvian, and Calla lilies contain oxalate crystals that cause minor signs of illness, such as tissue irritation in the mouth, tongue, pharynx, and esophagus, which, in turn, causes minor drooling. Much the same as the more commonly recognized danger of poinsettias.
Cats that consume any part of a lily require immediate medical care to effectively treat the poisoning.
If you see your cat eating, or even chewing on a lily, you should contact your veterinarian immediately. Swift treatment and decontamination is imperative in the early toxic stage. Additionally, aggressive intravenous fluid therapy, kidney-function monitoring tests, and supportive care can greatly improve prognoses.
Please share this important information with all of your cat loving friends.
