Lethal Lilies

We associate Easter lilies with the resurrection and all that is pure and good, but for your cat, lilies of all sorts are nothing but T-R-O-U-B-L-E, and that spells trouble with a capital T. Just the tiniest bit-o-lily, ingested by your cat, can cause fatal kidney failure. From the warning issued this Easter by the ASPCA:

"All parts of the lily plant are considered toxic to cats and the consumption of even small amounts can be life threatening," says Dr. Steve Hansen, a board-certified veterinary toxicologist and Senior Vice-President of the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center.

Within only a few hours of ingestion of the lily plant, a cat may vomit, become lethargic or develop a lack of appetite. These signs continue and worsen as kidney damage progresses. Without prompt and proper treatment by a veterinarian, the cat may develop kidney failure in 36 to 72 hours.

Here is a list of some of the types of lilies considered toxic to cats

• Easter lily
• Tiger lily
• Rubrum lily
• Japanese show lily
• Day lily
• Asian lily
• Calla lily
• Glory lily
• Peace lily
• Stargazer lily
• Wood lily
  

If you want to keep your housecat absolutely safe from lilies, then keep those lovely lilies out of your home altogether. If your cat is like mine, no indoor plant is safe from nibbling once the craving for something green strikes. But if you can't bear to part with your lilies, then a less foolproof alternative is to always have a potted catnip plant available for kitty munching, because a cat will almost always choose a delicious serving of catnip over any other fresh green vegetable.

And don't worry about your pets of other species. It seems that lilies are only poisonous to our feline friends.

For more info:

• Ten most common poisonous plants.
• List of non-toxic plants.
• More complete list of toxic plants.
• List of all sorts of things that might be poisonous to your pet.
  

Tags: lilies, cats, poison plants, toxic plants