Easter is coming soon and many of us may purchase or receive as a gift an Easter Lily. They are beautiful but they are also dangerous. This plant is poisonous to your cat.
Kitties are naturally curious animals and romp around the house chasing their tails, climbing in bags and nibbling on plants. Even if you don’t think they will bother the Easter Lily, it’s best not to introduce the temptation.
The most prominent feature of the Easter Lily is the long white trumpeted flowers. However, all parts are dangerous to our feline friend – flowers, petals, leaves, stems, even the pollen can be lethal.
When ingested they disrupt the digestive system and can lead to kidney failure. Signs that your cat may have eaten some of an Easter Lily are:
Within 2- 4 hours – vomitting, lethargy and lack of appetite.
Withing 24-72 hours – increased thirst and urination followed by a drastic decrease of both as the kidneys begin to shut down.
Treating a cat that has ingested any part of an Easter Lily involves an immediate visit to the vet where they will induce vomiting to empty the stomach. They may introduce charcoal to the digestive system to neutralize the toxins and will administer IV fluids for at least 2 days to flush the kidneys.
If you suspect your cat has eaten any part of an Easter Lily it’s crucial that you get them to the vet within 6 hours. Waiting longer than that may have lethal consequences.
It’s not only Easter Lilies that are poisonous to felines. Tiger lilies, rubrum lilies and day lilies are also dangerous for them. The best prevention is to not have any around so your cat won’t be tempted to chew on them. There are plenty of other Easter Flowers that are safe for them including but not limited to orchids, daisies, violets or Easter Cactus.
