Lily toxicity in cats
Lily toxicity is a devestating toxicity which often affects young cats. Despite aggressive treatment, many cats die.
The leaves and flowers from plants of the lily (Liliaceae) family including Asian, Day, Easter, Glory, Japanese Show, Peace, Red, Rubrum, Stargaszer, Tiger and Wood lilies are highly toxic to cats. For some reason cats, especially young cats are prone to ingesting them and becoming intoxicated. All parts of the plant are considered toxic including flowers, leaves, pollen and the stems. Only small amounts of the plant are required to cause toxicity. Even a kitten mouthing a plant should be considered a serious and potentially fatal ingestion.
If you keep cats you should never have lilies in your house or garden. Ingestion can lead to acute kidney or renal failure which can be life threatening.
Signs of lily toxicity usually start within several hours of exposure and include depression, anorexia and vomiting. Within 24-72 hours acute kidney or renal failure can develop which causes abdominal (kidney) pain and a marked reduction in urine production or complete cessation of production. With time they will become increasingly depressed. This is a life threatening condition and even with the most aggressive treatment many cats die from this. If you suspect that your cat has, or even MAY have ingested any lilies or is suffering from lily toxicity you should take them to your veterinarian immediately as early detection and treatment is vital. If there is going to be a delay you should start decontamination procedures such as vomiting as outlined in First Aid for Cats. If your cat has recently ingested Peace Lilies (aka White Lilies) you should not induce vomiting, instead administer a small amount of milk or yoghurt and take it to your veterinarian immediately.
● If you have a cat, do NOT keep lilies in your house or garden
● All parts of the lily plant are toxic. Even a tiny amount can be fatal as it can cause acute kidney or renal failure
● If you suspect lily toxicity, take your cat straight to your veterinarian
Thank you to Dr Justin Wimpole for the information provided in this article. All cat owners should buy a copy of his book, First Aid For Cats which has simple instructions about what to do in an emergency situation.
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