Is Your Cat in Danger From Your Plants?
Easter is one of my favorite times of year. The days are warmer, everything is beginning to turn green, and many plants are beginning to start flowering. However, this often results in a fatal situation for cats. Easter lilies, Tiger lilies, Day lilies and Asiatic lilies (these last three are often grown around our yards in the spring and summer) are all highly toxic to cats. All parts of the lily plant are poisonous – the petals, the leaves, the stem and even the pollen. This is not one of those situations where they must eat their weight in plant material. As little as chewing one or two leaves may be enough to poison your cat. Even grooming the pollen of the lily from their cat has been shown to result in poisoning your cat.
Lilies causes kidney damage that results in severe renal failure. In most situations, symptoms of poisoning will develop within the first 12 hours of exposure. Early signs include vomiting, loss of appetite, lethargy and dehydration. Symptoms worsen as kidney failure develops. As failure progresses, cats will experience disorientation, staggering and even seizures.
If you see your cat licking the leaf of a lily plant or think your cat may have ingested part of a lily plant, immediate treatment is important. If your cat has been exposed, the wait and see approach will certainly result in kidney failure and possibly death. You must treat as if exposed because by the time you know for sure, it will be too late for your cat. If you have questions about lilies and cats call us at 417-623-3080.
