Are lilies toxic to cats?

 

Lilies are so devastatingly toxic to cats that I’m devoting an entire blog post to this single plant species.

 

If you have cats, you should not have lilies. You should not have even a single lily in a bouquet in your house, even if you keep the whole arrangement in a closed room. You should not have lilies growing in your yard, even if you have indoor-only cats.

 

If your cat licks just a single grain of lily pollen, she could die within days. There is no antidote for lily poisoning, and the only treatment that could save your cat’s life is supportive veterinary care, but it may not help.

 

If you think your cat has consumed any part of a lily plant, even the tiniest bit, stop reading this post and start driving to an emergency veterinary facility. If you wait even a few hours to see if your cat develops symptoms, it may be too late to save him.

 

Here are the numbers for two animal poison control hotlines:

 

ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center: (888) 426-4435

Pet Poison Helpline: (855) 764-7661

 

If you are unsure if the plant your cat ate was a lily, reach out to the all-volunteer botany and fungi experts in this Facebook group for help with identification. This group does not provide medical advice, but proper plant identification can be lifesaving – or reassuring. Be sure to provide your full state and country (fully spelled out) in your post:

 

Poisons Help; Emergency Identification For Mushrooms & Plants

 

What kind of lilies are poisonous?

 

The lilies that we are focused on for this blog post are true lilies and daylilies. True lilies are members of the genus Lilium, and daylilies are a member of the Hemerocallis genus, so they are not varieties of the same species.

 

There are other plants that we call lilies, like Peace Lily and Lily of the Valley. These are not members of the Lilium or Hemerocallis genera. While most are toxic to cats, they are less toxic than true lilies or daylilies.

What is a true lily?

 

Members of the true lily family include these common varieties, plus others:

Easter Lily (Lilium wallichianum or Lilium longiflorum)

The name means “long-flowered.” The blossom is pure white or sometimes light pink. The flowers are trumpet-shaped and large, five to nine inches in diameter.[1]

 

Asiatic Lily (Lilium spp.)

Asiatic lilies are a hybrid flower variety known for their vibrant colors, from bright yellow and orange, deep reds, salmon, and plum purples. The flowers are four to six inches in diameter and are star-shaped or trumpet-shaped. Asiatic lilies have no scent.

 

Oriental Lily (Lilium orientalis)

These colorful blossoms come in somewhat more muted tones than Asiatic lilies, from pure white, to blush and pale yellow, extending into gold, peach, fuschia, and burgundy. These flowers are intensely scented and larger than Asiatic lilies (up to 10 inches in diameter), with fewer blooms per stem.[2]

 

Stargazer lilies are a type of oriental lily, so named because their flowers are star-shaped and appear to be gazing up towards the sky. The blossoms are huge, up to six inches wide.

 

Japanese Show Lily (Lilium speciosum)

Japanese show lilies have petals that curl backward. The petals are typically white or pink with dark spots and raised bumps.[3] Rubrum lily is a type of Japanese Show Lily with raspberry-colored petals.

 

Tiger Lily (Lilium lancifolium)

Tiger lilies have bright orange blossoms covered in black or red spots, supposedly like a tiger’s fur. The flowers are large (five inches in diameter) and face downward, but the petals curve backward.[4]

 

Wood Lily (Lilium philadelphicum)

The wood lily has relatively small (compared to other lily varieties) red-orange flowers with purple spots. The blossoms face upward and are cup-shaped. The wood lily is listed as an endangered or threatened species in some states.[5]

 

What is a daylily?

 

The scientific name for daylilies, Hemerocallis, comes from two Greek words: beauty and day. This is because a daylily blossom only lasts for a single day.[6]

 

Daylilies come in almost all colors except white and blue and can be hard to tell apart from true lilies. The main visible difference is that the leaves of the daylily are more grass-like, growing in a bushy clump at the base of the plant, while the leaves of a true lily emerge from the plant’s main stem.[7]

 

The other lilies I’m not talking about in this post

 

Even though I’m devoting this blog post to true lilies and daylilies, you might not be a botanist, and thus might not know which “lily” your cat just chewed. It’s worth describing the other lilies here.

 

Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis)

Lily of the Valley has little bell-shaped white flowers that smell lovely. Unfortunately, the plant is considered invasive in North America. It is also cardiotoxic to cats, meaning that it is poisonous to a cat’s heart. It can cause abnormal heart rhythms and even death.[8]

 

Glory, Gloriosa, or Flame Lily (Gloriosa superba)

The Gloriosa lily is actually a flowering vine with yellow or red flowers with frilly edges. It contains the toxin colchincine, which can cause multi-organ failure in a cat who chews on this plant.[9]

 

Calla Lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica)

The flowers of this plant are uniquely funnel shaped. They’re usually white or green, but there are yellow, pink, red, and purple calla lily cultivars now, too.[10] Calla lilies contain calcium oxalate crystals which can irritate the mouth, tongue, throat, and esophagus of a cat, and cause drooling or vomiting. But they do not cause kidney failure in cats, like true lilies.

 

Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum)

Peace lilies are indoor plants with glossy, oval-shaped leaves, and white “flowers” that are actually a special kind of leaf.[11] Like the calla lilies they are related to, peace lilies contain calcium oxalate crystals, which can cause irritation and lead to drooling or vomiting.[12]

 

Peruvian Lily (Alstromeria)

Peruvian lily is a common flower in grocery-store bouquets and floral arrangements and quite often confused with true lilies. They have vibrant, trumpet-shaped flowers in a wide range of colors, including pink, red, orange, white, yellow, and lavender, often with freckles or streaks in a contrasting color. But they tend to be much smaller than true lilies, only about two inches in diameter.

 

Peruvian lily is the least toxic of all the “lilies,” causing mild stomach upset in cats who eat it.

 

What makes lilies so toxic to cats?

 

We actually have no idea what compound in lilies is poisonous to cats. What we do know is that a cat can suffer kidney failure leading to death after just the tiniest nibble of lily.

 

Cats are only species that experience kidney failure after eating lilies.[13] While lilies are toxic to dogs, too, they mostly cause gastrointestinal upset, unless the dog eats an unusually large amount.[14]

 

What parts of the lily are dangerous to cats?

 

Every single part of the lily plant is toxic to cats: the petals, pollen, leaves, and stem. Even the water in the vase a lily was sitting in will be toxic to a cat.

 

A single grain of pollen, licked off the fur, or even inhaled, can be deadly. This is why I recommend against growing lily plants in your garden, even if your cat lives his entire life indoors. You could brush up against a lily plant while gardening and inadvertently drop pollen from your clothing in the house, for example. It’s too easy for stray pollen grains to find their way to your unsuspecting cat.

 

Do all cats react the same way to lilies?

 

Although we don’t know why, some cats seem to be more susceptible than others to lily toxicity.

 

The severity of kidney failure also varies between cats. Some cats can recover with minimal intervention, while others require dialysis to help them live long enough to recover. Some cats never recover. They die or must be euthanized within a matter of days of becoming ill.[15]

 

How is lily poisoning diagnosed?

 

The only way you know if your cat is sick from a lily is by finding a chewed piece of plant, or finding pieces of plant in your cat’s vomit.

 

If you cat is sick and you know she had access to a lily, you should assume a poisoning has occurred.

 

Your vet will be able to evaluate her kidney function by testing her blood and urine.

 

What happens to a cat if he is poisoned by a lily?

 

The symptoms of lily poisoning can start within two hours of ingestion and fatal kidney failure can happen within 72 hours. Other symptoms can develop over hours or days. The exact signs depend upon how much and what type of lily has been consumed and upon the cat himself.

 

Here are some of the symptoms of lily poisoning:

 

• Drooling
• Foaming at the mouth
• Pawing at the face
• Meowing
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Not eating
• Lethargy
• Excessive thirst or no thirst
• Excessive urination or no urination at all
• Disorientation
• Dehydration, including dry mouth, a dull coat, sunken eyes
• Tremors
• Seizures
• An inability to walk or weakness
• Ulcers in the mouth
• A fast heartbeat
• Low blood pressure
• Coma[16]

 

This chart shows how lily poisoning typically progresses in cats:

Is there a cure for lily poisoning? 

 

There is no cure for lily poisoning in cats. There is no antidote that can be given.

 

If your cat is brought to the veterinarian quickly enough, she can receive supportive care to help manage the symptoms of the poisoning and improve her chances of recovery.

 

How will a vet treat a cat with lily poisoning?

 

Your vet may attempt to induce vomiting in your cat (see the section on inducing vomiting below) and give your cat activated charcoal to help absorb lily toxins.

 

He or she will conduct lab work, including a complete blood count (CBC), blood serum chemistry profile, and a urinalysis to evaluate your cat’s kidney function.

 

Your vet will likely start IV fluids to help protect your cat’s kidneys from toxins, prevent dehydration, and keep electrolytes in balance.

 

Your vet may insert a urinary catheter to help monitor the amount of urine your cat is producing.

 

Your vet may give your cat anti-nausea medicines, and drugs that protect her stomach. He or she will probably continue to draw blood regularly to monitor your cat’s kidneys.

 

Your cat will likely be admitted to the hospital for one or more nights for continued treatment and observation.

 

The benefits of hemodialysis in lily poisoning

 

Some emergency veterinary offices offer hemodialysis services.

 

Hemodialysis is a specialized procedure in which a machine acts like an artificial kidney, filtering the blood to allow a cat’s own kidneys to recover from lily toxins. Hemodialysis, or dialysis for short, can even prevent the toxic effects of the poison on the kidneys if started early enough.

 

Dialysis is mostly offered in large clinics and veterinary teaching hospitals because it requires costly equipment and a specially trained staff. Consequently, dialysis is an expensive treatment. So, even if it is available where you live, deciding whether or not to provide dialysis treatment to your sick cat is a personal decision.

 

Will my cat survive lily poisoning?

 

Even with aggressive veterinary treatment, there are no guarantees that a cat will survive lily poisoning.

 

Getting a cat to the vet within the first 18 or so hours after lily ingestion will give your cat the best chance of survival. But if you wait longer, your cat will likely have irreversible kidney damage.[17]

 

What to bring to the vet with you, if you suspect lily poisoning

 

If you think your cat may have consumed any part of a lily, bring several clear photos of the suspected plant, showing it from a variety of angles to help with identification. Wash your hands after touching the plant before touching your cat again.

 

If you decide to bring the plant itself, keep it completely separate from your cat. Wrap it carefully and place it in the trunk of your car. Remember to thoroughly wash up after contact with a lily because even a single grain of lily pollen could kill a cat.

 

If your cat has lily pollen on her fur, what should you do?

 

Try to clean your cat with a cloth and warm water to remove as much lily pollen as possible, changing cloths as you go so that you aren’t simply redistributing the pollen.

 

Your vet may be the best person to do a thorough bathing, however. Try to get your cat there as quickly as possible.

 

Should you try to induce vomiting in your cat if you suspect he has eaten lily?

 

No. Do not attempt to induce vomiting in cats.

 

It is notoriously difficult to induce vomiting in cats. Medications that produce a feeling of nausea in dogs, and thus cause them to vomit, don’t work in cats. The receptors in a cat’s brain don’t respond to these drugs in the same way.

 

Similarly, hydrogen peroxide, which can induce vomiting in dogs because it irritates the stomach lining, is never safe for cats. Hydrogen peroxide can cause inflammation and ulcerations in a cat’s stomach. Intestinal bleeding from dosing with hydrogen peroxide could lead to shock or even death.

 

Only a vet should attempt to induce vomiting in a cat.[18]

 

A final word on lily poisoning in cats

 

I wrote this post because many people are unaware of the dangers of lilies to cats. It almost seems impossible to believe that such a seemingly harmless and beautiful thing, like a lily, could wreak so much havoc. It is also hard to believe how deadly the slightest contact with a lily can be.

 

I’m hoping that you’re reading this before anything terrible has happened to your cat because of a flower, and that a little education will help you know what to do when you receive a beautiful bouquet as a gift, or are tempted by a lovely cluster of blossoms at the grocery store. A little knowledge can save a life.

Love Pinterest? Here's a Pinterest-friendly pin for your boards!

 

Dawn LaFontaine

Dawn LaFontaine is a lifelong animal lover who always seems to have a little pet hair in her keyboard. Her blog, Kitty Contemplations, helps cat guardians better understand and care for the special beings they share their lives and homes with. Her cat-products business, Cat in the Box, sells beautiful, well-made, and award-winning products that she designed to meet the biological needs of cats.