Why it is dangerous to cats
True lilies and daylilies damage a cat's kidneys. Every part of the plant is dangerous: the leaves, the flowers, the stem, the pollen and even the water a bouquet stood in. Licking pollen off its coat or drinking from the vase is enough.
The first signs can be mild, and the kidney damage only shows later, when time has already been lost. Whether a cat took in enough to fall ill cannot be judged at home.
If your cat may have touched a lily, contact a vet or an emergency clinic straight away, even if it seems well. Tell them when it could have happened, and take a photo or a piece of the plant with you.
What to watch out for
- Vomiting, drooling and a loss of appetite can follow.
- The cat can become dull and hide.
- The kidneys can be damaged: the cat drinks and urinates more, and later may stop urinating.
- Lilies sold in bouquets are dangerous too, so in a home with a cat it is better not to keep them at all.
Which parts are dangerous
Not every part of the plant is equally dangerous.
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Pollen
DangerousIt falls easily onto the coat, and the cat swallows it while grooming.
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Leaves and flowers
DangerousEven a small bitten-off piece is dangerous.
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Vase water
DangerousWater that lilies stood in can damage the kidneys too.
What it can cause
Signs that can appear after eating it. Each page explains what to look out for and when to hurry to a vet.
Safe plants instead
Plants that are safer to keep.