Beautiful to look at, delightful to smell, but beware. Lilies are deadly to cats! The tiniest lick or nibble at a lily can be fatal to your cat. Even brushing up against the flower and getting pollen on the fur, then ingesting it, can poison your cat. All parts of the plant are considered toxic.

Deadly varieties include, but are not limited to, Day Lilies, Easter Lilies, Tiger Lilies, and Stargazer Lilies. All types should be considered potentially deadly.

If your cat ingests part of a lily, symptoms may include vomiting, loss of appetite, anorexia, and lethargy. Cats may vomit initially and then stop. This does not mean the danger has passed. The mortality rate is high for cats not receiving treatment soon after ingestion. The danger of lily poisoning is acute renal (kidney) failure. If your cat eats some of the plant, it needs to be placed on IV fluid therapy immediately. This works to increase urination and help flush the toxins from the kidneys. However, even cats that receive prompt treatment may suffer irreversible kidney damage.

Prevention is more effective than treatment. If you receive a bouquet, please remove any lilies and dispose of them in an area where a curious cat can't come in contact with them. Make sure lily pollen has not fallen on other flowers in the bouquet. If you are sending flowers, ask the florist to not include any type of lilies in the arrangement.