Lilies in flower arrangements

Lilies can cause kidney failure and death in cats. Many different varieties of lily are poisonous to cats. These include those of the Lilium species and Hemerocallis species, such as Stargazer lily, Easter lily (Liliumlongiflorum), day lily (Hemerocallis spp), tiger lily (Lilium spp), Japanese show lily (L hybridum), and rubrum lily (L rubrum) can all cause kidney failure in cats. Peace lily (Spathiphyllum spp.) and Lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria majalis) do not cause kidney failure in cats, but they should not be ingested either.

All parts of the lily plant are toxic. The exact mechanism of toxicity is still unknown. A cat can go into severe kidney failure, needing dialysis and/or a kidney transplant from simply licking a small amount of pollen off of a lily flower. Vomiting and lethargy are the most common initial clinical signs. This is usually seen within 1-5 days of ingestion.

This poisoning is not well known outside of the veterinary community

If your cat eats any portion of a lily, please take your cat to a veterinarian immediately. The poisoning is nearly 100% fatal if kidney failure develops. A delay in treatment of 12 hours or longer may result in kidney failure. Do not wait to see if clinical signs of illness occur. Intravenous fluids and other therapies may be needed for 48 hours or longer. Severe poisonings require dialysis or kidney transplant.

A very useful website that lists poisonous and nonpoisonous plants for pets, along with other information about poisonings in pets is www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control.

Please call any of the 5 Valley Emergency Animal Clinic locations for advice anytime.


Description: lily-easter-1
Easter Lily


Description: lily stargazer lily
Stargazer Lily