Spring is on its way, and soon our gardens and vases will be full of brightly coloured blooms again. Lilies are commonly seen in gardens and in bouquets and are a popular plant all over the world. However, while their beautiful flowers are lovely to see and smell, for cats, lilies pose a significant hazard. According to Cats Protection’s CATS Report 2024, over half of all cat owners are not aware that lilies are a danger to their cat.

What is so poisonous about lilies?

Lilies in the “daylily” (Hemerocallis) and “true lily” (Lilium) families are poisonous to cats, and cause kidney failure. The most dangerous lilies for cats include the Tiger lily, Easter lily and Stargazer lily, as well as Asiatic and Oriental lilies, the most common types of lilies we see used in bouquets. Calla lilies, peace lilies and lily-of-the-valley are less toxic, as they are from a slightly different plant family.

We don’t know exactly what the toxin is in lilies that affects cats, but we do know that the entire lily plant is toxic. This includes the leaves, flowers, pollen and stem, and even the water in the vase. 

Cats become poisoned when they nibble a leaf or flower petal, get pollen on their fur which they may later groom off and swallow, or by drinking water from the vase the lilies stand in. Swallowing even a tiny amount of the lily plant or vase water can cause severe poisoning in a cat. Kidney failure typically develops in less than three days and is life-threatening if left untreated. 

Dogs don’t seem to react quite so severely to lilies. They may get a nasty stomach-ache, but dogs don’t develop the serious kidney failure that cats fall ill with.

Some cats are more susceptible to lily toxicity than others. Your cat may recover with minimal therapy if the poisoning has been caught early, but other cats may suffer irreversible kidney damage. When the kidneys do not recover following lily poisoning, many cats will die or are put to sleep. 

What are the signs of lily poisoning in cats?

The signs of lily poisoning usually start within 1 to 6 hours after your cat has eaten some part of the plant or vase water. 

Initial signs include: 

• Drooling

• Reduced appetite 

• Vomiting 

• Lethargy (lack of energy) 

• Weakness 

After 12 to 24 hours, kidney failure starts to develop, which may cause: 

• Increased and then reduced urine output 

• More vomiting 

• Dehydration 

• Thirst 

• Painful kidneys 

• Convulsions (fits or seizures)

Once kidney failure begins, this can lead to death following another 24-48 hours if your cat does not receive appropriate treatment.

You might find a chewed-up piece on the plant itself, or pieces of the plant in your cat’s vomit, which may give a clue as to why your cat has become poorly. 

What to do if your cat has eaten lilies

If your cat is showing any of the signs listed, you will need to contact your local veterinary practice straight away to get an emergency appointment. 

If you are not sure whether the type of lily your cat has eaten is toxic, the Animal PoisonLine is able to provide 24-hour advice for owners. You can call them on 01202 509000 (charges apply).

If caught early enough (within a few hours), the vet can give medication that will make your cat vomit. Any remaining bits of lily in the stomach will come up in the vomit and won’t be able to do any further damage. Your vet may also give activated charcoal, which binds to any remaining toxin in the stomach. The vet may wipe your cat’s fur with a damp cloth to remove any lily pollen so that this won’t be groomed off by your cat.

Your vet will check your cat’s kidney function by testing their blood and urine.

Giving fluids through the vein is a very important part of treatment

The extra fluids will help to protect the kidneys from the circulating toxins. Cats will need to be kept in hospital to receive this treatment. Their urine output will be monitored to ensure their kidneys keep working. In severe cases, dialysis may be necessary to keep them alive while their kidneys recover. This treatment is expensive, and you will need to have a frank conversation with your vet about your cat’s chances of survival and long-term quality of life, if this course of action is to be undertaken. 

Cats that are treated quickly can recover. However, lily poisoning is something that often goes unnoticed, and cats can be great at hiding signs of illness. This means treatment often gets delayed, giving lily toxins time to damage the kidneys. If lily poisoning isn’t treated quickly, it is often fatal.

Sometimes cats that have recovered from lily poisoning are left with long-term kidney damage. This can cause symptoms later in life, and will need to be monitored by your vet at regular intervals.

Treatment for a cat with lily poisoning can be very expensive and hospitalisation can cost hundreds of pounds. Having pet insurance in place can help, but even then, it is important to speak openly to your vet about your finances, and importantly, what you think is right for your cat.

Preventing lily poisoning

As the CATS Report shows, many cats are exposed to lilies because their owners are simply unaware of the threat lilies pose to them. 

You may not have noticed that retailers may include some form of warning on their lily packaging. These are often in small print on the back of the lily label. They may also include varied or partial information, for example, referring only to lily pollen as being toxic. This leaves many cat owners in the dark about lily toxicity. 

The charity Cats Protection has been working hard to raise awareness of lily toxicity and have contacted leading supermarkets and suppliers like Interflora to ask them to improve the warnings on the labels of lilies. These warnings should make it clear that all parts of the lily are toxic to cats. Positioning this warning in a prominent place on the label will make the message more obvious to those looking to buy lilies. 

So far, Morrisons and Marks and Spencer lead the way with clear warnings on their lily labels. 

The best way to prevent lily poisoning is to ensure lilies are kept well away from your cat

Do not bring lilies into the home and avoid planting them in your garden, if you or your neighbours have cats. There are lots of other beautiful, cat-safe flowers to choose from. You can find a list of cat-friendly plants and flowers here.

You can do your bit to let other cat owners know about the dangers too. Charities like the PDSA, RSPCA and many veterinary practices often post warnings on social media. Perhaps you can help by sharing these posts to spread the message wider.