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Nibbling on lovely lilies can kill cats

By THERESA BLACKWELL
Published April 2, 2007

LARGO - Joan Lafayette was full of birthday cheer when she carried home the bouquet of mixed flowers she received at work in January as a gift from her daughter.

But she was unaware the pretty bouquet included a flower toxic to cats: a Siberia lily.

Luckily, she was watching when her 12-year-old Siamese-Himalayan, Simba, bit into a lily leaf and then started vomiting.

Lafayette phoned the florist.

Was the lily poison, she asked.

The florist assured her it was nontoxic.

But Lafayette was not convinced. "My gut was screaming," she said.

So she pressed on, calling the poison hotline at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Get your cat to the vet immediately or he could die, she was told.

She did. Two days later, after $700 worth of treatments, Simba went home.

And Lafayette learned a valuable lesson.

The vast majority of lilies - Easter lilies, day lilies, tiger lilies among them - are harmful to cats. They can be lethal if the animal doesn't receive emergency care.

Lily poisoning is a problem specific to cats, said Steven Hansen, a veterinary toxicologist at the ASPCA's Animal Poison Control Center at the University of Illinois.

"We do not see this in dogs and it's never been reported with a person," he said. "With a cat, it only takes a very small amount if they bite into the leaf or a flower petal."

The ASPCA has issued warnings about lilies for years, but the danger is not yet sufficiently known, Hansen said. "We discovered it at least 10 years ago," he said. "It's amazing how long it takes to spread the word."

Easter lilies are the big concern this time of year, Hansen said. "Cats will develop vomiting within a day and this progresses to kidney failure, if it's not treated early, preferably within the first few hours," he said.

"If they come into a clinic with acute renal failure, they are in serious trouble, in great risk of dying," he said. "And they do die, unfortunately."

Lafayette, who lives in Largo, told her story to a florist in Dunedin and another in St. Petersburg. Both are taking action.

Allen and Betty Arnold, owners of Allen's Florist in Dunedin, will include warning cards in the envelopes attached to bouquets that include lilies.

They also have information at the counter, and Allen Arnold is trying to get the Teleflora wire service to alert florists nationally in its newsletter.

"I've talked with a few customers in here," he said. None of them knew lilies are toxic for cats, said Allen Arnold, a confessed animal lover who brakes for squirrels and said his standard poodle, Miss Princess, gets a bath and manicure weekly, whether she needs it or not.

In St. Petersburg, Flowers Unlimited has ordered warning stickers to be placed on plants hazardous to animals.

"You have to let customers know - no problem, just move it high where animals can't get them," said Bill Burroughs, who owns the shop with his wife, Penny Burroughs, and has cats.

He said he is indebted to Lafayette for telling him about lilies.

He doesn't want to face one of his customers with a similar close call or worse.

"Because what can you tell them?" he said. "I'm sorry?"

Theresa Blackwell can be reached at tblackwell@sptimes.com or (727) 445-4170.

Fast Facts:

What's toxic?

Spring flowers from the Liliaceae family like tulips and hyacinths are toxic for animals, but many lilies in the Liliaceae family can be lethal for cats. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says if you have a cat, these spring flowers are safer: Easter orchids, Easter cactus, Easter daisies, violets and roses. For more information, visit the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at www.aspca.org/apcc or call 1-888-426-4435.

[Last modified April 1, 2007, 22:11:46]