Lily Poisoning in Cats: Signs and What to Do

True lilies and daylilies can cause sudden kidney failure in cats, and it takes very little: International Cat Care warns that eating less than one leaf, or licking a small amount of pollen off the coat, is enough. If you think your cat has touched, licked or eaten any part of one, or drunk the vase water, contact a vet straight away, even if they seem well.

You may not see your cat chew a flower. Pollen can settle on their coat after they brush past a lily, then be swallowed when they groom. If your usual practice is shut, call its out-of-hours number or an emergency veterinary service. Don’t wait to see if your cat becomes ill.

Why lilies are dangerous for cats

Some plants called lilies are especially dangerous to cats. True lilies in the Lilium group and daylilies in the Hemerocallis group can cause kidney damage that may lead to kidney failure and death without prompt treatment. Easter lilies, Asiatic lilies, Oriental or Stargazer lilies, tiger lilies and daylilies are among the plants to keep away from cats.

Not every plant called a lily carries this kidney risk. Peace lilies and calla (arum) lilies contain sharp crystals that irritate the mouth and stomach, causing drooling, pawing at the mouth or vomiting, but they are not known to cause kidney failure. Lily of the valley is a different plant again: it contains toxins that affect the heart, so a cat that has chewed it also needs a vet urgently. If you can’t identify the plant, treat it as a true lily and call your vet. A photo of the plant, its label or the bouquet wrapping can help the practice work out what it is.

Lilies may be in cut-flower displays, houseplants and garden borders. Putting a bouquet on a high shelf is not a safe answer. Cats can climb, and petals or pollen can fall where a cat can reach them. The safest option is not to have true lilies or daylilies in a home or garden used by cats.

Every part can put a cat at risk

With true lilies and daylilies, every part of the plant is toxic to cats: the flowers, leaves, stems and pollen. Cats Protection warns that even the water left in the bottom of a vase of lilies is dangerous.

A cat might bite a stem or leaf, but exposure is often less obvious. They may brush against the flowers and get yellow pollen on their chest, paws or coat. Once they start washing, they can swallow it. Fallen petals and leaves can also look tempting to a curious cat, particularly if they move across the floor during play.

Act if you find pollen on your cat, see a chewed plant or think they have drunk from a vase. Your cat may seem completely normal at that point and still need treatment. Early signs usually appear within a few hours, but kidney failure can take a few days to develop, and by then it is much harder to treat.

Ring your vet first, then move the plant and vase out of reach of pets. Keep any plant pieces, packaging or a clear photo to show the practice, and tell them about every possible route of contact, including pollen on fur and vase water.

Signs of lily poisoning in cats

The first signs can look like a stomach upset, and some cats show no clear signs straight away, so act on a possible exposure rather than waiting for symptoms. Reported signs include:

• Vomiting or diarrhoea
• Drooling more than usual
• Not eating
• Being unusually quiet or tired
• Drinking or weeing more than usual
• Dehydration
• Twitching, tremors or seizures
• Weeing very little or not at all

Your cat does not need to show every sign, or any sign, for this to be urgent.

Seizures, collapse, severe weakness or repeated vomiting need emergency veterinary help. Call before travelling if you can, so the team knows you are on the way. If your cat is unconscious or having a seizure, take care not to put your hands near their mouth.

What to do straight away

Call your vet and explain that you are worried about lily exposure. Give them the time it may have happened, the kind of contact you saw or suspect, and any signs your cat has shown. Let them know whether the lily was in a bouquet, a pot or the garden, and whether your cat could have drunk vase water.

Take the plant, its packaging or a photograph with you if this will not delay your journey. Keep your cat indoors, calm and away from the plant while you arrange care. If there is visible pollen on their fur, mention this when you call and follow the instructions you are given.

Do not try to make your cat sick at home, and never give salt water. Do not give food, milk, activated charcoal, medicines or home remedies unless your vet tells you to. Home treatment can cause further problems and wastes time the kidneys don’t have.

You may have heard of Animal PoisonLine (01202 509 000), the 24-hour advice line for pet owners run by the Veterinary Poisons Information Service, which charges for each call. For true lilies in a cat, its own advice is to contact your vet immediately instead of ringing the line first.

Your vet will decide what your cat needs after finding out when the exposure happened and examining them. Treatment may include emptying the stomach, washing pollen from the skin and coat, activated charcoal and fluids through a drip to support the kidneys. Some cats need hospital care and monitoring.

Why a quick call matters

It is easy to hope that nothing happened if your cat only sniffed a flower or has not yet been sick. PDSA advises contacting a vet immediately after a cat has eaten or licked any part of a lily, without waiting for symptoms.

Cats treated quickly tend to have a good outlook, and Cats Protection says early fluid therapy through a drip offers the best chance of survival. If treatment is delayed, the toxin has more time to damage the kidneys, and lily poisoning is often fatal when it isn’t treated quickly. Some cats that recover are left with kidney damage that needs long-term management.

If you are unsure whether a bouquet contains lilies, keep it away from your cat until you can check. Ask the florist if needed, using a photo of the flowers or wrapping.

Keeping lilies away from your cat

The safest plan is to tell friends, family and florists that you cannot have true lilies or daylilies around your cat. This is useful around Easter, Mother’s Day and other times when bouquets are often given. Check mixed bouquets before bringing them indoors, as lilies can be tucked between other flowers.

Removing only the open flower or its pollen-bearing stamens is not enough because the stems, leaves and unopened buds can also be dangerous. For the same reason, lilies sold as ‘pollen-free’ are not safe for cats: Animal PoisonLine points out that the leaves and petals are toxic too. If lilies arrive in a delivery, keep the whole bouquet away from your cat and ask somebody without cats to take it if possible.

Check your garden as well. Daylilies are popular border plants, and cats can come across them outdoors. Remove true lilies and daylilies from your own garden if you can. You cannot control plants in every neighbouring garden, but keeping them out of your home and garden reduces the chance of exposure.