Lilies, including calla lilies, Oriental lilies and peace lilies, are considered highly toxic to cats. Ingesting even small amounts of their flowers, leaves, stems or pollen can cause kidney damage and failure in cats.
While some cats may show little interest, the risks of poisoning are too severe. For the health of feline housemates, it’s best to choose alternative non-toxic indoor plants and keep all true lily varieties far out of reach.
Are calla lilies toxic to cats?
Calla lilies are highly toxic to cats. All parts of the calla lily plant, including the stems, leaves, flowers and roots contain toxic substances that can cause kidney failure in cats if ingested. Even small amounts of calla lilies can make cats very sick.
Are peace lilies poisonous to cats?
Peace lilies, also known as spathiphyllum, are toxic to cats. If a cat were to ingest any part of a peace lily plant, it could cause gastrointestinal upset, drooling, vomiting, and depression. In severe cases of peace lily ingestion, cats may experience kidney failure and neurological signs.
Signs of lily poisoning in cats
Some common signs that a cat may have ingested lilies include:
- Vomiting
- Loss of appetite
- Diarrhea
- Increased thirst
- Lethargy
- Difficulty breathing
- Disorientation
- Seizures
If a cat shows any of these symptoms after being around lilies, it needs veterinary care immediately. Lily poisoning can progress very quickly in cats and cause kidney failure.
What should I do if my cat has ingested lilies?
If you see your cat ingest any part of a lily plant or notice symptoms of poisoning, seek veterinary help right away. Some initial steps to take include:
- Call your vet or an emergency animal hospital.
- Induce vomiting if the ingestion was very recent, under the guidance of your vet.
- Monitor the cat closely for any symptoms and be ready to transport to the vet.
- Note the time of ingestion if known and how much was eaten.
- Let veterinary staff know it was lily ingestion when you arrive.
Timely treatment is important to try and prevent kidney damage from lily poisoning. The vet may perform bloodwork, IV fluids, medications and hospitalization depending on the severity of symptoms.
What is the treatment for lily poisoning in cats?
Veterinary treatment for lily poisoning in cats focuses on supportive care and trying to prevent or treat kidney damage. Some treatments may include:
- Inducing vomiting or gastric lavage if the ingestion was very recent.
- Activated charcoal to absorb toxins in the gastrointestinal tract.
- Intravenous (IV) fluids to flush toxins from the kidneys and blood.
- Antiemetics for vomiting and pain relief.
- Hospitalization for close monitoring of kidneys via bloodwork.
- Medications like mannitol to help flush kidneys if damage is detected.
- Dialysis in severe cases if kidneys cannot function on their own.
The goal is to maintain kidney function and prevent progression to full renal failure through timely clinical care. Outcome depends on how quickly treatment was started.
How long will it take for my cat to recover from lily poisoning?
Recovery from lily poisoning in cats depends on the severity of symptoms and kidney damage sustained. Here are some general guidelines:
- Mild cases with no vomiting or only mild gastrointestinal upset may recover fully within 1-2 days of treatment.
- Moderate cases showing vomiting and lethargy typically take 5-7 days to fully recover with supportive care.
- Severe cases causing kidney damage may require weeks of hospitalization, IV therapies and monitoring. Some cats require long term management of kidney disease.
- Very severe poisonings resulting in renal failure have a guarded prognosis and long term outcome. Dialysis or organ transplant may be needed in rare cases.
Most cats are monitored closely at the vet until kidney values stabilize and clinical signs resolve before being discharged home. Full recovery can take 1-6 weeks depending on the individual case.
How to prevent lily poisoning from happening to your cat
The best way to prevent lily poisoning in cats is to keep all lily plants and cut flowers out of reach. Some other prevention tips include:
- Do not bring lilies into your home if you have cats.
- Consider non-toxic indoor plants like succulents, snake plants or bromeliads instead.
- If someone gifts you lilies, politely refuse them or dispose of them immediately.
- Trim cat grass or catnip and place around to attract cats away from lilies.
- When gardening, choose lily-free blooms cats won’t be drawn to like tulips, daffodils or iris.
- Monitor houseplants closely if curious kittens or cats are present.
Prompt removal of the hazard is key to preventing poisoning. It’s always better to be safe than sorry where lilies are concerned for feline family members.
What happens if a cat eats a peace lily?
As mentioned above, peace lilies or spathiphyllums contain insoluble oxalate crystals that can potentially cause kidney failure in cats if ingested. Even nibbling or mouthing the plant carries these risks:
- Gastrointestinal upset within a few hours including drooling, vomiting, diarrhea
- Lethargy and loss of appetite
- Potentially kidney damage, renal failure if symptoms progress unchecked
Veterinary treatment would focus on supportive care, IV fluids and monitoring to prevent or treat renal toxicity from the oxalates in peace lily. Outcome depends on dosage consumed and speed of treatment. It’s best not to find out and keep peace lilies well out of cats’ reach.
Can cats be in the same room as peace lilies?
While the risks of mere proximity are lower than active ingestion, it’s still not recommended to keep peace lilies in the same room as cats. Determined kitties may still manage to chew or bite the plant despite supervision. And inadvertent exposures are always possible with curios felines around.
For safety and peace of mind, peace lilies and other lily varieties should be kept altogether outside of cat living spaces like bedrooms, living rooms, and areas cats frequent or play. This fully removes the ingestion hazard and potential for mild irritation from contact with insoluble oxalate crystals if chewed.
How to keep cats away from peace lily?
Some tips for discouraging cat interaction with peace lilies:
- Place the plant high up out of paw’s reach on tall shelving or hang from the ceiling.
- Secure potted lilies behind a closed glass door such as an entertainment center or cabinet.
- Grow lilies in an isolated cat-proofed room like a spare bathroom or sunroom.
- Opt for artificial peace lily plants as a non-toxic stand-in.
- Distract with appealing cat-friendly plants, catnip toys or scratching posts instead.
- Consider lily-safe alternatives like Chinese evergreens, dracaenas or pothos for indoor greenery.
Separation is key when cats and peace lilies coexist indoors. Supervision also helps, but removal of opportunity is most foolproof for safety.
Can I have lilies in the house with a cat?
For the health and well-being of feline family members, it’s generally not recommended to grow true lilies inside the home while owning cats. The toxins various lily plants contain that can potentially cause kidney damage are too risky.
While some people do manage lilies indoors by fully cat-proofing access in separate spaces or supervision, it only takes one slip up for a bite or nibble to endanger a cat’s life from poisoning. And cats may still chew or mouth plants out of curiosity despite barriers.
To avoid all possibility of exposure and associated vet bills or worse, most veterinary experts advise choosing non-toxic, cat-safe houseplants instead of lilies if felines are present. The risk usually outweighs any reward for having these flowers inside.
What happens if a cat smells like a lily?
If a cat happens to come into brief contact or smell of a lily, such as by brushing against an outdoor plant, risks are considered quite low. The toxins in lilies that cause toxicity in cats are generally not absorbed dermally or through smell alone in dilute amounts.
However, affected cats may still exhibit mild signs like drooling as a reaction. And smelling lilies may also unfortunately pique a cat’s interest in chewing or tasting the plant if given access following.
For precaution, it’s best to wipe down the cat’s paws or coat area with a damp cloth if contact occurs to remove any residual plant material. And of course, keep actual lilies inaccessible indoors as usual. But a brief incidental smell is unlikely to poison on its own.
Do lilies attract cats?
While not as irresistible as catnip, some lily varieties can potentially attract some cats’ interest due to their vivid blooms and heady scents. Calla lilies in particular have a sweet fragrance some felines may find appealing. And lingering lily pollen or nectar on leaves and petals could attract investigative chewing or nibbling.
However, most cats don’t show a strong natural draw to lilies. Their main hazards come from accidental contact through proximity indoors. Removing lilies from access helps avert the scenario altogether for safety’s sake without having to determine an individual cat’s natural level of interest. Proper separation eliminates opportunity and associated concerns.
Final Thoughts
true lilies including calla lilies, Oriental lilies and peace lilies are considered highly toxic and should be avoided in any cat’s living environment. While some kitties may exhibit little natural attraction, ingestion of even a small amount puts them at risk for kidney damage and failure.
For the health of our feline companions, safer choices of non-toxic houseplants provide greenery without risk of poisoning. When true lilies are present, thorough separation, barriers and supervision help prevent any possible exposures until they can safely be removed altogether. With proper lily-proofing of indoor spaces, cats and these flowers can peacefully coexist without threat to a curious kitty’s well-being.
