BS: Beware of lillies and cats....

Subject: RE: BS: Beware of lillies and cats....
From: GUEST
Date: 08 May 05 - 05:32 AM

I bought two Pedigree Bermese Cats a couple of months ago and one of them died a horrible death with Failure to the Kidneys after having some sort of sezure. I was told that it was the Corona Virus which I have researced fully and have been basically told there is no reason for the Corona virus. My remaining cat is also sick but is hanging on in there. I did not have a Lilly Plant but had a Cheese Plant which they both used to clime. I have got rid of it now but does anyone know if this type of plant is harmfull? Maybe this has something to do with the unknown and deadly Corona Virus to Cats?

Subject: RE: BS: Beware of lillies and cats....
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 06 May 05 - 02:11 PM

It does seem to be fairly well known in the US that many plants can be toxic to pets, although a "refresher" seems to come around about every three or four years when people begin to forget that they need to be careful. Fifty years ago or so, before there where "pet vets," many people kept a handbook or two on animal illnesses, along the lines of the "Home Medical Guide" but for critters. In a good one, almost two-thirds of the text would likely be about plant toxicities - and the rest mostly about worms and other creepy-crawlies (internal and external).

Almost any of the lily stuff is potentially toxic, to pets and to humans. Humans are supposed to know not to gnaw on them; but a couple of varieties are reputed to have halucinogenic properties, so occasionaly some nut feels compelled to try them out. Unfortunately, the hallucinogenic ones look almost exactly like a couple that are deadly poisonous, so we loose a few "hippies(?)" every few years.

Warnings also quite often include the poinsettia as hazardous to pets, although there does seem to be some uncertainty about them. Some common varieties of philodendron have been blamed for pet illness, particularly of cats, again with some disagreement among the experts.

Almost any seeds, or fruits/pomes that contain seeds should be suspect, and kept away from pets (and children!), since quite a number of plant seeds contain strychnine-like compounds. (It's supposedly a natural defense against bugs that might eat the seeds?)

Along with other suggestions about protecting your pets, providing them with adquate access to some safe herbiage to gnaw on may be a help. Pet stores in the US often sell "pet planters" that they claim will "grow veggies" for your kitties - although ours are in-and-out cats and seem to prefer the crabgrass. Assuming the decorative plants are in dirt, keeping the soil inaccessible helps keep cats, especially, from being interested. A new pot of fresh soil of remarkably small size looks like a freshly sanitized port-a-potty to some cats, and they can hardly resist poking around in it a bit.

John

Subject: RE: BS: Beware of lillies and cats....
From: GUEST,Scoville at work
Date: 06 May 05 - 09:08 AM

I'd still be careful around grapes. At the vet's office, we saw a few dogs go into kidney failure after eating only about a cup of them. Granted, they may have had underlying kidney issues, but they *looked* perfectly healthy. I don't even think we ever saw garlic or onion toxicity, though, and most people know that those are a problem.

Subject: RE: BS: Beware of lillies and cats....
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 06 May 05 - 07:09 AM

It can be made easier by removing the pollen laden stamens from the flower - this is also useful because lily pollen stains are impossible to get out, and by having the flowers on a shelf high enough that the cat can't get at it.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Beware of lillies and cats....
From: Sorcha
Date: 05 May 05 - 10:10 PM

Good grief! I knew about onions, garlic and grapes but not lilies! (Oh, chocolate too) And, actually 'some' dogs can tolerate grapes....we have a huge grape vine,don't harvest them the dogs snap them off the vine or eat the raisins, but have never been sick at all. Visiting dogs often have the runs aftwerwards but I do warn the owners.

Subject: RE: BS: Beware of lillies and cats....
From: Scoville
Date: 05 May 05 - 08:49 PM

Same goes for oleander flowers over here in the U.S. Also, onions, garlic, and grapes are toxic to dogs (my dog loves grapes but I have since learned they can cause kidney failure, so she is now on a grape-free diet).

Here's a list from the ASPCA website on plants that are bad for your pets.

Subject: BS: Beware of lillies and cats....
From: Shanghaiceltic
Date: 05 May 05 - 08:43 PM

Just posting this as I know there are a lot of cat owners on the Cat. This happened in the UK, it would seem that in the US more is known about the pollen from these flowers.

Cat owners warned over killer flowers
By David Sapsted
(Filed: 06/05/2005)

A national alert has been issued to pet owners after pollen from a bunch of supermarket flowers killed a cat.

When John Hartnett bought his wife oriental stargazer lilies, he was unaware that he was passing a death sentence on the family's 13-year-old Siamese, Catalina.

The cat brushed against the flowers then licked the pollen from its fur. Within minutes she started being sick and, within hours, had died after going blind, suffering renal failure and becoming virtually paralysed.

The RSPCA, which is reporting an increase in such cases, is to launch a campaign to alert people to the dangers and lobby for warnings on the flowers.

The RSPCA said: "The problem of lilies isn't widely known and we are seeing an increase in the number of cases we come across. This is because the flowers are becoming more readily available in Britain.

"All lilies are poisonous to cats, with just one leaf eaten possibly leading to death. We will now be urging both manufacturers and producers to issue warnings on their goods so that consumers have an informed choice.

"We also hope to work with the Royal College for Veterinary Surgeons' poison department to produce information fact sheets and figures on this awful matter."

Mr Hartnett, 51, a computer engineer from Folkestone, Kent, said: "Catalina was a curious, fastidious animal and would have investigated the new flowers. But this proved absolutely fatal.

"She endured a vile death. She was suffering terribly. I blame myself but the vet we rushed her to said there was just no chance to save her.

"We have seen the flowers in many places, all with no warnings at all. In America, I have discovered that there is immense coverage on this subject warning people of the dangers but, here, there is nothing.

"I can't believe something so simple as a flower can kill pets in such a terrible, terrible way, and there is absolutely no way of knowing about it."

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals singles out the Easter lily (Lilium longiflorum), tiger lily (Lilium tigrinum), rubrum lily (Lilium speciosum), Japanese show lily (Lilium lancifolium) and some species of the day lily (Hemerocallis) as liable to cause kidney failure in cats.

The Feline Advisory Bureau, a charity based in Tisbury, Wilts, said: "Symptoms of poisoning from these plants include protracted vomiting, anorexia and depression and ingestion can cause severe, possibly fatal, kidney damage."

Cats can survive if taken to a vet within six hours but the chances of survival decrease rapidly after that. After 18 hours, the kidneys stop working.

Alex Campbell, a toxicologist and managing director of the Poison Advisory Service for vets, said: "When we recieve a call about cats coming into contact with any of the lilium flower family we treat it very seriously indeed. It is one of the worst reactions an animal can come across and it needs highly aggressive management. All parts of a lily are extremely toxic.

"A cat that comes into contact with a lily deteriorates very rapidly. I have even heard of a cat being given human dialysis in an attempt to overcome the effects of toxins in the kidneys."

The danger to cats only began to emerge in 1990 when the first incident was reported in America. Last year, the poison control centre at the ASPCA handled 275 cases.

John Cushnie, a panellist on Gardeners' Question Time, advised gardeners who wanted to avoid harm to cats to select tall lilies and stake those that need support.