ArcaMax

Lilies Can Kill Cats

Q: Don't know if an editor cut out the data, but how can Jeff Rugg do an article on Easter lilies and not mention that they are toxic to cats? Even eating one part of a flower will kill a cat. This is under-promulgated data!

A: You are right. The fact that Easter lilies and many other types of lilies are toxic to cats is not mentioned as often as it should be. Even though I share my house with a cat, I don't think about the cat as much as I should when it comes to plants in the house.

According to Tim Evans, University of Missouri Extension veterinary toxicologist: "Even small amounts of Easter lilies can be deadly to cats. Eating the leaves, or flowers, or licking pollen grains can lead to kidney failure within days. Even water from a vase containing lilies can cause serious adverse effects."

The severity of the toxicity varies with the cat. Signs of a problem include vomiting, lethargy, increased urination and dehydration. Life-threatening kidney failure may occur if urination stops. If a cat has any of these symptoms, contact your veterinarian.

The National Capital Poison Center says dogs might get an upset stomach, but they don't get kidney failure from eating Easter lilies. They are also not poisonous to children, but it is a good idea to train your children not to nibble on any plants without adult supervision.

It is not just Easter lilies that can harm cats. All members of the Lilium genus of plants produce chemicals that can harm cats. This includes Asiatic lilies, Oriental lilies, Stargazer lilies, Tiger lilies and many hybrids of these lilies. These are all common landscape plants, but they are also used in bouquets. You can easily find them in any grocery store floral department.

Day lilies are in the Hemerocallis genus, but they are also toxic to cats. They are a landscape plant and are not often used in bouquets, but they can be cut outdoors and brought into an indoor vase.

Plants with the word lily in the name are not always lilies in the genus Lilium. Peace lilies (Spathiphyllum) and Calla lilies (Zantedeschia) are not harmful to cats. Lily of the valley (Convallaria) is a landscape plant and not in the Lilium genus, but it can cause heart problems. Peruvian lily (Alstromeria) is a landscape plant that is used in bouquets. It can cause an upset stomach in cats.

The fact that so many lilies are landscape plants is another good reason to keep your cat indoors. Outdoors, you can't control what they come in contact with. Indoors, you can control which plants are brought into the house.

The ASPCA has a list of plants toxic to cats and a list of plants that are cat friendly at this link: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/cats-plant-list

Unfortunately, it is unlikely that you will train your cat to not nibble on your plants. To quote veterinarian Victoria Ochoa: "Cats eat plants and scratch things. They are cats!"

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Email questions to Jeff Rugg at info@greenerview.com. To find out more about Jeff Rugg and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Copyright 2026 Jeff Rugg. Distributed By Creators.