Are lilies toxic to cats?

What are the signs of lily poisoning in cats?

The first signs usually appear within a few hours: vomiting, drooling, not eating and hiding. Over the next one to three days, the kidneys can start to fail. By the time a cat stops urinating, the damage may be permanent, which is why vets treat any lily exposure as an emergency.

Treatment usually means a hospital stay on IV fluids. Emergency care costs more than a regular visit, so see what cat vet visits cost to know what to expect.

Which lilies are dangerous to cats?

Only true lilies (the Lilium genus) and daylilies (Hemerocallis) cause kidney failure in cats. Several popular plants have “lily” in the name but belong to other families and are much less dangerous.

Lily of the valley isn’t a true lily, but it contains heart toxins and is also an emergency.

Which parts of a lily are dangerous?

Every part of a true lily or daylily is toxic to cats: petals, leaves, stems, pollen, the bulb and even the water the flowers stand in. Researchers still haven’t identified the exact toxin, but they know it damages the kidneys and that a very small amount is enough. Pet Poison Helpline notes that chewing just 2 or 3 leaves can poison a cat.

Pollen is the exposure owners most often miss. A cat can walk past a bouquet, get a dusting of orange pollen on the face, and swallow it later while grooming, without ever chewing the plant. Pollen also falls onto tables and floors, where it sticks to paws. If you see pollen on your cat, treat it the same as eating a lily.

Dogs that eat lilies usually get only a mild stomach upset, which is part of why the risk to cats is so often underestimated.

How do vets treat lily poisoning in cats?

If your cat ate a lily, or you only suspect it, the plan at the clinic is the same. There’s no antidote, so treatment aims to remove as much of the toxin as possible and protect the kidneys while the body clears the rest. The earlier it starts, the better it works. Bring the plant, or a photo of it, so your vet can confirm whether it’s a true lily or daylily. That decides how aggressive treatment needs to be.

Decontamination. If your cat ate the plant recently, your vet may make your cat vomit using a medicine that’s safe for cats, then give activated charcoal to bind what’s left in the gut. This must be done at the clinic. Home remedies like salt or hydrogen peroxide can badly injure a cat and waste time you don’t have. If pollen is on the fur, the clinic will wash it off so your cat doesn’t keep swallowing it.

IV fluids. The core of treatment is a hospital stay on intravenous fluids, typically for about 48 hours and sometimes longer. The fluids keep urine flowing and help flush the kidneys before lasting damage sets in.

Kidney monitoring. Your vet will run bloodwork to check kidney values when your cat arrives, then repeat it during and after the fluid treatment. They’ll also watch how much urine your cat produces, since a drop in urine output is a warning sign. Anti-nausea medicine and other supportive care are given as needed.

Why timing matters so much. Cats that start treatment within about 18 hours of exposure, before kidney values rise, usually recover well. When treatment is delayed beyond 18 to 24 hours, or the kidneys have stopped making urine, the outlook becomes poor. Some specialty hospitals can offer dialysis at that point, but it isn’t widely available and many cats with advanced kidney failure don’t survive. Cats that do pull through may be left with lasting kidney disease.

A two-day hospital stay at an emergency clinic is a major expense. Our guide to emergency vet costs for cats explains what to expect and how to pay for it. Don’t let cost questions delay the trip, though. Early treatment is both more likely to work and usually cheaper than treating kidney failure.

How do I keep my cat safe from lilies?

The safest choice is not to bring true lilies or daylilies into a home with cats at all, including in bouquets. When you order flowers, ask the florist for a lily-free arrangement.

Lilies turn up most often around Easter, Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day, and in sympathy and wedding flowers. Let friends and family know you have a cat, so a gift bouquet doesn’t catch you off guard. If a lily arrangement does arrive, take it out of the house or give it away rather than trying to keep it out of reach. Cats climb, and pollen and petals drop.

Cutting the pollen-bearing stamens off the flowers lowers the pollen risk but doesn’t make the plant safe, since the leaves, petals and vase water are still toxic. Garden daylilies are a risk too for cats that go outdoors.

Before you buy a new houseplant, look it up in our toxic plant checker. Check other plants and foods in our is it safe for cats? guides.

Written by the CatsMed Team from the sources above. This guide isn’t reviewed by a veterinarian and isn’t a substitute for one. See how we research.