I don't have a catchy little title for todays blog as this one is absolutely serious.
With Valentine's Day just passed, and Mother's Day looming round the corner, it seemed like a good time to spread this information.
ALL parts of the Lily are deadly to cats, causing swift and devastating Kidney failure.
We'd had Bubs for about 4 months when my birthday came around and Ian bought me a beautiful bouquet of lilies (as he had every year). It had been a hard day at work and we'd just finished off a steak dinner whilst watching The Artist (must rewatch that film, it was great!). I noticed Bubs chewing at the leaves of the lilies and chuckled as he liked to nibble on plants.
However, as I sat there, something began to niggle at me so I googled 'Cats and Lilies' and immediately saw a mass of information that they were poisonous. I called the 24 hour vet who asked how long it would take to get him there - half an hour - and how long ago he'd first chewed the leaf - 10 minutes. Then responded "yes get him up here, we might be able to save him"!!!
So, in an absolute panic, at 10pm, ON MY BIRTHDAY, we rushed him up to the vet. The staff were excellent and got him straight on a drip. He stayed there on the drip for 3 days before he was able to come home - thankfully there has been no lasting damage to his Kidney function.
We were so lucky the flowers hadn't opened. Had he ingested the pollen, there would have been very little the vet could do.
Most florists now specify 'cat safe' bouquets, so if you're buying for a loved one, please check that the flowers are safe for their pets. If you unexpectedly receive some, don't feel guilty about passing them on to a pet-free neighbour or putting them in the garden waste.
Yes, lilies are pretty. Yes, receiving flowers feels wonderful. But which is more wonderful?
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