The silent killer

Two years ago, I brought a killer into my home. At the time, I was unaware of this silent killer. After all, many times before, it had been displayed without inflicting any harm.  

I still cringe each time that I walk by the floral department of my favorite grocery store. I wonder-- whose pet will fall victim to this beautiful but deadly plant? 

It is not at all unexpected that the events of July 30th, 2008, have forever been etched into my mind. That afternoon, I had just cut two stems of oriental lilies from my yard, placing them in a vase of water. After taking a few photos of the lilies,  I left the flowers on the coffee table. 

At dinner, I noticed a yellow powdery substance on my cat’s face. Without a  doubt,  lily pollen was on Morgan’s face.  

 Seeing the pollen, I felt uneasy and called my vet. I hoped that she would assure me not to worry. How shocked I was when she told me otherwise: that all parts of the lily, including the pollen, are highly toxic to cats. And if left untreated it will cause kidney failure and death. 

My vet then instructed me to wash the pollen off Morgan’s face and call the Pet Poison Helpline at 1-800-213-6680 for further instructions.

The Pet Poison Helpline, a 24 hour, seven day service, consults pet owners and veterinarians  for a small fee of $35 per case. They are the only poison control center with board-certified veterinary internal medicine, emergency critical care specialists and a veterinary toxicologist. 

The Pet Poison Helpline asked me a series of questions and then told to take Morgan to the nearest emergency vet clinic. 

At the emergency clinic the vet was expecting Morgan. The Pet Poison Helpline had contacted and discussed the case with her. Morgan was admitted to the hospital and was given intravenous injection.  Three days later, after repeated blood tests, non-stop IV drips, Morgan was released.

Not all cats are as lucky as Morgan.  

Most pet owners don’t realize the danger of this beautiful  flower until it is too late. With lily poisoning, time is of the essence. It is imperative that the pet is given IV as soon as possible.

The treatment itself is very expensive and can cost $1000 or more. 

These days, lilies seem to be in just about every kind of flower bouquet. Not surprisingly, it is also number one cause of poisoning in cats. 

 In the last five years, the Pet Poison Helpline alone has received a 1000 phone calls in regard to lily poisoning.  

Oriental lilies are not the only lily toxic to cats. Japanese lilies, tiger lilies, day lilies, easter lilies and are also very poisonous and will cause kidney failure and death in cats.

 I was thrilled to read that the Cat Protection Society in Australia is developing laminated posters to be displayed by florists. They are designed to warn unsuspecting customers of the dangers of lilies to cats. 

Shouldn’t all poisonous plants come with a warning tag?  

After all, it is not uncommon for gardeners to purchase plants disliked by the deer. This fact is prominently displayed with a tag inside the plant. 

Wouldn’t you as a pet owner want to see the same thing done for the most toxic plants? 

Shouldn’t  florists and grocery store owners be more responsible and offer non-toxic plants and flowers to their customers? 

In conclusion, how can we eliminate cat related deaths due to lily poisoning?

http://www.wnca.com.au/Lilies%20toxic%20Malik.htm