Owner of cat who survived brush with lilies warns against Mother’s Day flower

The owner of a cat who survived a potentially lethal encounter with lily pollen warns others of the hidden dangers of the popular flower this Mother’s Day.

As Mothering Sunday (30 March) approaches, a Swansea-based cat owner is making others aware of the danger of lily pollen to cats after her one-year-old moggie Malakai became covered in the toxic substance but, thanks to her quick thinking, lived to continue his nine lives.

Lynne Meredith now works as a regional volunteer team leader for Cats Protection but before she worked for the charity was unaware of the risks associated with the flower.

Luck

She says: “Looking back, Malakai was so lucky. I had been sent a bouquet by a friend which had included lilies. I had put it in a vase and thought nothing more about it until a few days later I heard a crash, rushed through into the kitchen and saw Malakai had pulled over the vase and was covered in orange pollen from the lilies which had now fully bloomed.

“He was startled from pulling the vase over and getting covered in water and pollen so he came running to me. I quickly googled what I could use to get the pollen off him because it’s so hard to get off most surfaces and to my horror found it was toxic to cats.

“I quickly took a picture to show the vet and wasted no time in putting him in the sink and washing him thoroughly. I found his buster collar from when he was neutered and put it on him to stop him grooming, then phoned the vet for advice.”

The vet checked with Lynne whether Malakai had ingested any of the pollen and, after checking his mouth for staining, Lynne was confident he hadn’t licked any of the pollen but could not be sure whether he had not eaten any other part of the plant.

She added: “Because all parts of the plant are toxic to cats, the vet advised me to monitor him very closely and to take him straight to the clinic if I noticed any unusual behaviour or symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhoea. It was a truly worrying time but thankfully no symptoms appeared.”

Warning

When Lynne told the friend who had bought her the flowers what had happened she was horrified that there was no warning on the flowers.

Lynne adds: “I’ve told all my friends with cats to make sure they never have lilies in the house or garden and cannot believe flower companies aren’t required to ask whether bouquets are being sent to a household with cats during checkout. Something so simple would prevent cats from unnecessary danger, suffering and even death.”

While lilies are the most dangerous plant to cats with all parts of it being highly toxic both if eaten and if licked from skin or fur, other flowers such as tulips, daffodils, iris and peonies can also be poisonous to cats if eaten. Indoor plants such as dumb cane, cheese plants and aloe vera are also not cat-friendly.

Signs of cat poisoning can include, but are not limited to, salivation, vomiting, diarrhoea, twitching, fitting, breathing difficulties, shock, collapse and coma.

Cats Protection has lists of cat-safe and unsafe plants on its website: www.cats.org.uk/dangerous-plants as well as details of some cat-safe flower retailers here: www.cats.org.uk/cats-blog/where-to-buy-cat-friendly-flowers-online-old.

Anybody who suspects their cat has been in contact with lilies should seek immediate veterinary attention.