Everyone is familiar with the old cliche “Curiosity killed the cat.” If you’ve ever had this fatal flower in your home, you may know just how sadly true this is.
Cat people are drawn to the beautiful things in this world – obviously. Fresh flowers are part of that beauty. As much as we are drawn to enjoy them, our cats are equally drawn to explore them.
Everything about the Easter Lily is deadly for our curious cats. However beautiful it may be, this flower is never welcome in our home. The flower petals, its leaves and stem are all cat killers if ingested. Even its pollen and the water in the vase are toxic.
We once had a friend over for dinner who brought an Easter Lily (and a bottle of wine, of course). Out of politeness, we placed the flower on our dinner table… with our eagle eye activated for any curious cats. Not 30 seconds went by before we had explorers investigating the new arrival.
Out to the patio it went – along with an explanatory conversation about our desire to keep our cats alive. Our friend was mortified and apologetic. We felt awful – but the crisis had been averted.
And here’s how quickly this flower kills:
Within 2-4 hours, cats will become lethargic and/or start vomiting along with loss of appetite. A veterinarian needs to perform life-saving treatment for your cat within 6 hours of ingestion. What happens if you don’t catch your cat chewing the Easter Lily or if you miss these early warning signs?
18-24 hours after ingestion, the prognosis for death is nearly inevitable – from kidney failure. Even for kitties that receive treatment. This is why this fatal flower will never be in our home. We want our cats – and yours – to remain curious. And alive.
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