Poison Lilies

In May 2005 a 13-year-old Siamese cat called Catalina died after brushing against, pollen laden oriental stargazer lilies and then started to clean herself.

Within minutes of licking the pollen from her fur, Catalina began to vomit, and died just a few hours later, after going blind, suffering renal failure and becoming virtually paralysed.

Josh Hartnett the owner from Folkstone, reportedly said "Catalina had suffered terribly, and her death was vile. "I can’t believe something so simple as a flower can kill pets in such a terrible, terrible way, and there is absolutely no way of knowing about it."

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), have accordingly said that the incidence of such cases is on the increase, and it is now lobbying florists selling lily varieties to put warning labels on the packaging to alert cat owners.

In America, The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), has identified the Easter lily (Lilium longiflorum), the tiger lily (Lilium tigrinum), the rubrum lily (Lilium speciosum), the Japanese show lily (Lilium lancifolium), and some species of the day lily (Hemerocallis) as those most likely to cause kidney failure in cats. Last year the poison control centre at the ASPCA handled 275 cases.

Further information can be found on International Cat Care (formally Feline Advisory Bureau) & RSPCA websites.