[Chat] lilies deadly to cats

[crg]

Emily, you're right-it does seem like a violent reaction to pollen.  Perhaps
it was caused by pesticides?

 

Christine 

 

  _____  

From: Chat-bounces at charlesvillage.info
[mailto:Chat-bounces at charlesvillage.info] On Behalf Of Emily Chalmers
Sent: Friday, May 13, 2005 9:06 AM
To: The Charles Village Chat List
Subject: RE: [Chat] lilies deadly to cats

 

I've known about the dangers of certain types of lilies to cats for some
time but have never heard of anything like this. My back yard is full of all
kinds of lilies, and my cats wander around in them all the time. Nothing
like this has ever happened to one of my cats.

 

What concerns me is something that is not mentioned in the article--the
issue of pesticides and other sprays that are used with ornamental flowers.
I have read about the problems with workers in other countries because of
the gross overuse of pesticides. Despite the fact that certain varieties of
lilies are known to have some toxicity, in this instance I am inclined to be
suspicious not of the plant but of what might have been sprayed on it to
enhance its appeal.

 

Emily

 

 

 

----- Original Message ----- 

From: crg <mailto:langwidge at erols.com>  

To: Charles Village Discussion List <mailto:Discussion at charlesvillage.info>
;The <mailto:Chat at charlesvillage.info>  Charles Village Chat List 

Cc: tbr <mailto:rauchfuz at uiuc.edu> 

Sent: 5/12/2005 6:32:24 PM 

Subject: [Chat] lilies deadly to cats

 

I just came across this story on a Scottish news website.  Christine Gray 

 

 

Cat owners warned of lily's fatal touch 

JAMES REYNOLDS 
ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT 

A NATIONWIDE warning has been issued to pet owners about the dangers of
lilies after a bunch of flowers caused the horrific death of a family cat. 

The 13-year-old Siamese called Catalina died after brushing against the
pollen-laden stamens of oriental stargazer lilies and then cleaning itself. 

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

According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
(RSPCA), 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. 

A spokesman for the organisation said: "All lilies are poisonous to cats,
with just one leaf eaten possibly leading to death. We will now be urging
both manufacturers and producers to issue warnings on their goods so that
consumers have an informed choice." 

The RSPCA is also hoping to work with the Royal College of Veterinary
Surgeons poisons department to produce a factsheet on the issue. 

The cats owner, Josh Hartnett, from Folkstone, said Catalina had "suffered
terribly", and said its death was "vile". "I cant 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," he said. 

"We have seen the flowers in many places, all with no warnings at all. In
America I have discovered that there is immense coverage on this subject,
warning of the dangers, but here there is nothing." 

The RSPCAs US counterpart, the ASPCA, identifies 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
felines. 

But although the plant is potentially deadly to cats, it is not thought to
affect other pet species. 

Alex Campbell, a toxicologist and managing director of the National
Veterinary Poisons Information Service, said: "No-one really knows what the
toxic mechanism of lilies is, but it is something in the plant that causes
the tubular cells in the kidneys to die. 

"It appears that it is just cats that are susceptible. They have a slightly
odd metabolism compared to other animals - lacking certain enzymes - and
this seems to make them especially vulnerable." 

He added: "It may be useful to introduce a label warning of the effect these
flowers can have on cats, but it is important not to become alarmist and to
use common sense."

 

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