are tiger lilies toxic to cats

True Lilies, which include the Tiger, Stargazer, Easter, and Oriental varieties, and Day Lilies are highly toxic to cats. Every part of the plant, even the water contained in the vase, is toxic if ingested and only a small amount can be fatal.

Get Quick Veterinary Treatment

Call your veterinarian or a pet poison control center right away if you think your cat may have eaten any part of a lily or its pollen, or may have ingested water from a vase containing lilies. Depending on the kind of lily, it might be a medical emergency, in which case getting veterinary care right away is essential. Attempt to bring the lily plant to the veterinarian’s office (or snap a photo of it with your phone). This will enable your veterinarian to identify whether it’s one of the extremely poisonous ones.

Less Harmful “Lilies” for Cats and Dogs

Calcium oxalates are found in both calla and peace lilies as insoluble crystals (insoluble means the crystals don’t dissolve in water) The crystals are released when a dog or cat bites or chews on the plant, irritating the esophagus, throat, tongue, and mouth. There may be immediate symptoms, such as drooling, foaming, vocalizing, vomiting, diarrhea, and pawing at the face due to mouth pain. The signs usually go away on their own. Although they are rare, breathing issues brought on by mouth and airway swelling can happen.

If a cat or dog eats a lot of Peruvian lilies, the toxin they contain causes mild stomach upset (vomiting and diarrhea). The signs usually go away on their own. Although it looks like a miniature version of a “true lily” plant, the Peruvian lily does not cause kidney failure in cats.

Other Highly Toxic “Lilies” for Cats and Dogs

Although the word “lily” may appear in the name of some other plants, they are not members of the “true lily” or “daylily” families and do not induce renal failure in cats. But if consumed, these “lily” plants might result in additional major issues. Lily-of-the-valley and gloriosa, also known as flame lilies, pose a serious threat to both cats and dogs.

Lily-of-the-valley contains toxins that cause the heart to beat abnormally. This abnormal heart rhythm can be life-threatening. Other signs of toxicity include vomiting, diarrhea, and weakness.

If a dog or cat chews on the roots or tubers of the gloriosa lily, the toxins could cause serious multi-system organ failure.

FAQ

What happens if a cat eats a tiger lily?

The entire lily plant is toxic: the stem, leaves, flowers, pollen, and even the water in a vase. Eating just a small amount of a leaf or flower petal, licking a few pollen grains off its fur while grooming, or drinking the water from the vase can cause your cat to develop fatal kidney failure in less than 3 days.

Are Tiger Lillies pet safe?

Dangerous lilies: Tiger lilies, day lilies, Asiatic hybrid, Easter lilies, Japanese show lilies, rubrum lilies, stargazer lilies, red lilies, western lilies and wood lilies. These are all highly toxic and even ingesting a few petals/leaves or pollen/vase water can cause rapid kidney failure in cats.

What type of lily is poisonous to cats?

However, Easter lilies (Lilium longiflorum), Stargazer lilies (Lilium ‘ Stargazer’ hybrid), and Asiatic lilies (Lilium asiaticum) seem to be the most hazardous. Daylilies, which are in the genus Hemerocallis, are also toxic to cats and can cause kidney failure.

Which part of tiger lily is poisonous?

Both of the true lily plants, Lilium sp. and Hemerocallis sp., can produce severe toxicosis and acute kidney injury (AKI). In fact, all parts of the plant are toxic and there are documented cases where exposure to the pollen alone has caused AKI.