Thankfully I haven’t lost any of our cats to ingesting a lily, but we almost did several years ago. So today when I saw a warning on Facebook about the dangers of the lily flower being ingested by felines, I decided to share in my blog. In the heartbreaking Facebook post, her sweet kitty did pass away after eating pollen from a lily. That almost happened to us with our cat, Tucker.
Tucker became quite ill a few years ago. At first the vet and I couldn’t figure out what was making him so sick. Towards the end of the appointment, my vet asked me if I had done anything differently around the house. After thinking about it for a minute, I casually told him that I had started putting fresh flowers out weekly. I liked to display them on the table and on kitchen counter for a pretty centerpiece. 
So then he asked me what types of flowers had I set out and I remembered laughing at Tucker because he had orange pollen around his mouth. Instantly my vet told me that was most likely the culprit. My favorite flower. The pretty ones I had in my wedding bouquet years earlier. The lovely lily is deadly to cats causing liver failure.
Because Tucker is a big cat and he hadn’t ingested that much, he made it, but he sure was sick for a bit.
Finishing up the meds course he had to take from his illness. Stan, our orange cat in the background, didn’t have to take medicine because he doesn’t eat flowers, but most cats will nibble on a floral arrangement.
No more lily flowers in our home. And when I saw the sad story this morning on Facebook, I thought it would be a good idea to let my readers know in case you have a cat or know someone who has a kitty. No lily flowers.
In fact, if you have pets, always check the potential toxic ingredients before placing flowers out in the open in your home.
Always good to play it safe. We were very lucky that Tucker survived his lily illness. He is the most gentle and loving cat. In fact, tomorrow he will be sad because his favorite family member, my son is moving into his dorm. Tucker will miss him and I am so glad that when our boy comes home for visits, his Tucker will be here happily waiting to see him.
Our handsome Tucker boy
So sad to hear about that. I’m glad you’re sending the message that it really is dangerous for them.
I was so thankful that our kitty was OK, Jamie. Education and knowledge is power, especially when it comes to our beloved pets!