A Mother’s Day Bouquet to Die For
By Dr. Jeremy Campbell BVSc, MANZCVS (Feline Med) RCVS Advanced Practitioner (Feline Medicine) MRCVS
Mother’s Day is fast approaching and it is the perfect time to celebrate our lovely mothers and all they have done for us with a beautiful bouquet of flowers.
These treats which spell happiness and brownie points from Mum could spell disaster for our feline friends if they choose to celebrate the day unbeknownst to you.
Flowers are always guaranteed to put a smile on mum’s face and the ten favourite flowers to give on her special day according to Interflora UK are; Carnation; Rose; Sunflower; Gerbera Daisy; Tulip; Violet; Orchid; Lily; Freesia and Alstroemeria. Of this list Carnations, Tulips and Lilies are all toxic in some way to cats. Sometimes we want to give a gift that lasts more than a few days so we think a houseplant would be lovely; Crocuses; Cylamens, Hyacinth or Azaleas…….all toxic.
The big ones to worry about are those beautiful monsters of the Lilium family which includes Easter and Asian or Oriental lilies. These lilies are particularly toxic and are unfortunately present in a huge number in a majority of store-bought and designer bouquets. They are incredibly toxic to our cats causing acute renal failure and potentially death. All parts of the lily are toxic including the pollen, even the water they are sitting in is a source of danger. It doesn’t take much for an inquisitive cat to wander over and brush against these fatal floral fancies. Pollen on the coat, coat groomed, you understand how is goes.
Calla lilies are not the same family as above and while they aren’t fatal but can cause nasty stomach upsets and damage to the mouth – best to avoid.
Not on that list but also popular are Chrysanthemums, Amaryllis and Anthurium spp. and the humble but increasingly present Hydrangea…all toxic.
Toxicity signs vary from the severe organ damage and potential death (lily, crocus and azalea) through to vomiting, diarrhoea, excess salivation, depression, oral damage and inflammation of the skin (the rest).
Despite this list of belligerent blooms there still a huge array of beautiful flowers you can give mum or a loved one, it just pays to be in the know about what can cause harm to the other non-human members of your household. If you are going to give flowers as a gift, dig a little deeper and find out if there are any furry family members that could become unwitting victims of a flower disaster.
A little bit of extra time spent organising the gift will be worth it when an incredibly thoughtful cat-safe bouquet arrives and remains proudly on display as opposed to fatal floristry being hastily whisked away into a cupboard out of harm’s way or worse removed to the bin.
Something that is often forgotten in that moment of intense excitement and the unwrapping is the numerous small strings and ties that are used to hold your bouquet together. These, particularly for a kitten or younger cat constitute the perfect toy, they are also the perfect size to swallow and potentially become stuck in the intestines– please remember to clear away all your wrapping and push everything deep into the bin…a small tie hanging over the edge is way too much temptation to resist and this will happily be ‘attacked’ and eaten.
For more information on these and toxic plants in general go to The International Cat Care website here. International Cat Care also have an active campaign calling for greater awareness of the potential toxic effects of lilies and clearer labelling for consumers here. Please spread the word.
If you think your kitten or cat has been exposed to a potential toxic flower or plant, even if you are unsure please call your veterinary clinic immediately.
Dr. Jeremy Campbell is founder of The London Cat Clinic, a feline only veterinary practice opening in May 2017. In 2015 he became a Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Advanced Practitioner in Feline Medicine, 1 of only 15 people to currently hold that qualification in the United Kingdom.
We never had to worry about it when I was growing up….my mother hated flowers in the house. We celebrated in other ways. And our cats stayed healthy.
And although I love them myself, I have too many friends who are allergic…so no lilies at my place. And of course we wouldn’t want Diavolo to get the pollen on his coat anyway.
Keep the kitties safe!
Yep… I don’t like putting this kind of post up for Mother’s Day but too many people don’t know about what plants are poisonous 😡
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Thank you so much!
Really useful and interesting post, thanks
You are most welcome. 🙂
Thankyou for the follow glad to have you I will try to keep it interesting…and find some fun, important and intriguing issues all about Animals and the world we share with them.
Looking forward to it!
Thank you for this list. We cat companions need to have the information to keep our friends safe.
Indeed! Glad it was useful. 🙂
This was excellent. Most cat lovers try to be careful about plants but I know many are not aware even just a bit of the pollen from lilies could be dangerous, Most think the cat needs to nibble on the plant. I love flowers and plants but mine stay outside while my cats stay inside.
Yep and that’s why we keep sharing this type of information just in case…
Reblogged this on Rattiesforeverworldpresscom.
Thanks!
SO important! Many people are unaware. >^..^<
Thanks 🙂
good to know
Indeed. Wish flower companies would put warnings up!
Reblogged this on COUNTRY LIVING and commented:
interesting post. However, we need a list that tells us which plants and flowers aren’t toxic.
Hi DaisyMae2017.
Many thanks for ‘spreading the word’ this link http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants is pretty exhaustive on toxic and non-toxic plants but it is an American list so you should refer to the Latin name if the common name isn’t the same. I hope this helps.
Kind Regards,
Dr Jeremy
Hi Dr. Jeremy, Do you have a list of the non-toxic plants and flowers? I hope you follow my blog COUNTRY LIVING.
The non toxic list would be very very long that’s why I think there are only lists of toxic ones to make people aware
Hi DaisyMaie the list I mentioned has a list of the non-toxic plants as well.
I saw that after I wrote back. Thanks
Thanks for adding this. 🙂
Thanks for the links.
Thank you 😀
are Alstroemeria toxic to cats.
Not too toxic but still not good:
According to the ASPCA, the Peruvian lily in excess can pose a problem to cats. If a feline somehow consumes inordinate amounts of the plant, health issues could arise. Since Alstroemeria is from the “Tulipa” family, its bulbs contain tulipalin A. The tulipalin A component includes potentially harmful toxins that can cause diarrhea, mouth irritation, vomiting, salivation and digestive irritation in cats. Because of the possibility of these effects, it is important to make sure your kitty never goes near the Peruvian lily, period.