PETS&VETS Lilies can be lethal to cats

There are many household items and products that can be poisonous to our pets, so it is important to be aware of what they are and ensure pets do not have access to them.

For example, innocent items such as chocolate and grapes are, in fact, very poisonous to dogs, whilst products such as antifreeze are extremely toxic to both cats and dogs.

Always keep household cleaning products, medications and foodstuffs out of reach of all pets and don’t forget that they can often jump and climb higher than we anticipate.

If you suspect your pet has eaten something that they shouldn’t have, we recommend phoning your vet immediately for advice, as usually the quicker treatment is started, the more positive the outcome will be.

One of our client’s quick reactions probably saved her cat’s life recently.

Binx, a two- year- old male Ragdoll cat, had managed to sneak into his owner’s spare room where she had a bunch of lilies on a windowsill.

Lilies are extremely poisonous to cats, causing vomiting to start within several hours and renal failure within one to three days, which if untreated, is almost always fatal.

Binx’s owner had been given the flowers as a present and knew they were toxic to cats, so decided to keep them in a spare room which was normally closed to him.

Unfortunately, on this day the door wasn’t fully closed and Binx managed to get into the room and, as a typical nosey cat, decided to jump onto the windowsill to investigate the flowers and, knocked the vase over.

His owner heard a crashing noise coming from upstairs before Binx came running downstairs in a panic, covered in pollen.

His owner, Melissa, g rabbed him and immediately attempted to wash the pollen off, whilst phoning our out of hours provider, Glasgow Vet School for advice.

As this happened on a Sunday, when we were closed, they advised he was taken straight to them for treatment.

Melissa wrapped Binx in a towel and held him for the car journey, so she could be sure that he did not lick any of the pollen off himself.

At the vet school he was given an injection to make him sick, and had bloods taken for a general profile. It was decided he should be put on intravenous fluids for 72 hours to provide support for his kidneys and to then have his blood levels checked again to ensure no lasting damage had been done.

He also had a lot of hair clipped off where there had been pollen staining, to ensure that none was left on his coat for him to ingest.

His owner was naturally very upset leaving him in the Vet School, but knew that it was the best place for him.

She received daily updates on Binx, who was charming all the staff and getting cuddles from everyone.

After three days on the fluids, he had his bloods checked again and the results thankfully showed that there was no kidney damage, meaning that Binx was allowed to go home.

His owner has said that from now on, there will be no lilies in the house whatsoever as it was just not worth the risk, even if they are locked away.

Melissa has also revealed she was happy for Binx’s story to be shared to let other owners know how poisonous lilies are to cats and how easy it is for accidents to happen.

Binx ’ s stor y also highlights the importance of pet insurance, as emergency out of hours appointments and hospitalisation are more expensive than regular veterinary treatment.

But, as Binx was insured, Melissa didn’t have the worry of whether or not she was able to afford the treatment as the insurance were happy to cover the costs, minus the insurance excess.

We are glad to hear Binx has made a full recovery, he has definitely used up one of his 9 lives!

If you have any worries regarding your pet eating something that they shouldn’t, do not hesitate to get in touch with ourselves or your own veterinary practice for more information.

Lucky escape Binx the cat