Re: Lilies and Cats ?!?

Thanks for the info, Jim!  Scary!  Especially for my little calico named
Lily!
--Barb, Grass Valley CA
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "james singer" <islandjim1@verizon.net>
To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2005 10:19 AM
Subject: Re: [CHAT] Lilies and Cats ?!?


> You would think a Siamese cat would be up to speed on oriental lilies,
> wouldn't you?
>
> On May 25, 2005, at 12:48 PM, James R. Fisher wrote:
>
> > From the Yahoo Lilium list; have those of you who grow both heard of
> > this ?
> > -jrf
> > ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> > Subject: Re: [Lilium] poisoning
> > Date: Wed, 25 May 2005 09:22:53 -0400
> > From: arnold trachtenberg <Arnold@nj.rr.com>
> >
> > at owners warned over killer flowers
> > By David Sapsted
> > (Filed: 06/05/2005)
> >
> > A national alert has been issued to pet owners after pollen from a
> > bunch
> > of supermarket flowers killed a cat.
> >
> > When John Hartnett bought his wife oriental stargazer lilies, he was
> > unaware that he was passing a death sentence on the family's
> > 13-year-old
> > Siamese, Catalina.
> >
> > The cat brushed against the flowers then licked the pollen from its
> > fur.
> > Within minutes she started being sick and, within hours, had died after
> > going blind, suffering renal failure and becoming virtually paralysed.
> >
> > The RSPCA, which is reporting an increase in such cases, is to launch a
> > campaign to alert people to the dangers and lobby for warnings on the
> > flowers.
> >
> > The RSPCA said: "The problem of lilies isn't widely known and we are
> > seeing an increase in the number of cases we come across. This is
> > because the flowers are becoming more readily available in Britain.
> >
> > "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.
> >
> > "We also hope to work with the Royal College for Veterinary Surgeons'
> > poison department to produce information fact sheets and figures on
> > this
> > awful matter."
> >
> > Mr Hartnett, 51, a computer engineer from Folkestone, Kent, said:
> > "Catalina was a curious, fastidious animal and would have investigated
> > the new flowers. But this proved absolutely fatal.
> >
> > "She endured a vile death. She was suffering terribly. I blame myself
> > but the vet we rushed her to said there was just no chance to save her.
> >
> > "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 people of the dangers but, here, there is nothing.
> >
> > "I can't 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."
> >
> > The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals singles
> > out the Easter lily (Lilium longiflorum), tiger lily (Lilium tigrinum),
> > rubrum lily (Lilium speciosum), Japanese show lily (Lilium lancifolium)
> > and some species of the day lily (Hemerocallis) as liable to cause
> > kidney failure in cats.
> >
> > The Feline Advisory Bureau, a charity based in Tisbury, Wilts, said:
> > "Symptoms of poisoning from these plants include protracted vomiting,
> > anorexia and depression and ingestion can cause severe, possibly fatal,
> > kidney damage."
> >
> > Cats can survive if taken to a vet within six hours but the chances of
> > survival decrease rapidly after that. After 18 hours, the kidneys stop
> > working.
> >
> > Alex Campbell, a toxicologist and managing director of the Poison
> > Advisory Service for vets, said: "When we recieve a call about cats
> > coming into contact with any of the lilium flower family we treat it
> > very seriously indeed. It is one of the worst reactions an animal can
> > come across and it needs highly aggressive management. All parts of a
> > lily are extremely toxic.
> >
> > "A cat that comes into contact with a lily deteriorates very rapidly. I
> > have even heard of a cat being given human dialysis in an attempt to
> > overcome the effects of toxins in the kidneys."
> >
> > The danger to cats only began to emerge in 1990 when the first incident
> > was reported in America. Last year, the poison control centre at the
> > ASPCA handled 275 cases.
> >
> > John Cushnie, a panellist on Gardeners' Question Time, advised
> > gardeners
> > who wanted to avoid harm to cats to select tall lilies and stake those
> > that need support.
> >
> > -- 
> > Jim Fisher
> > Vienna, Virginia USA
> > 38.9 N 77.2 W
> > USDA Zone 7
> > Max. 105 F [40 C], Min. 5 F [-15 C]
> >
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> >
> >
> Island Jim
> Southwest Florida
> 27.0 N, 82.4 W
> Hardiness Zone 10
> Heat Zone 10
> Minimum 30 F [-1 C]
> Maximum 100 F [38 C]
>
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