Emily, youre rightit does
seem like a violent reaction to pollen. Perhaps it was caused by
pesticides?
Christine
From:
[EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Emily Chalmers
Sent: Friday, May 13, 2005 9:06 AM
To: The
Charles Village Chat List
Subject: RE: [Chat] lilies deadly
to cats
I've known about the dangers of certain
types of lilies to cats for some time but have never heard of anything like
this. My back yard is full of all kinds of lilies, and my cats wander around in
them all the time. Nothing like this has ever happened toone of my cats.
What concerns me is something that is not
mentioned in the article--the issue of pesticides and other sprays that are
used with ornamental flowers. I have read about the problems with workers
in other countries because of the gross overuse of pesticides. Despite the fact
that certain varieties of lilies are known to have some toxicity, in this
instance I am inclined to be suspicious not of the plant but of what might have
been sprayed on it to enhance its appeal.
Emily
- Original Message -
From: crg
To: Charles Village Discussion List;The
Charles Village Chat List
Cc: tbr
Sent: 5/12/2005 6:32:24
PM
Subject: [Chat] lilies
deadly to cats
I just came
across this story on a Scottish news website. Christine Gray
Cat owners
warned of lily's fatal touch
JAMES REYNOLDS
ENVIRONMENT
CORRESPONDENT
A
NATIONWIDE warning has been issued to pet owners about the dangers of lilies
after a bunch of flowers caused the horrific death of a family cat.
The
13-year-old Siamese called Catalina died after brushing against the
pollen-laden stamens of oriental stargazer lilies and then cleaning itself.
Within
minutes of licking the pollen from its fur, the cat began to vomit, and died
just a few hours later, after going blind, suffering renal failure and becoming
virtually paralysed.
According
to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), the
incidence of such cases is on the increase, and it is now lobbying florists
selling lily varieties to put warning labels on the packaging to alert cat
owners.
A
spokesman for the organisation said: 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.
The
RSPCA is also hoping to work with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
poisons department to produce a factsheet on the issue.
The
cats owner, Josh Hartnett, from Folkstone, said Catalina had
suffered terribly, and said its death was vile. I
cant 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, he said.
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 of
the dangers, but here there is nothing.
The
RSPCAs US
counterpart, the ASPCA, identifies the Easter lily (Lilium longiflorum), the
tiger lily (Lilium tigrinum), the rubrum lily (Lilium speciosum), the Japanese
show lily (Lilium lancifolium), and some species of the day lily (Hemerocallis)
as those most likely to cause kidney failure in felines.
But
although the plant is potentially deadly to cats, it is not thought to affect
other pet species.
Alex
Campbell, a toxicologist and managing director of the National Veterinary
Poisons Information Service, said: No-one really knows what the toxic
mechanism of lilies is, but it is something in the plant that causes the
tubular cells in the kidneys to die.
It
appears that it is just cats that are susceptible. They have a slightly odd
metabolism compared to other animals - lacking certain enzymes - and this seems
to make them especially vulnerable.
He
added: It may be useful to introduce a label warning of the effect these
flowers can have on cats, but it is important not to become alarmist and to use
common sense.
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