LILY WARNING FROM CHARITY AFTER CAT RUSHED TO VET

A woman said her family cat could have died after she needed emergency treatment for suspected poisoning from eating lilies.

Animal charity PDSA issued a warning that spring-flowering lilies could be dangerous to cats.

Zainab Bibi, 22, from Wolverhampton, said she found her grandmother’s cat Lewi behaving strangely and she had orange powder around her mouth.

She saw a bouquet containing lilies in a neighbour’s garden and called the vet because she said she knew these were toxic to cats.

“It’s very likely Lewi could have developed long-term kidney damage or may not have even survived which is awful to think about,” Ms Bibi said.

The granddaughter added the charity cleaned the staining from Lewi’s tongue and admitted her for a fluid drip and blood tests.

Cats can develop kidney damage from eating the leaves, petals or pollen of the flowers which can lead to death if untreated, the PDSA said.

Lewi’s kidneys were not affected by the toxins by the time a vet saw her so she was discharged to recover at home with her owners, they added.

Laura Hodgkiss, a vet at Wolverhampton PDSA, said it was important for people to contact a vet if they believed their pet was exposed to lilies.