Woman Issues Warning After Lilies Poison Her Kitten

A cat mum has issued a heartbreaking warning after her kitten was poisoned by a bouquet of lilies.

Brittany Lynne Schurz had received the stunning bunch of flowers as a Valentine's surprise from her husband Jamie, and brought them into their home which they shared with their kitten Liffey.

However, Brittany's joy soon turned to horror when her kitten began exhibiting symptoms that she'd been poisoned. Within hours, Liffey was suffering complete renal failure, ulcers in her digestive tract, and twitches.

Brittany Lynne Schurz/Facebook)

Vets told the couple that even with extensive and harsh treatment there was no guarantee she would pull through, so they were forced to have their beloved kitten put down to put her out of her misery.

Brittany believes Liffey was poisoned by just the tiniest bit of pollen that had fallen on the floor from the lilies which she had ingested, despite keeping the flowers up high and out of reach.

Now, the grieving cat owner is warning others to keep lilies out of their home. Sharing her ordeal on Facebook, she said she hoped it could "save another kitty or two from an untimely, painful death."

Brittany Lynne Schurz/Facebook)

Sharing photos of Liffey, a white cat with unique black facial markings, she penned: "If you know me, you know I'm a lover of all things floral & green. I spend hours gardening & tending to my plants & orchids every week.

"Jamie, being the wonderful man he is, got me an extravagant bouquet of fragrant lilies for Valentine's day. We watched them bloom & enjoyed the way the entire room would fill with their aroma.

"They killed our kitten, Liffey."

Also sharing photos of the huge pink lilies that poisoned her kitten, she continued: "We did know they were toxic, but we had no idea just how deadly they could be. Unlike sago palms, oleanders, & other common, yet extremely toxic plants, a cat doesn't need to eat or chew a lily for them to get sick.

Brittany Lynne Schurz)

"Keeping them away from her did nothing. A tiny bit of pollen on the floor, licked off of her paw or fur, is all it took. She didn't show any symptoms until 12 hours before her death, & by then, it was too late to save her without dialysis & 48 hours of hospitalization extreme IVs, medication, etc, & even treatment was no guarantee.

"Lilies caused her to have complete renal failure, ulcers in her digestive tract, twitches, etc. My poor, beloved girl was killed by a beautiful flower without her ever having to touch it."

Brittany finished her post by urging: "DO NOT PUT LILIES IN YOUR HOME IF YOU HAVE A CAT-- even up high in a place the cat cannot reach. We learned this the hardest way possible & had to put down our 6 month old angel before she went into the final stages of suffering, at 5:30 AM Saturday morning.

"I don't want your prayers, I want you to SHARE THIS POST, & hopefully save another kitty or two from an untimely, painful death. We loved her with our whole hearts & only time will help heal the hole this has ripped into us. She's irreplaceable."

Brittany Lynne Schurz)

Lilies are extremely toxic to cats and ingesting any part of the plant - big or small - can cause kidney failure in 36-72 hours.

An RSPCA spokesperson told Tyla: "Lilies are very popular flowers but people are not always aware just how dangerous they are to cats. Cats can die after ingesting even a couple of petals from lilies - but the leaves, pollen and even the water from the vase can be deadly too.

"Even cutting the stamens out once they have opened is not enough. A small smudge of pollen can be transferred to a cat's fur, and once a cat starts cleaning itself, they can quickly fall ill. We hope that by getting the message out there that people will be aware of the dangers of having lilies around their pets."

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They added: "Signs to look out for include lethargy, sickness and weakness. Anyone who believes their pet has eaten any part of a lily or has been poisoned should contact their vet immediately."

There are several plants that are toxic to cats, among the most common being Daffodils, English Ivy, Tulips and Chrysanthemum. For a full list of flowers that are poisonous to cats, see PetMD here.

Topics: Life, Real Life, Health

Ciara Sheppard

Ciara is a freelance writer working for Tyla. After graduating with an English Lit and Media degree from the University of Sussex, Ciara held jobs at GLAMOUR and Yahoo Style before packing up for a solo travelling trip around South America.

@ciarasheppard