On May 11th, 2020 we had to rush our cat Tucker to the animal ER for lily toxicity. I was told by poison control that lily toxicity in cats more often than not results in fatality. The common lily is known to be toxic for cats, but the oriental lily is especially dangerous causing kidney failure upon ingesting minuscule amounts of any organic matter from the plant. Your perfectly healthy cat could face kidney failure from simply smelling pollen, licking a leaf, or biting the flower. This is a top contributor to deaths among housecats but no one seems to know about it and not much research has been done. It is unknown what makes the lily so deadly for cats but what is known that every part of the lily needs to be avoided. What makes it even scarier is this plant is included in most bouquets you would find at a grocery store or florist. 

Over the past two days my partner and I have been shocked by the number of stories we've heard about people losing their feline friend to lily toxicity. How can something so deadly for housecats be so commonly found with no warnings whatsoever? How has no research been done to figure out why this is happening, or to develop an antidote? We know that change needs to be made; whether that is simply spreading the word, passing a bill that requires florists to post warnings about toxic flowers for pets in their shops, or giving a voice to those in the field who know research must be done. Please sign our petition so we can take it to our local government, the ASPCA, FDA, and whoever else will listen. Change needs to be made, and we need to keep our furry friends safe.

At this point in time Tucker is still in the ER and it is looking like he is going to pull through, but most families that face this horror are not as lucky as us. I will update this page when we hear more about our little guy.