You spot a peace Lily at a corner of your room, and it instantly brings you a sense of solace. They are soothing to look at and serve as decorations many people keep in their homes. In this article, we will know Are Peace Lilies Toxic To Cats?
That being said, you certainly won’t find them at the homes of cat owners, and we’re going to tell you why.
Did you know that peace lilies have a scientific name called “Spathiphyllum”? Well, this Spathiphyllum falls among 47 water plants under the wide category of the Araceae family.
Don’t let the big scientific words scare you, because their genetic biological conditions are what lead them to be toxic for cats.
How Are Peace Lilies Toxic For My Cat?
Usually, the chemical composition of a friendly-looking plant can be the most dangerous. Peace lilies are similar where their foliage, long stems, and even petals carry a toxin called calcium oxalate.
They are insoluble toxins that create a burning sensation once in contact with an animal’s mouth. Your cat may gradually show troubling symptoms like drooling or extensive licking, scratching of the mouth, vomiting, difficulty, or pain in swallowing.
Symptoms Of Peace Lilly Ingestion – What Signs Should I Look For In My Cat?
Cats are jumpy and hyperactive in their way of life. You cannot possibly keep track of every little quirk they have.
However, with our scientifically-backed analysis, you can look out for the following specific symptoms to confirm if your cat was affected by your peace Lily at your home.
- Vomiting – This particular symptom is the primary consequence of an ingestion. It occurs in a cat approximately six hours after being exposed to peace lilies.
- Excessive drooling- A symptom similar to when vomiting occurs.
- Licking of paws- appears within twelve to twenty four hours, and leads to irritation, as mentioned below.
- Tongue and throat irritation
- Difficulty swallowing – This in turn leads to loss of appetite, and a possible kidney failure.
How Do I Keep My Cat Away From Peace Lilies?
The good thing about peace lilies is that they are not proven dangerous if your cat views it from a distance, or keeps her space. Unless she starts chewing on the flower stems themselves, keep your cat At a safe distance. To do that, you can do the following:
Keep your peace Lillies out of reach of your cat: The most minute areas, starting from the pollens in the spandex of the peace Lilly can be harmful. A simple lick of a pollen grain can poison your cat with oral irritation.
So keeping your cat out of reach of the plant completely might help with the risk of toxic infection. Some cat repellents that we can suggest are :
Homemade mixtures: There are a variety of mixtures you can make as a cat repellent for your peace lilies.
1. Mix a tablespoon of cayenne pepper powder, Tabasco sauce, and water and surround it around your Peace Lily. Your cat won’t go near it.
2. Pour some grounded gravel in the soil of your peace lily. Your cat won’t try to dig the flower pot anymore.
3. Citrus fruits, mint, and lavender are excellent sources of cat repellants, mainly because of their smell. Spread some around your lily.
4. You can add coffee grounds and orange peels into the soil.
5. Normal water sprays and sprinklers are the simplest and yet effective ways you can prevent your cat from touching the plant. Spray some on the cat’s face, and as cruel as it sounds, it will help them stay away from the peace lilies.
Peace Lily Poisoning – How To Treat My Cat At Home?
Poisons do sound scary to us, but we have found ways that can heal your cat if she ingested the toxins out of your peace lilies. You can apply certain home remedies that are proven both effective and highly convenient.
Home Remedies
The Basics: The irritation that your cat faces can easily be overcome by a fresh bowl of yogurt or milk. They have antioxidants that ease the initial pain your cat might be facing.
The necessity: remove all the chewed leaves that remain in your cat’s mouth after the ingestion. Wash her paws with cool water so she doesn’t get infected further when she licks her paws.
Precaution
While we mention that yogurts help with your cat’s irritation, do keep in mind the portion serving. Too much lactose to mammals like cats would cause immense indigestion and diarrhea.
It will only add to the symptoms of your already infected cat.
Medical Remedies
In case homemade remedies don’t work and you see the symptoms worsening, immediately visit your vet. Consult the nearest pet poison control center. Your local vet can guide you through the process of identifying the exact cause, effect, and symptoms on your cat’s health by the following criteria :
- The exact part of the peace lily consumed
- The quantity of peace lily toxins consumed
- How long it has been since the peace lily had been consumed
Professional help is the most assured remedy you can get for your cat.
Are All Kinds Of Lilies Poisonous To Cats?
No, not necessarily. You might ask then,
What other lilies can be poisonous for cats?
We have talked about the many effects of peace lily-type toxins on cats’ health. But they are surprisingly the least threatening variant of Lillies for your cats.
Other lilies, much more dangerous, have certain compounds in their body that can cause severe downfalls in your cat’s health. Some of them are :
- Asiatic lily (including hybrids)
- Daylily
- Easter lily
- Japanese Show lily
- Oriental lily
- Rubrum lily
- Stargazer lily
- Tiger lily
- Wood lily
Lily-of-the-valley is another notorious lily that has toxins causing your cat’s heart to beat abnormally. Irregular beating of the heart is a serious issue and must be checked out immediately.
Look out for similar symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, and weakness.
The roots or tubers of the gloriosa lily may also be heavily detrimental to your cat’s health. The toxins they are composed of are so heavily induced with enzymes, they can cause serious multi-system organ failure on ingestion by a cat.
You can also know more about the scientific names behind these Lillies, and understand the root cause behind each of them, and why they are so dire for your furry pet’s health.
Why Are Peace Lilies Poisonous?
The wild species from the Araceae family carries the toxic compound calcium oxalate, which covers its entire plant anatomy. So, your cat’s are likely to stay away from going anywhere near the peace Lily, because its entire body is inflicted with the sap of calcium oxalate.
It crystallizes once it finds its place inside the cat’s digestive system. They penetrate through the cat’s tissues and intoxicate them, impacting the kidney and stomach.
The good thing about peace Lillies is, the calcium oxalate their stems, and pollen are insoluble, and hence the damage is minimal.
However, in the case of lilies from the Lilium or Hemerocallis variants, the toxins are much more intense.
The calcium present in them depletes from blood and calcium oxalate crystals quickly get formed. This is followed by toxic reactions inside the body.
Eventually, the crystals disrupt the functions of the cell membrane, causing weakness and digestive problems. Soluble calcium oxalate crystals can also gradually accumulate in your cat’s kidneys
Are Peace Lilies Poisonous For Humans Too?
While the effect of peace lilies takes a greater toll on cats, humans are not fully devoid of being poisoned as well.
Mild issues: When you garden your peace lilies, you might get a tense burning sensation or mild itching on your hands, which can easily go away. Water is the most effective in these cases.
Serious issues: Anything consumed in large amounts cannot ever result in good. If by mistake you happen to consume large portions of a Peace Lily or smell in its pollen grains, it can cause intense bodily discomforts that eventually disintegrate.
The enzymes, once inside your body, immediately react with blood, leading to a swollen mouth, irritation, and burning sensation in the throat, mouth, and lips.
You may also like to know Do Cats Remember Their Mothers?
Symptoms Of Toxic Peace Lily On Humans
- Nausea
- Headache
- Lethargy
- Constant salivation
- Loss of appetite
The given effects can further degrade into worse problems like hypocalcemia, respiration problems, choking, and even kidney failure.
According to the Association of Poison Control Center, peace lilies have shown a dire impact on more than 700 children under the age of six and below nineteen years, who have accidentally chewed on the peace lily leaves. They faced hospitalization, and we’re subject to heavy medication for days.
Other Flowers That Are Poisonous To Cats
Let’s stray away from lilies and look at the other kinds of plants and flowers you may keep at your house, that may result in being poisonous for your cat. They are :
Amaryllis
Autumn Crocus
Azaleas and Rhododendrons
Castor Bean
Chrysanthemum
Daisy, Mum
Cyclamen
Daffodils Narcissus
Sago Palm.
Tulips and Hyacinths.
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