Are lilies dangerous for cats and dogs?
For cats, a bit of a leaf, pollen licked off the fur or the vase water is enough: kidney damage.
DogCaution
CatDangerous
Call your vet right away, even if your pet seems fine.Signs can show up hours or days later. This page helps you on the phone: it doesn’t replace the vet.
What the sources say
- For cats, every part of the lily is extremely dangerous: flowers, leaves, stem and pollen, even licked off the fur, and the water in the vase. Less than one leaf can kill.
- The poison damages the kidneys and can make them fail. The dangerous ones are true lilies (Lilium) and daylilies (Hemerocallis). Other plants called “lily”, like lily of the valley, peace lily and calla lily, can be toxic in other ways.
- Pollen-free lilies aren’t safe either: the whole plant is toxic.
- Signs come within 1–6 hours: drooling, vomiting, not eating, tiredness, weakness. It’s an emergency: to the vet right away.
- The source is about cats. It says nothing about dogs: keep lilies out of reach anyway.
Who to call: the numbers Search something else
What to do now
- Call your vet or the nearest emergency vet now, even if your pet seems fine: signs can take hours or days to show.
- Move your pet away from what it ate and take away what's left. If some is still in its mouth, offer a toy so it lets go.
- If the substance is on its fur or skin, wash it off with a mild shampoo and water, then rinse well and dry.
- Keep the packaging, the label or a piece of the plant, or take a photo, and bring it with you.
- Tell the vet what your pet swallowed, roughly how much and when.
What not to do
- Don't make it vomit unless the vet tells you to.
- Don't use salt water: it's extremely dangerous.
- Don't try to treat your pet yourself or give it medicines: some medicines for people and other animals are poisonous to pets.
- Don't wait for signs to appear.
Sources
- International Cat Care, “Lily poisoning in cats” (checked on October 9, 2026)
- PDSA, “First aid for poisons and toxins” (checked on October 9, 2026)
- RSPCA, “Poisoning in dogs” (checked on October 9, 2026)
- RSPCA, “Poisoning in cats” (checked on October 9, 2026)