Is Lily Toxic to Cats and Dogs? (Lilium spp. ( L. longiflorum, L. tigrinum); Hemerocallis spp.)

The reference lists Lily (Lilium spp. ( L. longiflorum, L. tigrinum); Hemerocallis spp.) as toxic to cats. The toxic principle is Unknown (all three ASPCA species entries list it as Unknown); Merck additionally notes that true lilies damage renal tubular epithelial cells. Signs reported: Vomiting, inappetence, lethargy, kidney failure, and death is possible..

One of the most dangerous plants in this table for cats. Merck Veterinary Manual states: "cats are highly sensitive to poisoning"; "True lilies have been shown to damage renal tubular epithelial cells. If untreated, lily toxicosis results in acute renal failure." All three ASPCA species entries note "Cats are only species known to be affected," and all list Non-Toxic to Dogs.

• Easter Lily (Lilium longiflorum)
• Tiger Lily (Lilium tigrinum)
• Day Lilies (many varieties) (Hemerocallis spp.)

Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum), Lily of the Valley (Convallaria), Calla Lily (Zantedeschia), and others have "lily" in the name but are not the "true lilies" (Lilium/Hemerocallis genus) referred to in this entry — their toxic mechanisms are entirely different, and each has its own separate entry in this table.

If a pet may have eaten a plant, contact a veterinarian, ASPCA Animal Poison Control (888) 426-4435 or Pet Poison Helpline (855) 764-7661. Note what was eaten, how much and when, and bring a photo or a piece of the plant. Do not induce vomiting or give home remedies unless a professional tells you to.

• Aloe Vera
• Azalea
• Chrysanthemum
• Cyclamen

Toxicity lists are by species, and many houseplants look alike. Photograph the whole plant, a leaf close-up and any flower in even light; the app reads the species first, then you can check it here. If the species is uncertain, act as if it were toxic.

True lilies (Lilium) and daylilies (Hemerocallis) can cause kidney failure in cats, and every part of the plant is dangerous. The US Food and Drug Administration names Asiatic, Easter, Oriental and Stargazer lilies among the most hazardous, and says the entire plant is toxic: stem, leaves, flowers, pollen, and even the water in the vase. PetMD says even small exposures, such as brushing against pollen or drinking vase water, can lead to life-threatening poisoning.

If there is any chance your cat has chewed a lily, licked pollen off its fur or drunk vase water, go to a vet or emergency clinic now; do not wait for signs. You can call the Pet Poison Helpline on (855) 764-7661 or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center on (888) 426-4435 on the way.

Sniffing on its own is not what harms a cat; the danger is pollen that ends up on its nose, face or fur and is then licked off during grooming. PetMD counts brushing against pollen as an exposure that can lead to life-threatening poisoning, and advises calling if a cat could have got pollen on its coat or in its mouth.

If your cat has been close enough to a lily to touch it, check the face, whiskers and fur for orange or yellow pollen. If you see any, or cannot rule it out, call your vet or a poison line straight away; they may want to see the cat even if it looks well.

Signs can start within hours, and kidney damage follows within a day or two. The timeline from the two sources:

• 0 to 12 hours. Early signs such as drooling and vomiting (FDA); PetMD says they may appear within 2 hours.
• 12 to 24 hours. Signs of kidney damage, such as increased thirst and urination (FDA, PetMD).
• 24 to 72 hours. Kidney failure, which can be fatal (FDA, PetMD).

Early treatment is what saves cats. There is no antidote; vets give IV fluids for at least 48 to 72 hours while monitoring urine output (PetMD). The FDA says that if treatment is delayed by 18 hours or more after ingestion, the cat generally has irreversible kidney failure. PetMD says most cats treated aggressively within 48 hours of eating lilies can survive. The two figures differ, and both point the same way: go as soon as you suspect exposure. A cat that vomits once and then seems fine can still be in the early stage.

No. Removing the anthers reduces pollen falling on tables and fur, but the FDA says the entire plant is toxic, including stems, leaves, petals and the vase water. A cat that chews a leaf or drinks from the vase is still at risk. The only safe arrangement in a home with cats is no true lilies or daylilies, including in bouquets.

Not safely. Because pollen, leaves and vase water are all toxic (FDA), a lily on a high shelf is still a risk: pollen drops, petals fall, and cats climb. Keep true lilies and daylilies out of the house and out of gardens your cat can reach.

Not every plant called a lily causes kidney failure. The FDA notes that peace lilies and calla lilies contain calcium oxalate crystals that cause mouth and throat irritation, and that lily-of-the-valley affects the heart instead. Both still need a vet call if eaten; see our pages on peace lily and lily of the valley. For flowers to choose instead, see flowers that are non-toxic to cats.

Bouquets often mix lilies with other flowers, and daylilies in gardens are easy to overlook. Photograph the flower head-on and a leaf in PlantLens to check whether it is Lilium or Hemerocallis. If your cat may already have touched it, call the vet first and identify the plant afterwards.

The sections on exposure, symptom timing, pollen removal and living with lilies were added on 2026-09-25. Research and drafting were done with the help of AI, and every figure was checked line by line against the sources listed on this page.

Touching is dangerous because of what happens next: pollen that sticks to the fur or face is licked off during grooming, and that counts as eating the lily. The FDA says licking just a few pollen grains off the fur, or drinking water from the vase, can be enough to cause fatal kidney failure. A 2005 information sheet for cat owners in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (Braddock, White and Malik) separately notes that cats are also poisoned by playing with and chewing parts of the plant. PetMD says that if pollen has got onto a cat's skin, a bath is needed to reduce contamination and that this is best done at the vet's office, where the cat can be treated at the same time.

So if your cat has brushed against a lily and you can see orange or yellow pollen on it, or cannot rule it out, call your vet or a poison line now rather than cleaning it off and waiting.

There is no antidote and nothing to give at home; what counteracts lily poisoning is fast veterinary treatment that protects the kidneys. PetMD describes the usual steps:

• Emptying the stomach. If the cat ate the lily within roughly the past two hours and has not already vomited, the vet will probably induce vomiting.
• Activated charcoal by mouth to bind toxin still in the gut.
• Intravenous fluids for at least 48 to 72 hours, the most important part, with urine output monitored, sometimes through a urinary catheter.
• Anti-nausea drugs, stomach protectants and repeated blood tests to track kidney function.

What not to do: VCA Animal Hospitals says it is not advisable to make a cat vomit at home and that salt or hydrogen peroxide can injure or poison it. Timing drives the outcome. The FDA says a delay of 18 hours or more usually leads to irreversible kidney failure, and PetMD says a cat that stops producing urine 24 to 48 hours after ingestion has a very poor prognosis.

The FDA names these as the dangerous true lilies and daylilies: Asiatic lily, daylily, Easter lily, Japanese show lily, Oriental lily, rubrum lily, stargazer lily, tiger lily and wood lily.

Plants called lily that act differently, according to the FDA:

• Lily of the valley: affects the heart rhythm; see lily of the valley.
• Gloriosa lily: can cause failure of several organs.
• Peace lily and calla lily: calcium oxalate crystals that irritate the mouth and throat; see calla lily and peace lily.
• Peruvian lily (Alstroemeria): mild stomach upset only. VCA also describes it as mild and self-limiting.

All of these still justify a call to the vet if eaten; only the first list carries the kidney-failure risk.

The toxin has not been identified, and the effect is specific to cats. The Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery sheet says dogs that eat lilies show only mild signs, and that rats and rabbits show no toxicity. In cats it describes vomiting, depression and loss of appetite within about two hours, acute kidney failure within 24 to 72 hours if untreated, and death in three to seven days without intervention; even with intensive fluid therapy, it says, a good outcome is not assured. The exact toxic dose is unknown, and very small amounts can be enough.

That is why lilies top VCA Animal Hospitals' list of the ten most common cat toxins of 2023, and why vets advise keeping them out of homes with cats entirely rather than out of reach.