Dear Dr. John,
I am an usher at church this Easter Sunday and I seek your counsel on whether I should bring home one or two of the Easter Lily plants after our services. I own two cats that are young and mischievous. They love to get into things, and I understand that these plants can be toxic to cats. What does it do to them? Also, my house cleaner said that in her home country of Brazil there is a new cat disease going around that is also dangerous to people that she heard about from her relatives. Have you heard anything about this and, if so, what is it? Thanks, and Happy Easter. S.W.
Dear S.W.,
Easter lilies are indeed highly toxic and dangerous to cats, as are other lily plants. Ingesting even any amount of the plant, and cats are prone to chewing plants and leaves, can lead to renal failure and even death. Cats that do eat the plants can vomit and become weak eventually leading to drinking and urinating more, oral lesions, heavy breathing, and more.
If you do intend to bring plants home after church, make sure your cats stay away from them. To be safe, I would probably not bring those plants home to two young and mischievous cats. If a cat has ingested these lilies, immediate therapy by a veterinarian is essential to prevent irreversible kidney damage. I mean immediate to be less than 6-12 hours. This treatment includes inducing vomiting if not too late to do so, ingesting neutralizers to bind up the toxin, and intravenous fluid dialysis.
As for your second question, the CDC has just also issued a warning about the cat issue in Brazil which is a zoonotic one that can affect humans. Apparently, it has now reached epidemic levels there. There is concern here of possible migration to our borders. The cause is a fungus called Sporothrix which causes skin lesions in both cats and humans through bites, scratches, direct contact, inhalation, or even by indirect contact with the spores of the fungus. Luckily, sporotrichosis is treatable with an anti-fungal called itraconazole. Keep your cats safe and Happy Easter.
Dr. John de Jong owns and operates the Boston Mobile Veterinary Clinic.He can be reached at 781-899-9994.
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