GREENSBORO, N.C. — Easter lilies: a pure symbol of new life and resurrection, hence why they're popular around the holiday. But, are these beautiful blooms toxic to cats?
VERIFY QUESTION
Good Morning Show viewer Richard Swift saw a disturbing Facebook post gaining traction and brought it to the attention of GMS anchor Meghann Mollerus, knowing she has a cat Milo.
The post is a picture of a cat wearing a contamination suit and holding caution tape that reads, "Easter lilies kill kitties!" The text claims eating less than one leaf or flower can cause kidney failure.
Is it true? If so, is the same true for dogs?
VERIFY SOURCE
Janine Oliver, DVM - Benessere Animal Hospital
VERIFY PROCESS
Oliver concluded the post is true. The whole lily species in general is toxic to cats.
"It's not considered toxic for dogs, although a lot of lily species will upset a dog's stomach, so if they eat it, they'll throw up," she explained.
Dogs won't have any lasting effects, she said. On the contrary, for cats, ingestion causes kidney failure.
"For some cats, it depends how much they ingest and how healthy they are to begin with. Since cats are a species very prone to kidney disease as they age, ingesting lilies can be very bad for them."
Cat parents, keep your felines away from these flowers. Oliver said cats don't know they are bad, and instinctively will try to eat them. Just a little bit can have devastating consequences.
Oliver recommends pet parents save the ASPCA Pet Poison Hotline number -- 888-426-4435.
VERIFY CONCLUSION
Yes, the claim is true -- Easter lilies are highly toxic to cats.
Do you have a VERIFY inquiry? Submit a selfie video of your question to Meghann Mollerus via:
Facebook: Meghann Mollerus News
Twitter: @MeghannMollerus
E-mail: Mmollerus@wfmy.com