Wild Forager
The Archive Site
Search
Join Our Group
Shop Our Store
Sponsored Links
Feline Easter Dangers
Dr. Michael J. Rumore, Lake Seminole Animal Hospital
Seminole, FL (Pinellas County)
Welcome again to "Ask the Vet." With Easter just around the corner, it seemed appropriate to warn pet owners about some of the dangers of the season. During this spring, cat owners need to be especially careful with Easter Lilly flowers. These beautiful flowers' leaves contain toxins that can cause severe kidney damage. As with many toxins, the signs of poisoning occur three to four days after the leaves are eaten. Unfortunately, the best time to treat this poisoning successfully is within forty-eight hours of ingestion. Many people wait too long, thinking that since their pet acts normal, that they have not been poisoned. The common television scenario, where a person falls over as the poisoned drink touches their lips, does not occur often in real life. Most toxins take several days, if not longer, before an effect is seen. Please keep your animals away from this plant. Is your cat or dog does eat Easter Lilly leaves, please do not wait until they become sick to bring them to your veterinarian; it may be too late. For a list of other poisonous plants, see our information section.at www.largovet.com.
A second big danger for cats comes in the form of plastic Easter grass. Many people line Easter baskets with this as decoration. Unfortunately, cats seem to have a fetish for string-like objects and will often play with and then eat this grass. The plastic in Easter grass is non-digestible, and can get caught in the intestines, leading to a blockage and possible perforation. I would highly recommend paper Easter grass, if you must use this decorative grass at all. Lastly, please consider carefully before acquiring a new Easter pet. While baby bunnies are cute, adult rabbits can live for seven years or longer. Realize that a pet is for life, not for a season.