Holiday warning: Easter lilies can kill your cat

As people decorate homes for the Easter holiday, there’s a fresh warning about a certain flower. Easter lilies — those lanky, white beauties of spring — are extremely toxic to cats.

According to U.S. Food and Drug Administration, any plant in the lily family, including daylilies, is deadly for cats.

“The entire lily plant is toxic: the stem, leaves, flowers, pollen, and even the water in a vase,” according to the agency.

Betsy Kennon, a retired veterinarian who volunteers at Animal Protectors of the Allegheny Valley in New Kensington, puts it bluntly: “All a cat has to do is sniff one, get a little pollen on their nose, lick it off, and bingo — renal failure, dead cat.”

If a cat eats a small amount of the lily or ingests only a few pollen grains, that’s enough to develop fatal kidney failure in less than three days, according to the FDA.

If ingested, cats will have symptoms including vomiting, loss of appetite and depression. Signs of kidney damage begin 12 to 24 hours after ingestion and include increased urination and dehydration.

“I tell people, ‘if you have a cat, do not let any lilies in your house,’ ” Kennon said.

Dogs can eat Easter lilies but may have a minor upset stomach, according to the federal agency.

If you believe that your animal is ill or may have ingested a poisonous substance, contact either a veterinarian or the Animal Poison Control Center’s 24-hour emergency poison hotline at 1-888-426-4435.