Peace Lily Plants & Cats

Basics

• A peace lily is a plant that can start out small, but grow to very large sizes indoors. A peace lily can be 18 inches to 3 feet tall and 24 inches to 3 feet wide, depending on the pot size. The peace lily is a potted plant with dark green, shiny foliage that are long, slender leaves. The leaves are the main part of the plant and they have smooth edges. The typical leaf is very thin and 1 to 4 inches across.

  The peace lily produces white flowers that grow from a long stem that appear to open like a pod. Inside the white pod, or petals, is a stem of seeds. A potted peace lily can thrive anywhere in a house that receives bright, indirect sunlight. The plant only needs to be watered thoroughly when the dirt is dry to the touch. Once flowers have bloomed, they will remain open and white for several days to a couple of weeks. Once they begin to brown and curl up, they can be cut off and thrown away. If leaves begin to shrivel, yellow or turn brown, they can also be snipped off and discarded. When a plant becomes dense in the pot it can be re-potted in to another bigger pot. Peace lilies respond well to new pots and soil.

Cats and Plants

• Cats are interesting creatures when it comes to house plants. Most cats will eat or at least nibble on any type of live greenery that comes in to the house, including cut flowers, bouquets, house plants and potted plants. Some vets say this is a natural way that cats would ease digestion of hairballs, but others say cats just like to eat vegetation at times. The only problem with some house plants, including the peace lily, is that it is very toxic and often lethal to a cat who even has a small portion of the plant.

Complications with Peace Lilies and Cats

• The problem with a cat and a peace lily plant co-existing is that one is highly toxic to the other. Cats have a tendency to eat grass, plants, flowers and anything with greenery on it that comes their way. Unfortunately, if a peace lily gets in their area, it can cause them to die. Every part of a peace lily, from the stems to the flower to the seeds in the flowers, are considered very toxic to cats.

  Kittens are even more susceptible to the toxins in the peace lily because their bodies and systems are smaller than an adult cat and they cannot break down the toxin even a little bit. If a cat just chews on the greenery and doesn't eat it, that is considered ingestion and a vet should be consulted.

Symptoms

• A cat will start showing symptoms of poisoning from a peace lily within just a few hours after ingestion. The first symptoms may include vomiting, confusion and depression and those will worsen as time progresses. Within the first day to two days, kidney and liver failure may set in and the cat could die if it doesn't see a vet for immediate treatment. Since a lily is so toxic with cats, sometimes there isn't anything a vet can do to save a cat anyway, unfortunately. If you even suspect your cat has eaten some part of a peace lily, take them to the vet immediately.

Prevention

• The only way to keep a cat from being poisoned by a peace lily is to keep them out of your house. Even if you can find a high shelf or a platform where your cats can't jump on, a piece of the plant may fall to the ground. If it is on the ground, there is a high chance your cat will play with the piece, eat it and still become sick. Even dead flowers or browned leaves that fall are still toxic to cats.