A cat covered in lily pollen has sparked horror online after vets reminded people the substance can be potentially fatal for felines.
In a viral TikTok video shared by Dr. Michele Forbes, a cat could be seen being taken care of by vets at the Compassionate Care Animal Hospital in Ann Arbor, west of Detroit, Michigan.
Vets in the video were also seen wearing PPE in order to avoid exposing other cats at the office to the pollen.
The text accompanying the video said: “This is our team preparing for a wellness exam but this is not just any wellness exam. During the intake, we discovered that our patient, a cat, was covered in Easter Lily pollen.
“Lillies from the Lillium genus are toxic to cats and cause fatal kidney failure, a single bite into a leaf, a petal, drinking vase water, or just brushing up against pollen and then grooming is considered exposure.
“As you can see our patient presented covered in a dangerous amount of pollen our first task was to decontaminate.”
The team could then be seen bathing the cat with Dawn soap while it was sat in a large plastic container.
Fortunately, following treatment, the cat made a full recovery and the vet again recommended people not to have lilies in the same home as a cat.
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According to the Veterinary Specialists of the Rockies, there are several common signs your cat might have eaten an Easter lily that people should look out for, including:
- Inappetence or anorexia (your cat can’t or won’t eat)
- Lethargy or depression
- Hiding
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Dehydration
- Increased or decreased urination.
Since the post was shared on April 6, it has been viewed more than 1.5 million times and has received an estimated 257,200 likes. The overwhelming number of people who commented on the post shared what they would do in a situation in which they are around lilies.
TikTok user MiniqiB said: “As a flori[s]t no lilies every left our shop w/ stamens. And care tags telling people to rmv [remove] them when buds opened.”
Stephanie added: “Lillies are my favorite flowers but everyone knows not to give me them because I love my kitties more.”
While Bernouli commented: “I’m the floral manager at work and I put out a warning sign next to the Easter Lillie’s to so someone doesn’t lose their sweet kitty.”
Newsweek has reached out to Forbes via her Instagram account for comment.
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