I think it was a tongue in cheek comment.....he has cats and lillies and I'm sure other plants poisonous to cats. .....as I do. I have 3 cats and none have ever been poisoned.
I thought it was widely known throughout the cat/pet world but it's common sense really, the pollen stains when dropped.. and far more likely to happen with cut flowers. As far as outside goes, it's very unusual, just don't grow Nepeta next to lilies for example.
You're right that my silly cat did end up covered in lily pollen a few years ago - the day before he was due to go into the cattery for a week
But that was lilies in a vase rather than the garden.
It was someone else who was so concerned about your growing the callas. The point of my posting was to reassure you to say that lily pollen is not poisonous to most cats. For those that are affected, however, it can be serious and possibly cause organ failure and may prove fatal.
When Harry emerged from the sitting room covered in yellow pollen I immediately phoned the vets to find out what to do. She reassured me that most cats are not allergic to the pollen but advised me to wash off as much as I possibly could and then to get him to drink as much as possible to flush any potential toxins through his system. She said to keep him in and keep a careful eye on him and take him to the vets straight away if he seemed unwell.
Fortunately the cattery he was going to was run by a friend who was more than happy to take over those responsibilities for me.
Needless to say, after the slight panic, said cat was absolutely fine and dandy and went on to live for another 10 years..... And I knew I could safely grow lilies in the garden
Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
I've had dogs, cats, children and a variety of poisonous plants all sharing my garden at various times over the past 40 years and no one has come to any harm. Just need to keep things in perspective. They have also shared my house which also contains lots of poisonous materials you just have to be sensible. We all know accidents can happen but we can't get paranoid over all these things. Monty gave out a warning and his personal experience I think that's fair enough.
In my experience (having been a cat owner for 40 years and a gardener all of my life) unless you have a cat with a penchant for eating plants other than grass then the danger for poisoning (other than as I explained in my earlier post) is not extreme.
There are many plants which are poisonous to cats if they eat it ... for example, common English ivy ............ I don't hear of cats dying because they've been out eating ivy from hedgerows and woodlands ... most cats are far too sensible and have a well developed sense of self-preservation.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
The point is that we know not to over-react to this sort of incomplete info. Beginners, inexperienced gardeners and people with pets and children will naturally be concerned and may bin their investments in lilies because they take him at his word on everything.
I do think MD and the producers should realise this and make sure he gives complete info. He did it with feeding garden birds recently saying they should be fed during the nesting period whereas the advice for some years now has been to feed all year to keep the adult population healthy throughout the year and in fine breeding and rearing form for spring and summer.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
I found this on a USA sit but it doesn't say whether it means the tender tropical hibiscus or the hardier ones we can grow in our gardens:-
Although hibiscus blossoms are poisonous to cats, the effects are generally mild, according to Dr. Mark Edwards, a veterinarian. The most common side effects include vomiting, diarrhea and loss of appetite, typically resolving within 48 hours.
I've had no problems with either.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Posts
You're right that my silly cat did end up covered in lily pollen a few years ago - the day before he was due to go into the cattery for a week
But that was lilies in a vase rather than the garden.
It was someone else who was so concerned about your growing the callas. The point of my posting was to reassure you to say that lily pollen is not poisonous to most cats. For those that are affected, however, it can be serious and possibly cause organ failure and may prove fatal.
When Harry emerged from the sitting room covered in yellow pollen I immediately phoned the vets to find out what to do. She reassured me that most cats are not allergic to the pollen but advised me to wash off as much as I possibly could and then to get him to drink as much as possible to flush any potential toxins through his system. She said to keep him in and keep a careful eye on him and take him to the vets straight away if he seemed unwell.
Fortunately the cattery he was going to was run by a friend who was more than happy to take over those responsibilities for me.
Needless to say, after the slight panic, said cat was absolutely fine and dandy and went on to live for another 10 years..... And I knew I could safely grow lilies in the garden
There are many plants which are poisonous to cats if they eat it ... for example, common English ivy ............ I don't hear of cats dying because they've been out eating ivy from hedgerows and woodlands ... most cats are far too sensible and have a well developed sense of self-preservation.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I do think MD and the producers should realise this and make sure he gives complete info. He did it with feeding garden birds recently saying they should be fed during the nesting period whereas the advice for some years now has been to feed all year to keep the adult population healthy throughout the year and in fine breeding and rearing form for spring and summer.
Although hibiscus blossoms are poisonous to cats, the effects are generally mild, according to Dr. Mark Edwards, a veterinarian. The most common side effects include vomiting, diarrhea and loss of appetite, typically resolving within 48 hours.
I've had no problems with either.