Hosta ... I like cats, have kept cats most of my life and members of my family belong to some much loved cats ... I remember what Monty said just as you do.
I think it's another case of 'damned if you do and damned if you don't' ... I'm sure that every time lilies are mentioned on GW they are deluged with letters, emails and phone calls demanding that everyone is warned that they're dangerous to cats ... so this time MD mentions it, but explains that he continues to grow them as his cats seem not to be harmed by them. What else is he to do? Allow people to think that he continues to grow lilies because he doesn't give a damn about his cats several of which die each year?
As I've said, English Ivy is poisonous to cats if they eat it ... are cat lovers going to go out and pull up every shred of ivy in the hedges, ditches and woodland in the UK,? I'm sure that if their cats have a penchant for eating random plants then they'll not grow plants which may be poisonous to them, but if their cats don't eat ivy they'll probably leave the ivy to grow. That's all Monty has done. He's alerted people who might be concerned to check it out for themselves. He's a gardener, not a vet.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Following all these posts with a somewhat detatched interest , can I now assume that plants of the Liliaceae group are harmful to cats ? My garden is quite often overrun with 'neighbours' feral cats , not out of choice ! Feeding birds is akin to recollecting a dream for us nowadays ! Although fairly knowledgeable on different plants etc. , can anyone advise on the best lilies to help get rid once and for all of the infernal things ???
RubyLeaf, read what I wrote. I said it is down to the pet owner to know the risks that are present and manage them. I know from personal experience the loosing of a much loved pet.
So to quote me in full like that and then throw the death angle is a bit much.
Apologies. I got blinded by emotion there.
On a side note, I do wish garden centers would post a warning on labels. I noticed in a local garden centre; lilly bulb packs have a warning on, but not ones in pots. I'm glad there's progress at least!
Rubyleaf I have a border collie that loves cardboard,paper, my last but one used to eat he kids wax crayons luckily none toxic we never saw her pinch them, but the ahem, after effects were very pretty. We have a toy who thinks he is a cat, gets out when you open the door, I think he has the power of invisibilioty because you never see him go! Hubby was putting up a fence the other day with my son, I locked dog flapkept them inside went out with drinks for the workers, never saw the dog nip out, next think Hubby finds him right up the road!
Rubyleaf I have a border collie that loves cardboard,paper, my last but one used to eat he kids wax crayons luckily none toxic we never saw her pinch them, but the ahem, after effects were very pretty. ...
On of our labradors used to eat those ... yes quite spectacular 'after effects'! He also ate Lego ....... we found that later in the garden too He also discovered where I used to leave the slabs of raw dog mince to defrost and swallowed them too, still partly frozen and wrapped in cling film .................... we found the cling film the next day ..... and one of the bullocks got into the garden and ate Wonky's swimsuit off the washing line ... we found that later too ............
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
That's all Monty has done. He's alerted people who might be concerned to check it out for themselves. He's a gardener, not a vet.
That's my point Dove - he mentioned that lilies may be harmful - fine - but then said "I've never had a problem" as if that is in any way indicative of whether someone else might - which it isn't. He's a gardener, not a vet. I would like to think that cat owners would take his comment as an indicator that they should find out for themselves, but I think the way he put it is more likely to make them dismiss it as a non issue and that could be wrong.
And for the record, I don't have a cat and never have. My dog once caught a squirrel (although it did fall out of the tree onto his head) so whilst I can't claim to be blameless in the 'wildlife destruction' stakes, I can honestly say that no songbird or hedgehog has ever been harmed by any animal for which I was in any sense responsible. And I don't see what that has to do with the price of carrots.
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
Posts
I think it's another case of 'damned if you do and damned if you don't' ... I'm sure that every time lilies are mentioned on GW they are deluged with letters, emails and phone calls demanding that everyone is warned that they're dangerous to cats ... so this time MD mentions it, but explains that he continues to grow them as his cats seem not to be harmed by them. What else is he to do? Allow people to think that he continues to grow lilies because he doesn't give a damn about his cats several of which die each year?
As I've said, English Ivy is poisonous to cats if they eat it ... are cat lovers going to go out and pull up every shred of ivy in the hedges, ditches and woodland in the UK,? I'm sure that if their cats have a penchant for eating random plants then they'll not grow plants which may be poisonous to them, but if their cats don't eat ivy they'll probably leave the ivy to grow. That's all Monty has done. He's alerted people who might be concerned to check it out for themselves. He's a gardener, not a vet.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
My garden is quite often overrun with 'neighbours' feral cats , not out of choice ! Feeding birds is akin to recollecting a dream for us nowadays !
Although fairly knowledgeable on different plants etc. , can anyone advise on the best lilies to help get rid once and for all of the infernal things ???
On a side note, I do wish garden centers would post a warning on labels. I noticed in a local garden centre; lilly bulb packs have a warning on, but not ones in pots. I'm glad there's progress at least!
and one of the bullocks got into the garden and ate Wonky's swimsuit off the washing line ... we found that later too ............
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I would like to think that cat owners would take his comment as an indicator that they should find out for themselves, but I think the way he put it is more likely to make them dismiss it as a non issue and that could be wrong.
And for the record, I don't have a cat and never have. My dog once caught a squirrel (although it did fall out of the tree onto his head) so whilst I can't claim to be blameless in the 'wildlife destruction' stakes, I can honestly say that no songbird or hedgehog has ever been harmed by any animal for which I was in any sense responsible. And I don't see what that has to do with the price of carrots.
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
RubyLeaf, thank you.