"It took more than one man to change my name to Shanghai Lily," observed Marlene Dietrich in the movie Shanghai Express. Unfortunately for the proverbial curious cat every Lilium could be fatal.
Inside or out, lilies seem everywhere to the frustration of feline fanciers. Around Easter, pots of the Madonna Lily (
Lilium longiflorum) proliferate. Once their blooms fade, they can be planted out in the garden to flourish and flower through future seasons as a long-held belief of beauty, hope and life. That is, they might be by all except cats. Earlier, other lilies are offered by retailers both potted and as cut flowers. Like the Easter Lily, all parts are poisonous to #. Even the pollen is dangerous.
Then there are other plants toxic to cats, commonly called 'lilies,' but which, however, are botanically not of the
Lilium. These include
Amaryllis belladonna Jersey Lily,
Clivia spp. Kafir Lily,
Gloriosa superba Climbing or Glory Lily,
Hemerocallis spp. Daylily,
Hosta plataginea August Lily, and
Zantedeschia aethiopica Calla or Arum Lily.
Those owned by a cat--if you are one, you'll know what this means--should avoid any of the foregoing. And then when 4
th June rolls around you will, with your pet, be able to celebrate 'Hug Your Cat Day.'
