All,
Hopefully the majority of you have familiarized yourself with this absolutely critical list: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/174854/101-things-that-can-harm-your-cat (If you haven't please do so immediately). I know I have read it over and over again and keep all these things away from my cats/out of my house. But, for whatever reason I had never really thought to apply it to the flowers/plants that outsiders may send.
After my Mom died a few weeks ago the inside of the house turned into the freaking botanical gardens. And, it was a heyday for the cat, Livvy, who weaved in and out of arrangements and stalked feet like she was back in the jungle. It was a couple of days before it hit me: almost every arrangement was full of Lillies, which are persona non grata in a house ruled by a feline. I spent the next few hours going through and either picking them out or throwing whole arrangements away. In the midst of all our grief we are incredibly lucky that we weren't stuck with a 3AM ER vet visit or worse, having to grieve the loss of yet another family member- especially to something so preventable.
So, this is a reminder to not only double check any flowers or plants that may be sent to you, but to think twice about what you are sending to others if they have pets. Please, save them the hassle of having to sort through what can/cannot be in the house and ensure the arrangement that you paid so much for has a good long life on the counter and not in the trash!
Hopefully the majority of you have familiarized yourself with this absolutely critical list: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/174854/101-things-that-can-harm-your-cat (If you haven't please do so immediately). I know I have read it over and over again and keep all these things away from my cats/out of my house. But, for whatever reason I had never really thought to apply it to the flowers/plants that outsiders may send.
After my Mom died a few weeks ago the inside of the house turned into the freaking botanical gardens. And, it was a heyday for the cat, Livvy, who weaved in and out of arrangements and stalked feet like she was back in the jungle. It was a couple of days before it hit me: almost every arrangement was full of Lillies, which are persona non grata in a house ruled by a feline. I spent the next few hours going through and either picking them out or throwing whole arrangements away. In the midst of all our grief we are incredibly lucky that we weren't stuck with a 3AM ER vet visit or worse, having to grieve the loss of yet another family member- especially to something so preventable.
So, this is a reminder to not only double check any flowers or plants that may be sent to you, but to think twice about what you are sending to others if they have pets. Please, save them the hassle of having to sort through what can/cannot be in the house and ensure the arrangement that you paid so much for has a good long life on the counter and not in the trash!
