Bella, an 11-month-old cat, terrified her owner after collapsing at home. After being rushed to the vet she was treated for suspected lily poisoning.
She suffered a heart attack at the Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service in Solihull and vets performed CPR to get her heart working again.
It took 26 minutes for Bella’s heart to beat and then she was taken to intensive care, where she was monitored closely.
Vets had to teach Bella to walk and eat again over two weeks before she could return back home.
Her owner, Dee Flora, said: “We were absolutely mortified. We had just lost a parent and weren’t prepared to lose Bella, too. We were determined to try our best to get her better and home. She has beaten all the odds that were against her.”
Thankfully Dee says Bella is back to “running, jumping on top of doors, purring, playing and having a great time”.
She expressed her gratitude to the vets who saved her life and undertook physiotherapy to help her walk again.
Lilies are deadly to cats, with the entire plant proving poisonous if consumed. Vets caution even the smallest amount of exposure – like pollen on a whisker – can be enough to kill a cat.
Vet Fernanda Camacho said: “Surviving prolonged CPR and being discharged from hospital is very rare, as only about one in 20 cases enjoy this outcome.
“Pretty much like a person after such a severe event, Bella has also had to learn some of the basics from scratch, such as eating and walking. She is still recovering but she can currently run, jump and eat well.”
She added Bella’s recovery is down to physiotherapy and said her case “clearly highlights the dangers that lilies can pose to cats.”
She urged any cat owner who thinks their cat may have come into contact with lilies or are displaying the signs of lily contact to seek “urgent veterinary attention”.
Signs of lily toxicity in cats according to PetMD include:
Immediate:
- Drooling, foaming
- Vomiting
- Pawing at the face (mouth pain)
- Vocalising
First 12 hours:
- Diarrhea
- Not eating, decreased appetite
- Lethargy, decreased activity
- Fast heartbeat
- Low blood pressure
- Ulcers or sores on the gums
12-24 hours:
- Kidney damage starts to develop (daylilies and true lilies)
- Increased thirst
- Increased frequency of urination
- Dehydration
- Depression
- Tremors
24+ hours:
- Kidney damage can be fatal, and neurologic signs develop (daylilies and true lilies)
- Seizures
- Lack of urination
- Disorientation
- Inability to walk
- Coma
- Death
