Hello everyone! I'm hoping that someone here knows for sure if daylilies are truly poisonous to cats. Any input would be most appreciated!

I plan on naming a seedling of mine in memory of my mom, and I asked my sister if she would like to grow some. She said she'd love to. She then messaged me back, saying she couldn't, because they were deadly to cats. I told her that I hadn't heard that before, and she said she had no idea, but where she checked, it said all lilies were deadly to cats.

I explained to her that daylilies aren't related to lilies, but I told her I'd check, just to make sure. Her cats are mostly indoor cats, but they are outside occasionally, and they like to taste the plants in the yard, so no way would either of us want to risk it.

I was rather frustrated when I started looking online. Pretty much every web site that contains information on plants that are poisonous to cats, lumps daylilies and lilies together, as if they're the same plant. We know that they aren't in the same family, so the information is completely wrong there. But, that doesn't answer the question about daylilies being poisonous to cats.

Below are some of the sites I visited and a small portion of what they had to say, so that you can see where my frustration comes from. If anyone has personal experience of their cat(s) chewing on daylilies with any side effects, or no side effects, or can point me to a trusted source on this, I'd be forever thankful! I just can't trust the information that I found.

From the FDA web site:
Lilies are extremely popular around the world and are commonly seen in garden beds and borders and in bouquets. While their flowers are lovely to see and smell, lilies pose a significant safety threat for your cat.

Lilies in the "true lily" and "daylily" families are very dangerous for cats. The entire lily plant is toxic: the stem, leaves, flowers, pollen, and even the water in a vase.

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Pet Poison Helpline:
The following are some examples of lilies considered dangerous around cats:
" Asiatic lily - including hybrids (Lilium asiatica)
" Day lily (Hemerocallis species)
" Easter lily (Lilium longiflorum)
" Japanese Show lily (Lilium speciosum)
" Rubrum lily (Lilium speciosum var. rubrum)
" Stargazer lily (Lilium 'Stargazer'- a hybrid)
" Tiger lily (Lilium tigrinum or lancifolium)
" Wood lily (Lilium philadelphicum or umbellatum)

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Wag, which has a picture of what I believe is an Easter lily at the top of the page, so nothing after that is trustworthy to me:

Daylily poisoning in cats is noted through its clinical signs that usually begin 6-12 hours after exposure. Early symptoms a cat may display include dehydration, lethargy, loss of appetite, and vomiting. In a few short hours, the cat's clinical signs soon progress to kidney failure, disorientation, seizures, and death. Immediate veterinary care is the only way a feline can survive a daylily poisoning, which makes veterinary treatment a necessity.

Daylilies belong to the Liliaceae family and are given the scientific name, Hemerocallis spp. Daylilies in this family include the Asiatic lily, the tiger lily, and the Easter lily, but many other varieties are also found in this plant classification. Daylilies are not toxic to canines but are highly toxic to felines.

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Science Direct:
This site referenced a book or magazine article by Tina Wismer, in August's Consultations in Feline Internal Medicine, Volume 7, 2016.

Feline Toxins

Lilies
Members of the true lily family (Lilium and Hemerocallis) have been shown to cause acute kidney injury in the cat. Easter lilies (Lilium longiflorum), tiger lilies (Lilium tigrinum), rubrum or Japanese showy lilies (Lilium speciosum), and orange daylilies (Hemerocallis fulva) are all examples of true lilies. All parts of the plant, including the pollen, can cause acute kidney injury if ingested. Even minor exposures may result in life-threatening toxicosis. The toxic principle is unknown, but is known to be water soluble.

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ASPCA:

Lilies, including Asiatic lilies and daylilies, can be toxic to both dogs and cats, however the effects are much more severe in cats. Signs and symptoms in dogs tend to be limited to stomach upset, though any eaten bulbs could potentially cause a stomach or intestinal blockage. However, any exposure in cats, including leaves, bulbs, flowers, pollen or water that the flowers have been sitting in, can cause acute kidney injury and even death.

This has been covered many times here so looking at past treads on the subject will tell you that some people report problems with cats and daylilies, others have had both for years with no problems. I think it is like medications for people, it just has different effects on different people or cats in this case. I don't own a cat, but my neighbor does and he spends about as much time in my yard as hers. So all I can report is that daylilies in no way affect him.

I had heard that about lilies but not daylilies. I hope that is not true because I have outdoor cats. I must say my cats hang around in the gardens all the time and have suffered no ill effects.

" I'm hoping that someone here knows for sure if daylilies are truly poisonous to cats."

Nobody knows for sure, there have never been any actual tests. While there are certainly some botanically ignorant statements floating around in veterinary circles (even pictures in technical articles that show lilies labeled daylily) and many people think it is a case of misidentification (just look at any daylily forum on Facebook and see how many pictures of Lilium are posted!) there's no way to be certain that no cat would ever be affected by eating a daylily. Many people say their cats have eaten daylily flowers, seedling leaves etc. for years without any problem but whether there any exceptions to this, we just don't know.

Seedfork said: This has been covered many times here so looking at past treads on the subject will tell you that some people report problems with cats and daylilies, others have had both for years with no problems. I think it is like medications for people, it just has different effects on different people or cats in this case. I don't own a cat, but my neighbor does and he spends about as much time in my yard as hers. So all I can report is that daylilies in no way affect him.

Thanks so much, Larry. I searched, but couldn't find a thread on the topic, even though I was sure it must have been discussed many times before.

What you said is exactly what I was thinking, in that it may bother some cats, but not others. That doesn't necessarily make it safe for my sister's cats, but it doesn't necessarily make it lethal, either. I've never had a cat before, so I needed to ask! I appreciate your information!

DeweyRooter said: I had heard that about lilies but not daylilies. I hope that is not true because I have outdoor cats. I must say my cats hang around in the gardens all the time and have suffered no ill effects.

Thanks, Nan! That gives me a lot more confidence!

sooby said: " I'm hoping that someone here knows for sure if daylilies are truly poisonous to cats."

Nobody knows for sure, there have never been any actual tests. While there are certainly some botanically ignorant statements floating around in veterinary circles (even pictures in technical articles that show lilies labeled daylily) and many people think it is a case of misidentification (just look at any daylily forum on Facebook and see how many pictures of Lilium are posted!) there's no way to be certain that no cat would ever be affected by eating a daylily. Many people say their cats have eaten daylily flowers, seedling leaves etc. for years without any problem but whether there any exceptions to this, we just don't know.

Thank you, Sue! I could have sworn that I had heard the same thing, about cats eating daylilies, but couldn't remember where I heard it. There can always be exceptions, but I'm thinking it's pretty safe that there won't be any issues. Now if I can get over my frustration with all of these sites, especially the ASPCA and FDA, lumping daylilies and lilies together, I'll be happier!

Natalie said: Thanks, Nan! That gives me a lot more confidence!

These pictures don't prove anything one way or the other since I don't know if my cats ever ingested any of the daylilies. But they frequently hang out among them. Newton (the gray and white tabby) naps in one of my daylily beds every day.

Nan, they sure look healthy! If I listen to the warnings, neither cat should be doing good, since just the pollen alone will get them. I think your pictures are proof that they can be safe for cats!

My cat is fine with daylilies, but can't hybridize a lick. Keeps batting the wires around on the kitchen floor until they get stuck under the refrigerator, so you never know the pollen parent.

I have 3 cats and they are always in my daylily beds with no ill effects to THEM....but they do plow through and break scapes or knock off pods now and then so my daylilies should be wary of the cats!🐱 They lay underneath daylily plants, nibble on daylily leaves, rub against them, sniff the pollen... you name it...they do it. My cats are now 'seniors' so all the years of nibbling and hanging out in my daylily beds hasn't harmed them, obviously. I've had other cats through the years who also ventured into the garden and none ever got sick. I know that a lot of daylily people are owned by cats so I can't imagine they'd let their cats in the garden if they were getting sick. I do also grow the true lilies (asiatics and orientals) that are the real culprits and are toxic but my cats seem to know not to mess with them. I can't say that there are no cats (or people) that wouldn't get sick from eating daylilies but I do know that in some cultures, daylilies are a food source, even considered a delicacy. When someone once questioned why I let my cats eat 'toxic' lilies I promptly ate a daylily bloom myself just to be sure it wasn't toxic. I'm still here and it wasn't bad.

@Lyshack Tim, sorry that made me laugh! I sure would love it if my dogs could hybridize! They're only interested in trying to find the bunny that's hiding in the garden, so I can't let them in or they would have my planted shredded in a few minutes! I'd sure love to get that bunny out of there though. I've had to fence off my veggies, inside my fenced garden, because it's determined to kill or eat everything.

@celestialrose Celeste, That was so funny! I told my sister what all you said, and I'm sure she will be convinced now. I know I am. I still haven't gotten up the nerve to eat a daylily, but it's probably because I find too many bugs sitting on them!

I agree with Celeste. Never have my cats had an issue nor have any of my friends' cats either. Happily my cats leave mine alone; they just sleep under them.

DeweyRooter said:


These pictures don't prove anything one way or the other since I don't know if my cats ever ingested any of the daylilies. But they frequently hang out among them. Newton (the gray and white tabby) naps in one of my daylily beds every day.

Same here, my cat Cinder practically lives among my daylillies.

In view of the fact that cats are smarter than people (they sit by and watch us clean their litter boxes, with little smirks on their faces), they most likely have no problem in the garden. With all the outdoor cats we've had in our garden through the years, never an issue. I guess sick cats might be a different story.