CAT OWNERS are being warned of the dangers of lilies after a Solihull kitten used up one of its nine lives after coming into contact with the flowers.
Bella was rushed to Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service by her owner, Dee Flora, following the funeral of a close family member of one of her owners.
At first, it was thought she might have escaped the worst but she subsequently suffered a heart attack.
The 11-month-old kitten suffered a heart attack which required almost 30 minutes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to revive her.
She was effectively dead for all that time and has since had to learn to walk and eat again, with the severity of the medical emergency having a profound impact on Bella’s health.
Not only did she experience seizures due to the prolonged CPR but the incident also resulted in blindness.
Lilies are extremely poisonous to cats, including the water they sit in, with lily toxicity causing acute kidney injury.
However, her grateful owner has praised the skills of the clinicians at Willows who managed to save Bella and give her a second chance at life.
Dee 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. Bella is running, jumping on tops of doors, purring, playing and having a great time. We are so grateful to the team at Willows for saving her life.”
Bella was hospitalised for more than two weeks as she made her extraordinary recovery.
Fernanda Camacho, American Specialist in Emergency and Critical Care at Willows, 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.
“Bella’s case clearly highlights the dangers that lilies can pose to cats. We would urge any cat owners who think their pet is displaying signs of contact with lilies to seek urgent veterinary attention.”
