Most pet owners are aware that some plants are toxic to their furry friends.

But it’s easy to assume that as long as flowers and greenery are out of reach, your cats and dogs are safe.

One woman has warned that just keeping toxic plants away from your pets isn’t enough, after her cat died without having directly touched the lilies in her home.

Brittany Lynne Schurz, 28, from Houston, Texas, shared an important post on Facebook urging cat owners to ensure lilies never come into their homes.

When Brittany’s husband Jamie got her a bouquet of lilies for Valentine’s Day, she thought her cat, Liffey, would be safe as long as she put the flowers out of reach.

That mistake cost six-month-old kitten Liffey her life.

‘We watched them bloom and enjoyed the way the entire room would fill with their aroma,’ Brittany wrote. ‘They killed our kitten, Liffey.

‘Unlike sago palms, oleanders, and other common, yet extremely toxic plants, a cat doesn’t need to eat or chew a lily for them to get sick.

‘Keeping them away from her did nothing.’

While Liffey never directly touched the lilies, a tiny amount of pollen made its way to the floor of the home, which Liffey got on her paw and licked off.

She showed no symptoms until 12 hours before her death and by then it was too late.

Liffey suffered complete renal failure and ulcers in her digestive tract. She began twitching and was rushed to the vets, where experts said that even if they gave her treatment with IVs and medication, there was no guarantee that the cat would recover.

Liffey was then put to sleep.

Brittany is sharing her story in the hopes that she’ll save another cat’s life.

She wrote: ‘My poor, beloved girl was killed by a beautiful flower without her ever having to touch it.

‘Do not put lilies in your home if you have a cat – even up high in a place the cat cannot reach.

‘We learned this the hardest way possible and had to put down our six-month-old angel before she went into the final stages of suffering, at 5:30 AM Saturday morning.

‘I don’t want your prayers, I want you to SHARE THIS POST, and hopefully save another kitty or two from an untimely, painful death.

‘We loved her with our whole hearts and only time will help heal the hole this has ripped into us. She’s irreplaceable.’

There are many different poisons, and many different reactions to poisoning. Signs that might show that your cat has been poisoned include:

Signs of poisoning in cats:

• Salivation
• Vomiting
• Diarrhoea
• twitching and fitting
• breathing difficulties
• shock or collapse
• inflammation or swelling of the skin
• depression or coma
• changes in drinking, urinating and appetite

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