Before you read on: if your cat may have chewed, licked or groomed pollen off a lily, call now. ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 or Pet Poison Helpline: (855) 764-7661. Both list 24/7 availability on their own pages (checked 29 September 2026), and a consultation fee may apply. Have the plant, the amount, the time and your cat's weight ready. Or go straight to your vet or an emergency clinic.
Health & Preventive Care
Cat Grass and Cat-Safe Plants: What Helps, What's Enrichment, What's an Emergency
Updated September 29, 2026
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By Morgan Reyes
My Cat Ate a Lily. Is It an Emergency?
Yes. Any plausible exposure to a true lily means call a vet or a poison line immediately, and do not wait for signs. Cats are the only species known to be affected, and ASPCA's plant pages for Easter, tiger and stargazer lilies list the clinical signs as vomiting, inappetence, lethargy and kidney failure, with death possible. The toxic principle is listed as unknown.
"Exposure" is wider than a chewed leaf. Pet Poison Helpline says the toxic amount includes any leaf, stem, flower, pollen, vase water or root. ASPCA adds that drinking the water a lily sits in, or grooming pollen off their fur, may cause problems. ASPCApro reports documented cases where pollen alone caused acute kidney injury. A cat that brushed past a bouquet and then washed itself counts.
This is the timeline that makes waiting dangerous:
| When | What happens | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Within about 2 hours | First signs: vomiting, depression, no appetite | Braddock et al. 2005 |
| Around 12 hours | Signs may subside, so the cat can look better | Braddock et al. 2005 |
| 24 to 72 hours | Acute kidney failure develops | Braddock et al. 2005 |
| 3 to 7 days | Untreated cats die | Braddock et al. 2005 |
| After 18 hours | If treatment starts this late, kidney damage might be irreversible | ASPCApro |
The trap is the 12-hour lull. An owner who sees a cat vomit once, then settle, can reasonably conclude the scare is over. The 2005 owner-information sheet says improvement can happen while the kidneys are still failing. Nobody can tell from the couch whether a cat that looks fine is one of the lucky ones.
What happens at the clinic is a vet's decision. ASPCApro's clinical guidance is that a cat with exposure to any part of a true lily should be on IV fluids for 48 hours, and its 18-hour window is why speed matters more than certainty. Don't try to treat this at home. Call, then go.
Call with: the plant (a photo helps), which part, roughly how much, when, and your cat's weight. If you can't identify the plant, take a leaf and a photo with you. A consultation fee may apply (Pet Poison Helpline lists its amount on its own page, so check it there), and ASPCA says its one-time fee can help you avoid thousands in emergency vet costs. Getting a stressed cat into a carrier quickly is its own skill, covered in getting a cat to the vet.
Which Lilies Are Kidney Poisons?
Only two groups: true lilies (genus Lilium) and daylilies (genus Hemerocallis). ASPCApro says both can produce severe toxicosis and acute kidney injury, and ASPCA says of daylilies that, like Lilium, they can cause severe kidney injury. Plenty of other plants carry "lily" in the name without being either.
| Plant | What ASPCA says | Treat as |
|---|---|---|
| True lilies: Easter, tiger, stargazer, and Asiatic and Oriental hybrids | Toxic to cats; kidney failure, death possible | Emergency |
| Daylily (Hemerocallis) | Toxic to cats; severe kidney injury possible | Emergency |
| Lily of the valley | Cardiac glycosides; irregular heartbeat; "can cause serious poisonings" | Emergency (different organ) |
| Peace lily, calla lily | Calcium oxalate crystals; mouth pain, drooling, vomiting, diarrhea; serious problems very rare (peace lily) | Irritant: call if signs |
| Peruvian lily (Alstroemeria) | Some stomach upset; not expected to cause life-threatening organ injury | Mild, keep away |
Two identification tips, both from ASPCApro. Daylily foliage looks almost grassy, and its flowers resemble Asiatic lilies, so a daylily in a garden bed is easy to mistake for something harmless. If you can't tell what kind of lily is in the bouquet, the safe rule is the emergency rule.
Florists' mixed bouquets often hide a lily among other flowers. If a bouquet arrives, check it for lilies before it goes on a table your cat can reach, or ask whoever sent it. The other poisons vets see far more often are ranked in toxic foods and household hazards, where plants and fungi sit sixth in ASPCA's 2025 data.
Does Cat Grass Do Anything?
No study has shown that cat grass prevents or treats hairballs. A hairball here means a mass of swallowed hair that a cat coughs up. The story that grass helps is everywhere, and it's built on one real finding, a mechanism, that has been stretched into an outcome.
| Claim | What the evidence shows | How strong |
|---|---|---|
| Plant leaves can snag hair | Bensel et al. 2025 looked at six regurgitated plant masses from two cats under a microscope and saw plant serrations or hairs tangled with cat hair in every sample | A mechanism only. Two cats, no comparison group, no outcome measured |
| Grass prevents or treats hairballs | Not tested. That study did not test cat grass; the plants included grasses and several other species | Not shown |
| Cats eat plants to clear hair | Hart et al. 2021 found short-haired cats ate plants as often as long-haired cats, which argues against it | Owner surveys, self-selected |
| Plant intake clears hair from the gut | A 2020 study of 11 captive snow leopards found no significant relationship between plant and hair in scat: "plant intake has little effect on hair evacuation" | Different species, small |
The 2025 study, in detail. Bensel, Rudock Bowman and Hughes (Journal of Veterinary Behavior) used scanning electron microscopy and DNA barcoding on six regurgitated plant masses from two indoor/outdoor cats, both owned by one of the authors. Their own conclusion is that the findings are "consistent with" the idea that eating textured leaves could help cats avoid hair blockages. That's a hypothesis-shaped sentence: a fair reason for more research, not a reason to promise a cat owner anything. We read the abstract through a Europe PMC record because the publisher's page was blocked to us.
The survey evidence points the other way. Hart and colleagues (2021) ran two web-based owner surveys and wrote that short-haired cats ate plants as frequently as long-haired cats, "suggesting that plant eating is not for expelling hairballs." The snow leopard study points the same way. The surveys were self-selected, and they only counted cats whose owners could watch them three or more hours a day.
Frequent vomiting, unproductive retching, blood, or a cat that seems dull are vet problems whatever the cause, and grass is not a fix for them.
Why Is My Cat Eating Plants at All?
Because plenty of cats do, and the research can't tell us why. In Hart's first survey, 65% of cats ate plants weekly and only 6% appeared ill beforehand. Among the plant-eaters, 37% frequently vomited afterwards. In the second survey (2016, 1,021 usable returns), 71% had been seen eating plants at least six times, 9% frequently appeared ill first and 27% frequently vomited after.
These are owner-reported numbers from self-selected respondents, so read them as "common", not as a prevalence you can apply to your cat. The takeaway is modest and useful: a cat nibbling a plant is ordinary cat behaviour, and it doesn't need explaining away. For more on what's normal, see cat behaviour isn't dog behaviour.
Kittens are the ones to plant-proof for. Cats under one year ate non-grass plants more often than older cats in Hart's data, and grass only about 39% of the time. A kitten in the house is more likely to be chewing your pothos than a pot of grass.
Cat Grass: If You Want It, and What to Skip
Treat it as optional enrichment, nothing more. "Cat grass" is a loose name for seedlings of grain grasses such as wheat, oat or barley, not a single species. ASPCA's plant database has no entry for wheat, oat, barley or cat grass, so we can't point you to a primary source saying it is safe, and we won't call it "generally safe" on our own authority.
If you try it:
- Use a pot that is only for cat grass. Don't pull grass from a lawn or garden, because you don't know what's been sprayed on it.
- Put the cat grass where the cat gets it, not the houseplants. We found no study showing that grass draws a cat away from other plants, so it's a hope, not a strategy. Plant-proof the rest of the house separately.
- Stop if your cat vomits repeatedly after eating it. Ask your vet.
- Don't expect a health effect. Nothing we found supports vitamin, digestion, dental or hairball claims for cat grass, and we're leaving those claims out.
If you'd like more ways to keep an indoor cat busy, enrichment and puzzle feeders covers what has evidence behind it, including where the evidence for cats is thin.
Houseplants: Keep, Move, Remove
Sort by what the plant does, not by whether it's "toxic". ASPCA's plant pages use one label for a plant that causes kidney failure and for one that causes a sore mouth. The clinical signs are what matter. The classifications below are from ASPCA's individual plant pages, checked 29 September 2026.
| Tier | Plants | ASPCA's listed signs | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Remove | True lilies, daylily | Kidney failure, death possible | Keep out of the house |
| Remove | Sago palm | Vomiting, black stool, liver damage, liver failure, death | Keep out of the house |
| Remove | Lily of the valley | Irregular heartbeat, low blood pressure, seizures, coma | Keep out of the house |
| Move or remove | Kaffir lily (Clivia) | Vomiting, drooling; large ingestions: convulsions, arrhythmia; bulbs worst | Out of reach or gone |
| Move | Pothos, philodendron, monstera, peace lily, calla lily | Calcium oxalate: mouth pain, drooling, vomiting, difficulty swallowing | Out of reach; call if signs |
| Move | Aloe, snake plant, jade plant, dracaena, English ivy, weeping fig, catnip | Vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy; jade: incoordination (mild to moderate) | Out of reach if your cat chews |
| Keep | Spider plant, Boston fern, cast-iron plant, African violet, calathea, prayer plant, areca and parlor palm, phalaenopsis orchid, rosemary, basil, bamboo, pampas grass | None expected | Fine |
Two surprises on that list. Catnip is classed by ASPCA as toxic to cats (vomiting or diarrhea, and the cat may be sedated or stimulated), yet most owners hand it over on purpose. And aloe, a common "healthy" houseplant, is on the toxic list too.
For any plant not on this page, search ASPCA's toxic and non-toxic plant database before it comes home, and if the plant isn't listed, treat that as "unknown", not "safe".
Most of the houseplant list is a nuisance and the lily line is not. A cat that chews a pothos gets a sore mouth. A cat that licks lily pollen off its fur can be in kidney failure three days later while looking fine at hour twelve. Keep true lilies and daylilies out of the house, and if one gets in, call a vet or poison line before you see a single sign.
Bottom line
Bottom line: cat grass is optional enrichment with no proven health benefit, and true lilies and daylilies are a call-now emergency. No study shows cat grass prevents or treats hairballs; the 2025 study people cite tested two cats, six samples and no grass. For any plausible lily exposure (leaf, pollen, vase water, pollen groomed off fur), call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 or Pet Poison Helpline at (855) 764-7661, or go straight to a vet, and do not wait for signs. Numbers checked 29 September 2026; a consultation fee may apply.
FAQ
My cat ate a little lily pollen or a petal. Do I need to call?
Yes, and right away. Pet Poison Helpline says any amount of leaf, stem, flower, pollen or vase water from a Lilium lily is toxic to cats, and ASPCApro reports cases where pollen alone caused kidney injury. Do not wait for signs. Call a vet or a poison line immediately.
Are peace lilies as dangerous as other lilies?
No. ASPCA says peace lilies contain calcium oxalate crystals that can cause mouth pain, drooling, vomiting or diarrhea, and that serious problems are very rare. They are not the kidney-failure plants. Still keep them out of reach, and call if your cat chewed one and is drooling or vomiting.
Does cat grass prevent hairballs?
No study has shown that it does. A 2025 study of two cats showed plant serrations snag hair, which is a mechanism, but it had no comparison group and did not test cat grass. Owner surveys found short-haired cats eat plants as often as long-haired cats. See the evidence table above.
Is cat grass safe for cats?
We could not confirm it from a primary source. ASPCA's plant database has no entry for wheat, oat, barley or cat grass, so it can't be called listed as safe. If your cat vomits repeatedly after eating it, stop offering it and ask your vet.
Why does my cat eat plants and then vomit?
It is common. In Hart and colleagues' 2021 owner surveys, 65% of cats ate plants weekly and 37% of the plant-eaters frequently vomited afterwards. Surveys can't say why. Occasional vomiting after grass is common in those reports, but frequent vomiting, blood, or lethargy needs a vet visit.
Which common houseplants are safe for cats?
ASPCA lists spider plant, Boston fern, cast-iron plant, African violet, calathea, areca and parlor palm, phalaenopsis orchid, rosemary and basil as non-toxic to cats. Pothos, philodendron and monstera are irritants, and sago palm, lily of the valley and true lilies are serious. See the full table.
Keep reading
- Toxic Foods and Household Hazards: The Watch-vs-Emergency Line. The ranked list of what poisons pets most often, and the general call-first rule.
- Enrichment and Puzzle Feeders: What Reduces Problem Behaviour. What has evidence for keeping an indoor pet occupied, and where cat evidence is thin.
- Cat Behaviour Isn't Dog Behaviour. What's normal for a cat, and what needs a vet within hours.
- The Feline Care Gap: Why Cats Get a Fraction of the Care Dogs Do. Why cats reach the vet later, and why that matters when the clock is running.
- Getting a Cat to the Vet: What Carrier Stress Costs, and What Reduces It. For the moment you have to move a stressed cat fast.
A Note on Scope
This article is for information only and isn't a substitute for advice from a veterinarian or a poison-control service about an individual animal. If your cat may have been exposed to a lily or any other plant you are worried about, call a vet, ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 or Pet Poison Helpline at (855) 764-7661 right away; a consultation fee may apply. We don't give treatment or dosing advice.
Sources
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control. Fetched 29 September 2026; the page shows no update date. Source for (888) 426-4435, availability "24/7, 365 days a year", and "a consultation fee may apply".
- Pet Poison Helpline. Fetched 29 September 2026; no update date on the page. Source for (855) 764-7661, 24/7 availability and the incident fee (its amount is on the page and can change).
- Pet Poison Helpline, "Lilies". Fetched 29 September 2026. Source for the leaf, stem, flower, pollen, vase water and root wording, and the signs.
- ASPCA, "Which Lilies Are Toxic to Pets?". Published 6 April 2022; fetched 29 September 2026. Source for daylily, peace lily, Peruvian lily and lily of the valley wording, and water and grooming exposure.
- ASPCApro, "How to Spot Which Lilies Are Dangerous to Cats & Plan Treatment". Fetched 29 September 2026; no publication date shown. Source for Lilium and Hemerocallis, pollen-only cases, the 18-hour figure and the 48-hour IV fluids guidance.
- Braddock J, White J, Malik R, "Lily Intoxication in Cats: Information for Cat Owners," Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 2005. Source for the 2-hour, 12-hour, 24-to-72-hour and 3-to-7-day timeline. Its older "Liliaceae" wording is replaced here by current ASPCA naming.
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plants database. Individual plant pages fetched 29 September 2026. Source for the houseplant classifications and the absence of any wheat, oat, barley or cat grass entry.
- ASPCA, "Top 10 Pet Toxins of 2025". Source for plants and fungi ranking sixth in 2025 exposure data.
- Bensel KN, Rudock Bowman ME, Hughes NM, "Plant eating behavior in domestic cats: Support for the hair evacuation hypothesis," Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 2025. Abstract read via Europe PMC on 29 September 2026 (the publisher page was blocked). Source for two cats, six samples, the microscope findings and the authors' hedged conclusion.
- Hart BL et al., "Characteristics of Plant Eating in Domestic Cats," Animals 2021;11(7):1853. Fetched 29 September 2026. Source for the survey percentages, the short- versus long-haired finding, the kitten figures and the survey limits.
- "The relationship between plant-eating and hair evacuation in snow leopards (Panthera uncia)," PLoS ONE 2020. Abstract read via Europe PMC. Source for the 11 captive animals and the "little effect on hair evacuation" finding.