My flowers killed my neighbors cat

[Anonymous 1]

My neighbor moved in sometime in the last 6 months. She seems like a nice person although we have not interacted much. She always lets her cat outside which is illegal where I live due to leash laws. I did mention this to her and I know her cat got picked up by animal control at least once since she has lived here.

Yesterday night my neighbor came to me saying that my plants had killed her cat. I have a bunch of Lilly plants that are toxic to cats. She said the cat was found covered in the pollen of the plant and died later at the vet. I had no idea they were toxic. They have been in my garden for over 15 years. She asked if I would consider removing them so that if she gets a cat in the future it won't be an issue.

I feel so terribly bad that the cat died. It isn't fair to the cat that they have such an irresponsible owner. It isn't my responsibility to make sure another person's cat is safe. I'm not going to remove the flowers. A quick Google search shows that most of the flowers I have are at least somewhat toxic to cats. It isn't like it is just one flower that is the issue. It's most of my garden front and back. Am I an awful person because I am not going to rip up my garden? I feel terrible for the cat but at the same time it should have been kept inside.

[Anonymous 2]

Nope her cat her responsibility

[sarah824]

This is one of many issues I have with people who let there cats roam free... Why should I have to watch what I plant in my yard because you can't keep you cat inside? Keep your cat out of my yard.

[Deleted User 1977]

Lilies are gorgeous though extremely toxic, even fatal, to dogs and cats, with cats being incredibly enticed by them.

It's very sad her cat died but being that the poor thing was allowed outside, your neighbor took all kinds of chances with the well-being of the animal.

This isn't your fault.

[Gorilla_Mama]

Not your problem. People need to keep their cats inside.

[Traci_Momof2]

People who let their cats roam free outside are taking huge risks with the lives of their cats. It's not just plants but also cars and wild animals. If they don't want something bad happening they can keep their cats indoors.

There was actually an interesting discussion recently on a local FB page. Someone posted a pic of a coyote carrying away a cat (which could have been feral, we have a lot of them, but also could've been a pet). The person posted as a warning to keep your pets safe. Most people agreed that cats belong indoors where they are safe, but some tried to argue that cats are hunters and should be allowed to roam free. One person even said it's animal abuse to keep a cat indoors. Another person suggested the City should really do something about the coyotes roaming around but I don't know what they expect a city to do about wild coyotes that live in the open desert.

My thought is, if you (general)choose to let your cats roam free, you are accepting the risk of something bad happening to them. Your choice, your consequences.

[Inmybizz]

Too bad for her.. I wouldn’t worry about it.

[LuckyEightWow]

Yesterday night? You mean last night?

I have Lillie’s and a colony of cats…never an issue.

[Deleted User 1977]

"Which Lilies Are Toxic to Pets? | ASPCA" https://www.aspca.org/news/which-lilies-are-toxic-pets

[Pjmm]

My cat never left the yard but were I to get another I’d see about an outdoor enclosure or some other way they could remain safe. This isn’t your fault