Is Peace Lily safe for cats and dogs?
| Species | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Cats | Toxic |
| Dogs | Toxic |
Severity: Moderate
Read the full first-aid guide: what to do if your pet ate something toxic
If someone sent a peace lily (Spathiphyllum) to your home - commonly given as a sympathy or get-well gift in the US - the 'lily' in the name is misleading, and it matters for your cat. Peace lily is not a true lily (not a Lilium species), and ASPCA's own comparison of lily types is explicit on this point: unlike true lilies, peace lily does not cause kidney failure in cats. What it does cause is a sharp, unpleasant local reaction - insoluble calcium oxalate crystals in the leaves and stems cause burning and irritation of the mouth, tongue, and lips on contact, along with drooling, vomiting, and difficulty swallowing if a pet bites into it.
That's a real reason to keep the plant away from a curious pet, but it is a categorically different emergency than a true lily. ASPCA describes peace lily's oral-irritation reaction as painful but rare to become life-threatening, versus true lilies (Lilium species like Easter, Asiatic, Stargazer, Oriental) and daylilies (Hemerocallis), where even a small ingested amount, a lick of pollen, or a sip of vase water can trigger fatal kidney failure in cats. If a pet chews on a peace lily, the right level of alarm is a call about mouth pain and possible vomiting, not a true-lily kidney emergency - but if you aren't sure which plant your pet got into, treat it as the more dangerous case until confirmed. Either way, ASPCA Animal Poison Control (888-426-4435) or Pet Poison Helpline (855-764-7661) can help you tell the difference over the phone.
Facts and examples
- Peace lily is not a true lily (not Lilium) and does not cause the kidney failure associated with true lilies in cats. (source, verified 2026-07-26)
- Peace lily toxicity mechanism is insoluble calcium oxalates; symptoms are oral irritation, burning of mouth/tongue/lips, drooling, vomiting, difficulty swallowing. (source, verified 2026-07-26)
Verdict re-verified against aspca.org, 2026-07-26 — confirmed unchanged. Source
This page is for general information only and is not veterinary advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If your pet is showing symptoms, or you think they ate or touched something dangerous, contact your veterinarian or a pet poison-control hotline immediately.
Last verified 2026-07-26