This seemingly harmless gift could be fatal to your pets

The pollen of the flower is toxic to felines and can cause kidney failure. Photo / Getty Images

A cat protection charity is issuing a warning about the dangers of buying bouquets containing lilies.

The UK's leading feline welfare charity Cats Protection says lilies are extremely toxic to cats, which can be affected simply by brushing past the flower and then grooming the pollen from the fur.

As a result, the charity has contacted supermarkets and florists to ask them to include a prominent warning on bouquets containing lilies, reports the Daily Mail.

"Lilies are one of the most common forms of poisoning in cats and we can't emphasise enough just how dangerous they can be," said Cats Protection spokeswoman Louise Waters.

"The toxins can cause them to go into kidney failure and this can be fatal."

Even the smallest amount of contact with a lily could be deadly. Photo / Getty Images

Luke Proudfoot, 23, from London nearly lost his young cat Myra when he noticed she had pollen on her nose after brushing past a bunch of lilies.

He rushed Myra to the emergency vet where she was immediately put on a drip because she was drowsy and dangerously dehydrated.

"Thankfully she made a full recovery but I would never have bought lilies if I'd have known how deadly they could be," said Luke.

"I think it's really important that people should be warned not to buy them for cat owners as it would be so awful if you ended up being responsible for the death of their pet."

Signs of lily poisoning include continued vomiting, blindness, paralysis, renal failure and coma.

If a cat exhibits any of these symptoms, get it to a vet as soon as possible for urgent treatment.

It's also important to note that not only your pets could be at risk, but your children could be in harm's way too, check out this story for more information on poisonous plants in New Zealand.