Watson is available for adoption.

Editor’s Note: We are continuing our monthly publications provided by West Philly’s volunteer-run cat rescue organization Project MEOW. This post is about a cat currently available for adoption through Project MEOW and PAWS and also about the importance of keeping your cat away from toxic plants and flowers, like lilies.

Everyone, or almost everyone loves flowers. Especially in the dead of winter, what could be nicer than a big vase full of flowers to make us believe that spring has not abandoned us? Unfortunately, many kinds, including the lovely white Easter Lilies, gorgeous Asian Lilies and even plants in the lily family – Astromeria for example, are highly toxic to cats. Toxic in that they are lethal if consumed and sometimes the damage cannot be reversed even if you get your cat to the vet shortly after ingestion.

Most florists do not mention this in their shops, although Project MEOW gives a shout-out to any florists that DO tell customers that lilies are deadly to cats. Sadly, a few years ago one of our recently adopted cats died from ingesting lilies, so it’s not as unusual as we would like to hope. What do you do if someone gives you a stunning arrangement that contains lilies? Pull them out of the arrangement and give them to a pet-free neighbor. 

Watson, available for adoption, hopes that you will be diligent in keeping your kitty safe. And if you happen to need a kitty he says he’s ready and waiting to go home. Watson suffered from a hard kick as far as we can tell and has a few very mild neurological issues relating to it. He also had a part of his tail amputated, but we don’t talk about that. He’s a wee bit self-conscious. He’s super trusting and lovable despite what happened to him in the past. Want to find out more? Apply to adopt Watson. phillypaws.org/onlineadoptionapp

– Tracylea Byford, Project MEOW Foster Manager