Q I was considering getting an Easter Lily for my mum, but my friend says they can kill cats. Is this true? My mum has two cats. AMANDA, Burford A Your friend is right – lilies are known to be highly toxic to cats.

The exact toxic factor is unknown, but all parts of the plant are considered potentially poisonous.

Eating even small parts of the plant or flower can cause severe and irreversible kidney failure – cats may die within three to seven days.

Affected cats become lethargic, depressed, unwilling to eat, and vomit, and signs may develop within two hours of eating the plant. Treatment may be successful if the condition is diagnosed early enough.

Buy an Easter orchid, daisy or violet instead.

Q My vet says my cat has FIP and that there is no treatment. She is going downhill every day and her belly is getting huge. What is this? Can anything be done? PENELOPE, Banbury A FIP (feline infectious peritonitis) is a disease caused by a virus which is caught by contact with infected cats or with anything which is contaminated with saliva or faeces from an infected cat.

The trouble with this disease is diagnosing it as it can cause many different symptoms including sneezing, eye infections, blindness, diarrhoea, paralysis, liver failure, kidney failure, and fluid build-up in the belly. Your cat can spread this infection to other cats and there is no treatment for the virus.

The best that can be done is to make sure she is pain-free and support the major body organs like the kidneys. Please try to keep her away from other cats.

Q My tortoise has just come out of hibernation. He sleeps in a box in the garden shed. He will not eat and he seems to be blind and weak what should I do? JOHN, Chesterton A It has been a very cold winter and it is possible he may have been frozen while hibernating as this can damage the eyes and other internal organs.

This may explain his lack of appetite and his possible blindness.

The first thing to do is get him to drink; bathe him in lukewarm water – just enough to cover the underside of his shell. Make sure he is kept warm (20-25C).

Offer foods like sliced pear, apple, melon or cucumber.

If he does not eat within a few days of waking up, please take him to your vet.