Watch: Cat struck down with lily poisoning makes miracle recovery after being clinically dead for 26 minutes

A cat struck down with lily poisoning made a miracle recovery after she lay DEAD for 26 minutes.

The frantic owner of 11-month-old Bella rushed her to the vets after she collapsed at home. While she was being treated for suspected lily poisoning, Bella suffered a heart attack. Vets at Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service, in Solihull, performed CPR on the stricken pet. After 26 minutes, Bella’s heart started beating and she was moved into intensive care.

Heartbreaking footage shows the stricken moggy lying on her side and hooked up to tubes and a heart monitor. During her two week stay in the animal hospital, Bella was taught how to walk and eat again before returning home. Relieved owner Dee Flora, from Solihull, said: “We were absolutely mortified. We had just lost a parent and weren’t prepared to lose Bella, too. We were determined to try our best to get her better and home.

“She has beaten all the odds that were against her. Bella is running, jumping on tops of doors, purring, playing and having a great time. We are so grateful to the team at Willows for saving her life.”

Bella was taken to the vets after she came into contact with lilies. The entire plant – including leaves and petals – are poisonous to cats. Even being exposed to a small part of the plant, for example getting some pollen on a whisker, can be enough to kill a cat. Bella was hospitalised for more than two weeks as she made her extraordinary recovery.

Vet Fernanda Camacho said: “Surviving prolonged CPR and being discharged from hospital is very rare, as only about one in 20 cases enjoy this outcome. Pretty much like a person after such a severe event, Bella has also had to learn some of the basics from scratch, such as eating and walking.

“She is still recovering but she can currently run, jump and eat well. Physiotherapy has been key to Bella’s progression, to ensure she would not get a muscle contracture and to also teach her to walk again. Bella’s case clearly highlights the dangers that lilies can pose to cats. We would urge any cat owners who think their pet is displaying signs of contact with lilies to seek urgent veterinary attention.”