SEATTLE - With Easter just a few days away, a lot of people are bringing lilies and chocolate into the house.

Most people know chocolate is a no-no for their pets. But many haven't heard that lilies can kill a cat.

You usually think about dogs getting into trouble, but cats also eat things that are not good for them. There are a number of house plants that are toxic to both dogs and cats. The lily is a top threat for cats.

We caught up with Troy Masters, who loves his cats. He rescues them from shelters, and right now he has three beautiful ones.

Last summer, two of them got into big trouble when they got into a bouquet of lilies.

"They were both upstairs in my closet," Masters said. "They just looked terrible. They just looked really sick."

I asked him if he had ever heard up to this point that lilies are highly toxic to cats?

"Not at all," he said. "And I guess I have this notion that cats would know what's good for them and what isn't. That's obviously not the case."

Troy rushed the cats to the hospital. One pulled through, but the other had to be put to sleep. The toxin had destroyed his kidneys.

It's been 10 months now since that terrible day, and you can still hear the pain in his voice.

"A little 4-year-old cat who is perfectly healthy, ya know, 5 or 6 hours ago. That's a very difficult thing to do. It was very painful to go through."

Troy's vet, Therese Grover, says a lot of cat owners don't realize how toxic lilies are to cats.

"They'll start showing signs of illness in a few hours," Grover said. "And then many feel better, but about a day and a half later, we'll start seeing the signs of renal failure. The kidneys start shutting down, so it's best to treat them early with aggressive IV fluids."

Masters has now checked every plant in his house to make sure they're not a threat to his pets. He doesn't plan to get any more.

"Now that I know so many things are toxic to cats, it's just not worth it."

Because cats are curious, and because they can climb and because they like to eat plants, the ASPCA Poison Control Center is telling cat owners not to bring lilies into their home -- it's just not worth the risk.

And this warning goes for all types of lilies.

For More Information:

Read Herb's MSNBC story: Be Careful What You Feed Your Pet