What to Do if Your Cat Has Been Poisoned

Poisoning symptoms vary depending on the type of poison ingested. Symptoms may include drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, staggering, trembling, excitation, convulsing, bleeding from the nose, laboured breathing, and unconsciousness. Common causes of poisoning are:

• Pesticides
• Lead in commercial paints and insecticides
• Antifreeze
• Organophosphates, chlorinated hydrocarbons, and carbamates used to kill fleas
• Acids and alkali in corrosive household cleaners, solvents, and drain decloggers
• Petroleum products
• Rotting meat or manure in garbage cans
• Poisonous toads or salamanders
• Medicines meant for people
• Certain plants

Supplies that are good to have on hand in case of a poisoning incident are a syringe, 3% hydrogen peroxide solution, vegetable oil, and plastic gloves.

What to Do if Your Cat Has Ingested a Toxic Substance

First, get advice from a qualified veterinarian to ensure that inducing vomiting is both safe and necessary. Call your cat’s veterinarian, the local animal emergency clinic, or the National Animal Poison Control Center hotline, which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (hotline consultation costs $60, billed to a credit card). The hotline number is 1-888-426-4435.

If the cat is fully conscious and the poison was ingested less than two hours ago, vomiting can be induced by giving one of the following:

• 3% hydrogen peroxide solution – 1 teaspoon per 10 pounds of body weight every 10-15 minutes (3 times maximum) until vomiting occurs. This is the most effective method.
• Salt – ¼ teaspoon (placed at the back of the tongue or mixed with water and squirted into the mouth with a syringe) for every 10 pounds of body weight – repeat if the cat hasn’t vomited within 30 minutes.

Vomiting should NOT be induced if:

• It has been more than two hours since the cat was poisoned.
• The cat has already vomited.
• The cat is having difficulty breathing.
• The cat is unconscious, nearly unconscious, or convulsing.
• The cat may have ingested tranquilizers, acids or alkali (cleaning products, solvents, or decloggers), or a petroleum product – in this case, provide lots of fresh water for the cat to drink, and seek medical attention as soon as possible.

If the cat is severely ill, take him immediately to the nearest veterinarian or animal emergency clinic. Ideally, you should also bring a sample of the ingested toxin (preferably in its original container) or a sample of the vomit so that the veterinarian will know what she is dealing with. If the cat is not breathing, begin CPR.

If the cat is not very ill, after vomiting he should be given a mixture of milk and egg whites. Mix 1/4 cup of milk with 1/4 cup of egg whites and squirt 2 teaspoons of the mixture into the cat's cheek pouch with a plastic syringe if he won't eat it voluntarily. Squirt one drop in at a time rather than all at once or the cat may inhale the fluid. This mixture will coat the intestines, providing some protection from the poison. If you don't have milk and eggs on hand, 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil (less for a very small cat, slightly more for a very large cat) can also be used, but this should be added to food – force-feeding oil can be dangerous. A visit to the veterinarian or local animal emergency clinic is recommended even if the cat does not appear to be very ill as follow-up care may be required.

Toxic Substance on the Skin or in the Eyes

Toxic substances on a cat’s fur should be removed immediately, as the cat may lick them off. When dealing with external toxic substances:

• Put on plastic gloves to prevent the substance from getting on your skin.
• Use large quantities of clean, lukewarm water to flush the cat’s eyes or skin thoroughly for at least 5 minutes.
• Give the cat a bath in lukewarm water using a mild soap that is formulated for pets.
• Use vegetable oil to help remove substances such as oil or gasoline from a cat’s fur (never use paint thinner or turpentine).

The cat should then be taken to a veterinarian or animal emergency clinic to treat any damage to eyes or skin that may have occurred.

Preventing Poisoning

The most important thing you can do to prevent poisoning is to keep cats indoors. Outdoor cats are far more likely to ingest poisons put out for rodents, snails, and other animals deemed pests, as well as succumb to other dangers. Additional ways to prevent poisoning include:

• Keeping cleaning products, pest control products, medications, and other toxins stored out of the cat’s reach or locked away in tightly sealed containers
• Using natural methods for flea control rather than toxic chemicals
• Not keeping extremely toxic plants such as lilies anywhere that a cat may reach them

Further Reading

Information for this article was derived from The Cat Owner’s Home Veterinary Handbook, which provides a comprehensive list of individual poisons and treatments for each type of poisoning, and “Poisons and Toxins.” Click on “First Aid” near the top of the “Poisons and Toxins” page for more information on emergency care, including how to perform CPR on a cat.

Lilies Are Poisonous to Cats

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