Intoxications

Food poisoning caused by domestic cleaning products are rare, for the cat is a wary eater; however, beware of indoor plants, as many of them are irritant or toxic.

Dangerous products include:- pesticides- agricultural herbicides- chlorinated hydrocarbons used to treat wood (sawdust from treated wood should not be used for litter)- carbamate insecticides- chloralose, the chemical used to kill rodents and crows. Sadly individuals who have no respect for the law or animals also use this product to kill cats.- strychnine and crimidine, the two most common convulsants- metaldehyde, used in gardens to control snails and slugs- anticoagulants, most commonly ingested by eating a poisoned rodent.

Some toys can be dangerous for the cats too: toy bells, strings, etc... If you are knitting, beware not to leave the string in a needle.

Medications:- external parasite medications, most often resulting from incorrect application- aspirin (aspirin is sometimes used for iliac thromboses, but should only be administered in small doses and strictly under the supervision of a veterinarian)- acetaminophen.

Cats tend to taste their food before indulging it, so poisoning is fairly uncommon. However, some poisons have a taste that the cat likes, or a cat may eat a small prey that has consumed toxic products.

Plants: Young cats are the most commonly affected after playing with the leaves of plants, particularly houseplants, such as Dieffenbachia.

Cats lack detoxification mechanisms and are less likely than dogs to regurgitate disagreeable substances. A cat's nervous system is very easily disrupted by a number of poisons.

Pollutants and various household chemical products, such as white spirits and antifreeze.

Consult the archives...

All the archives

To add a comment, become an Aniwa menber !

If you already have an account on Aniwa.com, log in.