We want
to do everything we can for our cats but sometimes we might be harming them
without realising it. There are poisons in our homes that could make our furry
friends sick and, even kill them in the worst cases.
Human foods
As most
of us know, chocolate can actually be lethal to cats (and dogs). The caffeine
and theobromine found in chocolate cause the damage in cats. Milk chocolate,
semi-sweet chocolate and baking chocolate can be especially dangerous.
And other
foods, which seem harmless can be very harmful. For example, if a cat were to
eat garlic or onions it can destroy red blood cells and cause a form of
anaemia. Sultanas are another seemingly
harmless food that is in fact a poison.
The best
way to avoid the danger from foods is to keep cats away from any food you
are preparing, and ensure nothing is left out for your cats to nibble on,
even if it is just for a short while. Keep all food covered or in the fridge.
Plants and flowers
We see a
lot of publicity about lilies being toxic to cats, but remember this isn’t just
if they eat the flower directly, a cat might brush past the flower get pollen
on their coat and eat the pollen when they groom themselves later. This
poisoning can cause renal failure, which is a serious condition.
But lilies
are not the only flowers that can trigger illness in our cats – aloe vera,
avocado, daffodils and eucalyptus are all toxic. You can find a full list of
harmful plants here.
Ensure
you keep all household plants up high and out of reach of cats, and tidy
up any fallen leaves. Outside of the house, ensure there are no poisonous
plants within the areas of access to cats and keep any plants away from the
cat’s drinking water.
Cleaning products
Unsurprisingly,
there are plenty of household cleaning products that are dangerous to cats.
Phenol is a chemical commonly found in cleaning products which is dangerous to
the health of cats. For this reason, all cleaning products should be kept in
a cupboard away from cats. Substances such as concentrated washing liquids
can burn the paws and skin if cats walk through them, and even beauty products
such as nail polish and suntan lotion can cause harm.
But it is
possible to buy cat-friendly cleaning products from pet stores and some
of the big cleaning brands such as Mr Muscle now sell a pet friendly range.
Other toxins
Other
poisons include human medicine (such as paracetamol), antifreeze and dog flea
treatment.
Symptoms your cat has been poisoned
- Confused/uncoordinated movements
- Drooling
- Vomiting/diarrhoea
- Difficulty breathing
- Fitting/seizures
- Swollen paws or face
- Depression
If you think your cat has been poisoned
- Stay calm – remove your cat from the source of the poison
- If the poison is on the cat’s fur prevent your cat from grooming himself and try and wash the poison off with shampoo
- Call your vet immediately
If you
want to know more, here are some useful sources on the subject:
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