Cat Poisoning Emergency

Cat poisoning is a potential danger to a cat’s life. Though many cat owners may suspect malicious poisoning of outdoor cats, most cases of poisoning are accidental. Cats explore their environments. In their curiosity-driven explorations, cats may come across a number of poisonous substances including poisonous plants, insects, chemicals, and garbage. A cat owner should contact the veterinarian or the Animal Poison Control Center if the cat owner suspects that a poisoning has occurred. Having the guidance of a veterinarian or pet poisoning specialist is very important since different poisonings of cats require different treatment.

Cat poisoning is a concern when a cat starts experiencing unexplainable physical symptoms. The symptoms of cat poisoning are varied. Cat poisoning can be difficult to diagnose due to the variations in the physical symptoms. A cat that has been poisoned may be drooling or foaming at the mouth, vomiting, diarrhea, convulsions, excessive thirst, loss of consciousness, twitching, abdominal pain, or nervousness. Poisoning can be fatal to cats.

If a cat is having convulsions or has lost consciousness, the cat owner should wrap the cat in a towel or blanket and take it immediately to the veterinarian or veterinary hospital. If the cat owner can smell a chemical on the cat, the cat owner should thoroughly bathe the cat until there is no sign of chemical residue on the cat. This is to prevent the cat from ingesting more of the poison.

If the cat owner is aware of what poisoned the cat, they should induce vomiting unless the substance is caustic or a petroleum product such as turpentine or gasoline. Caustic products could burn the cat’s esophagus if the cat vomits. Oven and grease cleaners, corn and callous removers, drain cleaner, dishwasher detergent, and lye are examples of caustic poisons.

If the poison ingested was not a caustic substance, the cat owner can induce vomiting by giving the cat one tablespoon of three percent hydrogen peroxide every ten minutes until the cat vomits. After three attempts at inducing vomiting, the cat owner should abandon this effort if the cat has not yet vomited unless otherwise instructed by a veterinarian.