Will Rat Poison Kill A Cat?

by Michael
(London, UK)

Missy who may have died of poisoning - photo by RahelSharon (link base of page)

Two useful tags. Click either to see the articles: Toxic to cats | Dangers to cats

Missy who may have died of poisoning - photo by RahelSharon (link base of page)

The answer is yes but not always and there are antidotes if caught in time. Here is some detail from two perspectives (a) the type of poison and treatment and (b) remedies against the person laying the poison. There are various rat poisons. Perhaps the best known are anticoagulant rodenticides. These stop the blood from clotting. This is achieved by the poison blocking the synthesis of Vitamin K, which is required for normal blood clotting. Other rat poisons (or chemicals used in rat poisons) are sodium fluoroacetate (1080), strychnine, phosphorus, zinc phosphate.

Rat control programs should (possibly must under local legislation) provide notification of baiting programs to avoid the poison being accidentally ingested by people and pets (see picture). Where local legislation does not create an obligation to notify, animal cruelty laws may impose a general obligation under certain circumstances.

rat poison notice of baiting

Anticoagulants

There are first and second generation types. I will presume today 2010 (Feb) that most are second generation. These are stronger. They require a single exposure to be fatal and a cat can be poisoned if it eats a rodent killed by the poison.  The poison remains in the cat’s system for a long time (up to one month).

There are no initial symptoms until the cat passes blood in stools or urine or bleeds from the nose. An internal haemorrhage kills the cat.

Treatment is: inducing vomiting, see a vet who will administer “fresh whole blood or frozen plasma”. Vitamin K, initially given by injection and then pills, is an antidote.

caution rat poison

Sodium Fluoroacetate (1080)

It can be mixed with rat feeds etc. A cat can be killed by eating a rat that has been killed by this poison.

Symptoms include: sudden onset, vomiting, agitation, staggering walk, convulsions, collapse. Treatment: induce vomiting then straight to the vet. An antidote is available.

Strychnine

The pellets are dyed purple, red or green. Symptoms of a cat being poisoned are unequivocal and rapid (within 2 hours): agitation, excitability followed by painful seizures (60 seconds), cat turns blue. A slight stimulation (e.g. clapping causes a seizure). Treatment: induced vomiting if the cat has not showed signs of laboured breathing. Take cat to vet immediately. Keep stimuli down.

Phosphorus

A poisoned cat might have garlic breath. Other symptoms: vomiting and diarrhea followed later by cramps, pain in abdomen and convulsions leading to coma. Treatment: as for strychnine. No antidote.

Zinc phosphate

Symptoms include: laboured breathing vomiting (with blood sometimes), convulsions, death. Treatment: as for strychnine. No antidote.

Remedies against person laying the poison

It would not be an offence to lay down rat poison as long as it was done in an appropriate manner and reasonable precautions were taken to prevent access by domestic animals. The photographs of the signs above demonstrate this. I think this is an important test. Are there signs warning of rat baiting? If not the person laying bait might be committing a crime.

If the person who was laying the poison was informed of the presence of cats in the area would this create a situation under which Section 4 (1)  of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 in the UK became effective? I am not sure.

However, if someone is laying down rat poison in a public place without precautions (i.e. carelessly), I would talk to them if they are known to you and/or photograph it (
for evidence), remove it and notify the police or RSPCA.  The Animal Welfare Act 2006 (in the UK) creates criminal offences.

From Will Rat Poison Kill A Cat to home page

Will Rat Poison Kill A Cat? -- Source on poisons: Book 1

Will Rat Poison Kill A Cat? -- Associated pages:

Cat Poison, this is a disturbing page as there are a lot of comments by people who want to poison cats – disgusting.

Link to original Flickr page

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Comments for
Will Rat Poison Kill A Cat?

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Apr 06, 2011 Poisoning cats...
by: Smoking Rabbit

I have placed rat poison in both my front and back garden, mixed with some chicken.

I don't invite rats or cats in my garden, and indeed don't want them.

My neighbours didn't ask me if it was o.k to get a cat, and don't take steps to stop it taking up my newly laid flowers and replacing it with excrement.

I have put poison down in my garden and any thing that enters it is at it's own risk.

Cat owners really do have some front, they buy an animal, let it out...it then ruins my garden, then goes home in time to eat and generate more waste to be dumped in my garden.

Get a dog's lead and walk it, and keep it out of my garden, or...it can pop round for dinner in my garden. Last supper.

Rabbit.


Mar 17, 2011 @anonymous
by: monkey

Yeah, like fantasise about the worst unlikely thing a cat can possibly do - killing a child - then you can justify your weird f*cked up sociopathic need to poison animals. Keep taking the medication sweetheart, but don't get the packet mixed up with your Rentokil pellets. Freak


Dec 23, 2010 Damn You
by: Anonymous

Did Your cat gave ur neighbours immense problems I mean not just by "adoping"their property as toilet but by being a health hazard and destroying their property& peeing & pooing on other people door ,entrance ,window etc Are U a human being? if ur child did this he'll or u'll will be in sued .If u selfishly place more important on a cat than a human you shouldn't be on planet Earth.


Aug 30, 2010 Poor Kitty and now a new
by: Anonymous

Well, this one cat we had, Minnie, ingested rat poison. She wouldn't eat, she barely drank, her fur went all coarse and she got really skinny, and her pee was orange or whatever with blood. She died. Now another cat of ours is showing similar symptoms, damn neighbours!


Feb 23, 2010 My cat Spot
by: Joyce Sammons

My cat Spot ingested a poisoned rat and he survived. The neighbor who put the poison out never put poison out again after this happened. I don't know what kind he ingested but I do remember how it affected him. He was staggering and just had a weird look that wasn't normal. After the visit to the vet he layed around for 3 days. He only got up for the litter box and a drink of water. He recovered completely but it was a really scary week.


28 thoughts on “Will Rat Poison Kill A Cat?”

  1. Keep your cats indoors. Mine died due to antifreeze by a neighbor who hates all animals. Lesson learned. Be responsible and keep your cats from roaming free. I have a small dog now and the cat down the street actually picks on it in our own backyard. I set a cat trap (humane) but they begged us to let it go when we caught it. Still, they let it roam free.

    Reply
    • Well the people you refer to are being irresponsible but that does not mean all people who let their cat go outside our irresponsible. Sometimes it is safe to let a cat go outside. Also, you cannot simply blame cat owners if their cat is poisoned by somebody else. The ultimate responsibility for that poisoning is the person who poisoned the cat. He or she is the criminal. It is not a crime to let your cat go outside. We should therefore focus on the perpetrator of the poisoning which it seems to me you have failed to do.

      Reply
      • As long as you think that a cat dying from roaming outside will always be someone else’s criminal fault, your cats will keep dying outdoors….

        (remainder deleted as it was impolite and in poor taste – Admin)

        Reply
        • As usual you let your anger and bias blind you. I am not saying that it is always the fault of criminals. I am just making the obvious point that when the death is caused deliberately by laid out poison the fault is the poisoner. Common sense really. Sadly your anger overrides your ability to think.

          Reply

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