Nowadays we are all accustomed to the e-cigarette vaping device. The cartridges for the device contain nicotine which is very toxic to cats and other harmful chemicals.
“A common ingredient in e-cigarettes, propylene glycol, can lead to red blood cell damage in cats known as “Heinz body (anemia).” Another common ingredient, diethylene glycol, may cause acidosis and kidney damage.” – The Conscious Cat.
The story I have comes from a private cat sanctuary, 809th Armpurred Cattalion, run by a military family. It’s a genuine sanctuary where cats can live out their lives safely and in love. Several of the cats have special needs.
The person who runs the sanctuary – believed to be Kelly Shutter – tells us her sad story on Facebook. She posted the story 12 hours ago and I have included it on this page below.
Two weeks ago the sanctuary took in a family member who needed a place to stay. The person had disabilities and used an e-cigarette vape device. It was explained to him that there were cats around and therefore things had to be put away to prevent the cat getting into his possessions.
It appears that this person didn’t understand fully the dangers or what he was instructed to do and left out his deodorant and a vape device. Overnight seven cats were killed within hours of ingesting what I presume is a cartridge or cartridges for the device. That’s the assessment of the person who runs the sanctuary.
It has been put down to a tragic accident which could have been prevented if more care had been taken at the beginning. The sanctuary owner admits that she could have gone through his things with him more carefully and pointed out the dangers. This would have ensured that his e-cigarette cartridges were put in a safe place.
It’s a reminder to all of us actually that e-cigarette cartridges are very dangerous to domestic and stray cats. The sanctuary owner says that “vape juice” can kill within hours of ingesting it. She would like some good to come out of this tragedy by reminding others to educate houseguests on the dangers and to take particular care and precautions.
The names of the cats that were fatally poisoned are: Whiskers, Tommy, Carbon, Mittens, Anna, D’artanion, & Frannie. My thanks to 809th Armpurred Cattalion for reporting the story online to publicize the dangers of this commonplace product.
Update from Michele Massa writing on FB: I’ve read all the posts and comments and many believe it was not an accident as the owner says. Lots of commenters believe the relative did something because they don’t believe the cats would willingly ingest something so vile. My theory is the vape juice was smeared on the cats and they died licking it off to get it off of them. Owner found spills and stains in the room after she kicked the person out.
