“Check your household products for ingredients and make a note if one or more contains benzalkonium chloride as it could save your cat from poisoning.”

Poisoned cat from benzalkonium chloride. Picture of cat from FB. Above is the chemical formula of benzalkonium chloride

Benzalkonium chloride is another ingredient in household products of many kinds which is poisonous to domestic cats. It once again confirms that the innocous and well kept home can be a hazardous place for domestic cats. You wouldn’t think it was. Cleaning products are one of the main hazards because they contain strong chemicals which although effective for the purposes to which they are intended are also often toxic to our pets and us.

This chemical’s toxicity is well recognised with regard to domestic cats when cats are in direct contact with surfaces cleaned by products containing it (Handbook of Poisoning in Dogs and Cats by Campbell and Chapman-2008).

As an anti-microbial agent benzalkonium chloride is an active ingredient in products such as:

• Pharmaceutical products such as eye, ear, nasal drops and sprays
• Hand sanitizers, wet wipes and shampoos, deodorants and cosmetics, skin antiseptics, throat lozenges and mouthwashes
• Spermicidal creams
• Burn and ulcer treatments
• Spray disinfectants for hard surface sanitization
• Cleaners for floor and hard services as a disinfectant (Lysol)
• For cleaning algae, moss and lichens from tiles, roof tiles and masonry et cetera

My guess is that cat and dog owners are almost totally unaware of the dangers of this chemical. That said, people charged with the protection of the public are aware of it and in September 2016, in America, the FDA deferred a ban on benzalkonium chloride to allow further study to be completed. That tells us that the toxicity of this ingredient is work in progress as far as the authorities are concerned.

It isn’t just pets who are in danger. Concentrated solutions are toxic to humans. It can kill people if taken internally in sufficient quantities.Twenty people were killed in Japan by a nurse injecting the chemical into, I presume, patients.

Case History

My attention has been brought to this product by story coming from New Zealand. The owner of a Siamese cat has issued a warning online after her cat was poisoned by coming into contact with a small amount of Canesten Laundry liquid which she sprayed onto a cat scratching post. Her cat scratch the post. The product came into contact with her cat’s paws and her cat licked her paws.

She woke up the next day to find her cat salivating. She realised that the product is harmful to cats and that she had made a big mistake. It can cause hypersalivation, ulcers in the mouth, hypothermia, loss of appetite and lethargy in domestic cats. I believe it is also toxic to dogs.

In high doses cats can suffer tissue damage. If treated quickly cats can recover within several days. Salivation is the first signs of poisoning by this chemical.

The obvious action to take if a cat owner is worried about it is to stop their cat grooming himself and then bathing their cat to remove traces of the chemical from their paws and coat. Obviously they should take their cat to a veterinarian.

On this website there are countless pages on products which are toxic to cats and dangers to cat health. Below is a small of example of some poisons. Please click on this link to see pages regarding toxity to cats.

California: Killing pests with poisons ends up poisoning everything else including pumas

A Californian, commercial pest controller, Wilmar Mejia, is more clear-headed about the dangers of using poisons to kill rats than ...
Read More

7 cats at sanctuary fatally poisoned overnight because e-cigarette was left out by guest

Nowadays we are all accustomed to the e-cigarette vaping device. The cartridges for the device contain nicotine which is very ...
Read More

The top 10 cat poisons in the USA and lilies are in the number 1 spot

Who would have thought that lilies are the top cat poison in the USA? This beautiful plant has been discussed ...
Read More

Fireworks are poisonous to cats if ingested

It had never occurred to me but if a cat or dog ingests a used firework thats lying around after ...
Read More

Himalayan salt lamp was addictive to cat and almost killed her

Ruby, a little Turkish Van-type cat, licked a Himalayan salt lamp because it tasted good and became seriously ill. She ...
Read More

Skunk, raccoon and rodent deterrent can be dangerous to cats

Peppermint, an essential oil, is a deterrent to skunks, raccoons, some rodents and squirrels but it is toxic and dangerous ...
Read More

How do air fresheners affect domestic cats in the home?

Something as innocuous as air fresheners may be harming our domestic cat companions. More research is needed ...
Read More