Onions are toxic to cats - photo by Jim (Flickr)
August 2010: A lot of things are toxic to cats or it seems that way. I wonder if more things are toxic to cats than humans. I don't think so. We just have to think more about what is toxic to cats as we are their caretakers. That said, personally, I have never been confronted with a case of a substance being toxic to a cat other than flea treatments.
On one occasion many years ago, I used a spray on my Missie. She licked it and foamed at the mouth - straight to the vet. She was unharmed but never again. "Spot on" flea control products (putting a drop on the skin) can be very poisonous if we don't read the instructions and for example put a flea treatment made for dogs on cats. That can lead to permethrin poisoning. This can kill the cat and causes severe tremors, salivation and seizures in cats.
I have already mentioned poisons.
Flea Treatments
We should take great care when applying chemicals to our cat by reading the instructions. It is interesting to note that the instructions include a reference to how the flea treatment can cause irritation (and worse?) on our skin! What about the cat? See also Flea Treatments Can Kill.
Plants
I have built two pages on this some time ago: Plants poisonous to cats and also Houseplants poisonous to a cat). This page mops up some of the lose ends to make the list complete.
Foods
Here is a list of foods that are toxic to cats: Alcoholic beverages, Avocado, Chocolate (all forms), Coffee (all forms), Fatty foods, Macadamia nuts, Moldy or spoiled foods, Onions, onion powder, Raisins and grapes, Salt, Yeast dough, Garlic, Products sweetened with xylitol.
Cans
Pop-top cans may be lined with a chemical that is poisonous to cats and humans (potentially). This is a problem that exists in Europe, the USA and quite likely elsewhere. The Independent newspaper reported on this, recently (April 2010). The authorities in Britain have said it is OK. The USA is more concerned about it.
The chemical is bisphenol-A. This chemical may cause hyperthyroidism in cats. A 2004 study reported in the AVMA Journal (Edinboro, et al.) showed a correlation between the use of pop-top cat food cans and the subsequent development of hyperthyroidism.
Lawns
Lawn care chemical, 2-4-D, 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) is a common systemic herbicide used in the control of broadleaf weeds. It is the most widely used herbicide in the world, and the third most commonly used in North America1.
This chemical is used to improve lawns. Cats go on the lawn and then lick themselves. The chemical may cause health problems in cats and humans such as cancer (lymphoma in dogs and humans). Personally, I would not mix lawn treatments with outdoor cats.
Insecticides
Insecticides can harm cats. Cats are sensitive to chemicals used in insecticides such as organophosphates and permethrin - moreso than dogs. These chemicals can be found in garden products. Great care, it seems, needs to be applied when dispersing these products if there is a cat in the family who is allowed out.
Mothballs
Please read Joyce's article on mothballs poisoning cats. Mothballs are very toxic to cats. We lost 4 cats in one week by mothball poisoning.
Cleaning Products
Phenols, chemicals in some floor cleaning products can be toxic to cats. In the USA these products include: Lysol and Pine-sol. Cats walk on freshly cleaned kitchen floor that has not been rinsed and dried. They lick themselves clean and ingest the chemical. Bleaches causes salivation and vomiting due to ulceration.
Rat and Mouse Poison
Rat or mouse is killed by a poison laid down by cat caretaker. Cat eats rat or mouse. Cat is poisoned. Read more: Will rat poison kill a cat?
Pain Relief
Don't administer pain relief to cats without strict veterinary supervision. See Feline Pain Relief. For example, aspirin in toxic to cats.
Fabric Softener
This is called "Ammonium disinfectant" Causes vomiting, diarrhea, neurological depression, seizures.2
Antidepressant Drugs
These cause vomiting, lack of balance, tremors, seizures and irregular heartbeat.
Lead
In improperly glazed bowls and poorly manufactured toys for example. Poisons the cat cans caused vomiting, muscle spasms, hysteria and blindness.
Gasoline, solvents, paints
Poisons the cat.
Related:
Cat Antibiotics can cause an allergic reaction
Cancer caused by cat vaccinations
Note:
1. http://www.24d.org/
2. The Veterinarians' Guide to Your CAt's Symptoms
Major source and guide:
http://www.vetinfo.com/ctoxin.html
oo-kayyy, Michael. 🙂 Thanks for the friendly reminder-that’s what I get for staying up all night making saltwater taffy, fruit jellies and caramels and Turkish Delight-I need a nap! lol. So, here is my favorite holiday card for everyone at PoC, featuring! not one, but TWO ginger tabbies. 😀 Happy, Happy Holidays to You all here at Pictures of Cats!
Thanks a lot Caroline. A longer list would be very welcome.
Oh my….this made me smile and laugh and feel good. Hey, on a serious note do cats like ice cream? This looks like ice cream but I have just realised it is a coffee with cream on the top. They do like ice cream, I guess, because it contains dairy products. So, ice cream is not good for cats because dairy products are made from cow’s milk….Am I am being too serious? This is a fun picture. Thanks Caroline.
[I can’t find the original so cannot credit.]
Michael, I am going to work on an update to this list for PoC. Since I can’t upload pictures yet (hoping to buy myself a sync cord for Xmas:)), I thought maybe i could contribute this way. Should be ready tonight so hopefully you’ll rcv it via email early tmrw.
Humans are allergic to raw garlic in large quantities, so it is no wonder that cats are as well. I wonder if the entire Allium genus is toxic to cats. I ask b/c I’ve neively used garlic to ward off little vampires on my cats in the past. Now I use Advantage II. Garlic does not work. should they both be avoided?
I do know that 2,4-d is toxic to just about everything in our world. I’m a horticulture person and have grown my beloved antique and David Austin roses for decades. When I was married, my husband and I grew vinifera and French-American hybrid grapes. Hybrid teas and old shrub roses were planted solidly around the perimeter of the grape acreage to warn us of 2,4-d drift. (The leaves shrivel from cellular deformation–it’s a horrible sight, I hated it.) Cercis canadensis, the lovely redbud tree, a common sight in Nebraska, is very sensitive too to drift. I do not understand why it is allowed in the U.S. Seems like it is long overdue to be tightly restricted or maybe banned altogether.
There is an adorable image of a fluffy kitten, paws wrapped around a mug of warm cocoa, caught off-guard with whipped cream on its whiskers and chin. I wish it carried the warning that kittens/cats should not be allowed near a latte or hot chocolate!
Additions:
Fabric softener sheets
Post-1982 pennies (due to high concentration of zinc)