Common Feline Poisons, Toxins & Household Dangers

Cats are small, mischievous, and very good at getting into trouble.  In our homes and yards, there are many dangers lurking that can have serious health consequences on your cat’s health and wellbeing.  As a result, we have composed a list of the most common toxins and traumas that we see and treat in our practice.  This list is not complete so if you have any concerns about toxin ingestion or trauma in your cat, please speak to your veterinarian.

Dangerous Plants

Ethylene Glycol (Antifreeze)

There are a lot of plants that are dangerous to cats.  Most will cause “non-specific gastrointestinal signs” such as vomiting or diarrhoea whereas contain very specific toxins that can damage organs.  Lilies are the one plant that feline veterinarians fear the most because ingestion is common (they look beautiful in bouquets) and they are very toxic.

All members of the lily family are toxic.  Ingestion of any part of the plant including pollen or even drinking the water the flowers were soaking in can be fatal.

Like ethylene glycol, lilies are nephrotoxic (i.e. they are toxic to the kidneys) and act just as fast. 

If there is any chance that your cat has been exposed to lilies then veterinary care must be sought immediately for the best chances of survival.  Treatment of lily poisoning includes inducing vomiting, activated charcoal (to remove and/or bind additional toxin) and high-dose IV fluids to flush the toxin out of the kidneys.  To decrease the chances of accidental ingestion of lilies, either remove then from flower arrangements or, if you are sending flowers to a household with cats, ask that lilies be omitted from the arrangement.

For questions about which plants are toxic, we recommend going to the ASPCA website as they have a database of toxic plants.

Ethylene Glycol (EG) is most often found in antifreeze, brake fluid, and windshield de-icing agents.  As EG has a sweet taste, most cats will voluntarily ingest this toxin.  Once ingested, EG is rapidly absorbed where it ends up in the liver for metabolism.  One of the metabolites of EG is a substance called oxalic acid.  Oxalic acid binds with the calcium in the blood stream to form oxalate crystals.  These crystals are excreted by the kidneys where it causes severe damage to the kidney tissue.  This damage results in acute kidney failure within 3 days of ingestion.

The danger with EG poisoning is that the metabolic process can start within 30 minutes of ingestion and aggressive treatment must begin within 6 hours of ingestion for it to be successful.
​
Although there is not set toxic dose, as little as 1.4mg/kg has been shown to be fatal.

NSAID Toxicity

Human non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) including ibuprofen (Advil®) and acetaminophen (Tylenol®) are highly toxic in cats.  Ingestion of as little as 10mg/kg acetaminophen can be deadly. Intoxication can happen by accidental ingestion (i.e. a pill falls on the floor and we are unaware of this) or by well intentioned owners given human drugs to cats.

Cats are very susceptible to NSAID toxicity because their livers are simply not equipped to metabolize NSAIDs the way our livers are. It is this liver sensitivity that has allowed only 1 NSAID to be licensed for long term use in cats compared to the abundance of NSAIDs licensed in dogs.

Signs of NSAID toxicity include anorexia, vomiting, icterus (yellow mucus membranes), depression and, in the case of acetaminophen toxicity, blue or brown colored gums from damage to red cells.  Blood work shows signs of acute liver damage including increases in liver enzymes and bilirubin.  Acetominophen-toxicity cats can also have characteristic changes in their red cells called Heinz bodies.
​
If you cat has been exposed to an NSAID then care should be sought immediately. If ingestion had just occurred (i.e. within 1 hour), then we have better chances of recovery as there is an opportunity to limit drug ingestion through inducing vomiting and giving activated charcoal.  If some time has passed, then care is focused on supporting the liver.

Rat Poison

The most common poison in rat poison come from a group of toxins called warfarin or superwarfarins.  Warfarins disrupt coagulation pathways and, after ingestion of sufficient amounts, the affected animal dies from internal bleeding.

The two most common ways that a cat will ingest rat poison is (a) direct ingestion of the colourful poison blocks/grains or (b) ingestion of a mouse or rat that has died or is ill from ingestion of warfarin.

The good news is that warfarin intoxication does have a “cure” – vitamin K injections - but care must be sought early to avoid complications of bleeding.

​Electrocution

Electrocution occurs most often when naughty cats chew on electrical cords.  When cats chew on cords enough to electrocute themselves, they tend to have a classic burn line over the gums and tongue.
​
The dangers associated with electrocution can be relatively mild and include burns to more severe damage to the lungs (pulmonary edema) and heart (cardiac arrthymias).

If your cat has been electrocuted then immediate care must be sought however, depending on the severity of the damage, the outcome can be fatal.