Unfortunately cases of poisoning continue to exist. There are people who dedicate themselves to leaving poisoned food in parks and in places where animals frequent. That is why sometimes our pet goes out for a walk and we find that she comes back sick when she returns home.
In the case of dogs, the owner usually goes with him when he goes out on the street and can know when he has noticed something in his dog and thus act more quickly in the event of poisoning. In the case of cats, it is more difficult to know because they carry out their street forays autonomously.
Nor should we neglect the substances we have at home, because a very common poisoning is that the cat ingested part of the poison intended to kill rats or insects. In some cases, vomiting can be provoked, but depending on the symptoms that the cat presents, it will not be possible and it will have to be transferred quickly to the veterinarian.
That is why it is important to know how to act in these cases. Depending on the type of poison, we must act differently, but in most cases we will not know what the cat has ingested. That is why it is a priority to observe the pussy very well, because depending on its behavior, it will be possible to know what to do and that the pet survives in the period from when it was poisoned until it arrives at the veterinary clinic, so that it has a chance to recover.
Some signs such as: vomiting and bloody diarrhea, skin irritations, tremors, convulsions, are clear indications that our cat was poisoned. Next, we suggest a series of actions to help your cat.
What do you need to treat a poisoned cat?
- Thick blanket
- Carrier or cage for cats. Vacuum cleaner.
- Vegetable oil.
- A glass.
- Water.
- Tablespoon salt.
- Syringe.
- Charcoal pills.
Instructions for treating a poisoned cat
- Put your cat in a thick blanket and wrap it around him. If he is poisoned he will tend to have convulsions and could hurt himself. Do not make loud noises or sudden movements with him and take him to the vet immediately, without wasting time in causing him to vomit.
- If he starts to meow because of the pain, put your hand into his cage or carrier.
- If he is unconscious or faints, take him to a ventilated area. Always hold the cat firmly and try not to stagger or make quick movements. She phones the vet so he can give you directions. In addition to helping you resolve the situation, he will make you feel calmer.
- We have to find out if he ingested the poison, if he licked something or something fell on him. If you ingested or licked it, it is advisable to clean it with plenty of water and wash the mucosa of the mouth very well so that the poison does not continue to be absorbed there.
- If it is a powdered poison, the animal’s hair will have to be brushed well; we can also use the vacuum cleaner tube and carefully clean the animal. Another option is to wash the cat with warm water and soap. It is important to remove the substance from your skin because it can be ingested. Remember that the cat has the habit of washing its fur with its tongue; this would cause the poison to end up in its mouth and stomach, spreading throughout the interior of its body.
- If the cause was some oily substance, what we have to do is use slightly warm vegetable oil to remove the poison stuck to your skin.
After all this, try to make the animal vomit. For this we will need a glass of water, add a tablespoon of salt. With a syringe take a little and give it to the animal. Always by the lip stretching it a little, never by the mouth. So that the animal can swallow it and that it vomits. - Attention!
- Vomiting cannot be induced if the animal is vomiting.
- If you haven’t eaten in two hours. In this case we will have to give him some food and then cause vomiting.
- If the animal is unconscious, vomiting should not be induced. In this state, if we introduce salt water to the cat, we could cause the liquid to go into its lungs, which would cause aspiration pneumonia. Therefore, if this practice is carried out, the animal must always be conscious.
- Vomiting should be done if we think it was poisoned by something in our own house, such as rat poison.
- If we believe that they gave him caustic-type poison or very alkaline substances or battery acids, in these cases we cannot make him vomit.
- Always pick up the vomit. That substance that it expelled is still dangerous for both the animal and the people around it.
- Always go to the vet. He will probably give you some charcoal pills. The specialist will tell you the exact dose that you will have to grind. The normal, being a small animal is two to four pills. The obtained powder will be mixed in a glass of milk. We will take, again, a syringe that will be the one that will have to be inserted into the animal’s mouth when it is conscious and able to ingest.
- The function of this medicine is to help eliminate the poison. Precisely what this carbon dust will do is go to the cat’s stomach and where the poison will stick to it and prevent the poison from continuing to spread through the cat’s body.
- In the event that we have given him the charcoal tablets without having gone to the vet first, now is the time to take him for a check-up. Because with these pills the cat has not been cured, but only serves to ensure that the animal will arrive at the vet alive.
Tips for treating a poisoned cat
- When vomiting occurs, only 40% to 50% of the ingested chemical content is eliminated from the stomach. It is important to go to the specialist because there are still traces of poison in your pet’s body. Once in the clinic, it will be the veterinarian who injects the antidote.
- It is important to have charcoal tablets at home. They are not toxic to the animal and will help you save its life at a given moment. Think that the ground charcoal tablets together with the milk will delay the absorption of the poison.
- There are several types of rat and insect killers on the market. If the poison was caused by a poison containing arsenic, sodium fluoroacetate, met aldehyde, vomiting can be induced. On the other hand, if the poisoning was caused by strychnine, take the animal immediately to the veterinarian without making him vomit. In the case of this last poison, the cat will begin to have strong convulsions, which requires urgent action. Other substances that can cause vomiting are lead, phosphorus, zinc phosphide, war fin and antifreeze, medicines intended for humans or poisoning by ingestion of garbage.
- Curiosity killed the cat. This phrase is often said because kittens are indeed very curious and this leads them to investigate every corner of the house. For this reason, we advise you to put all those substances that are harmful to him out of his reach from him, as if he were a child. Some things that we have at home and that we must hide are: medicines, sweet foods (chocolate), detergents or insecticides.
