There is no one particular sign or symptom that will signify to you that your cat has been poisoned. Any symptoms will depend on what your pet has ingested but here are a few of the more common signs:
Having the appearance of being drunk or uncoordinated
Vomiting
Diarrhoea
Seizures or fitting
Increased drinking and increased urination
Extremely quick and shallow breathing
Excessive coughing or sneezing
Falling into a coma
Lethargy
Inflammation or swelling of any part of the body
What to do if you think your cat has been poisoned.
If you think that your cat has been poisoned then there are a few vital steps that you must take. First of all, if you can identify what has poisoned your cat then move them away from the source immediately and keep them away from any other animals in the house. If traces of the poisonous material are still on your cat’s paws or coat then wash it thoroughly with diluted shampoo and warm water. Also, try your hardest to stop your cat from further grooming themselves.
hould your cat only get a mild hazardous substance on just their coat, then you may, with your vet’s direction, be able to treat them at home. To try and remove the contaminated area, clip off the hair and then wash your cat with warm soapy water. Make sure to remove as much of the substance off as possible so that the washing does not increase the absorption of chemicals.
Be sure to keep your cat in a calm, warm room for about 24 hours so that you can keep an eye on them and make sure that they do not have any traces of the hazardous material in their system.
What can you do to reduce the risk of your cat becoming poisoned?
If you spill anything that could be potentially hazardous to your cat then clean it up immediately, even if your cat is out of the house or nowhere to be seen
Keep any products that can potentially harm your cat well out of reach. Of course, we all know cats are extremely inquisitive creatures so you may have to find somewhere that really is out of the way. Simply putting such products high up on a shelf will not suffice, in fact, if you do this then you run the risk of your cat knocking it off, smashing or breaking open and leaking, thus posing even more of a danger to your cat. Securing hazardous products in a cupboard with a lock may seem extreme but it will eradicate any risk.
