How to Give Emergency Care for a Cat Poisoning

It's a frightening experience when you discover your cat may have ingested a poisonous substance. The list of substances that can poison a cat is quite long including antifreeze, household chemicals, petroleum products, human medications, certain plants, rat poisons, and more. Animals, by nature, are quite inquisitive and can get into a toxic substance before you know it. If you believe your cat is a victim of poisoning, what should you do?

If you know what substance your cat has ingested, you're one step ahead of the game. You'll want to have the substance or plant in hand and quickly call your veterinarian or animal poison control center. This number should be conveniently posted on your refrigerator or bulletin board for quick reference in case of an emergency. You should also be well versed in performing CPR in the event of a cat poisoning or other life threatening event.

The poison control center should be able to tell you based on the substance ingested whether or not it's safe to induce vomiting to eliminate the poison. Vomiting can be induced by giving your cat a tablespoon of either syrup of ipecac or hydrogen peroxide. Vomiting should never be induced if your cat is unconscious, not breathing, or manifests an irregular heart rate. To do so, may cause your cat to aspirate the ipecac into his lungs which can result in pneumonia or other respiratory problems. If your cat is not breathing and you can't detect a pulse rate, you need to start CPR immediately.

Your cat should be transported immediately to a veterinary emergency center as soon as he is stable. Bring along a sample of his vomit if vomiting was induced to allow identification of the poison.