How to know if your cat’s been poisoned

As a vet, I’ve had experiences with cats and dogs being poisoned. The greatest issue, in this case, is not knowing what toxic substance is to be incriminated for the actual poisoning. There are a bunch of things to look out for, and let me tell you, from the beginning, that if you let your cats out in the wild and your neighbors are trying to get rid of rats… something is bound to happen, at some point. You would not want to know how many pets end up at a vet’s clinic because of rat poison.

What you should look out for:

Most common symptoms include excessive drooling, vomiting or diarrhea or the complete absence of any kind of appetite. Since these signs are, however, confusing, and can lead to other diagnostics, we’ll tell you to be on the look for others, such as depression or lethargy. Most poisons also affect the nervous system, so that is why your cat may be depressed or suffering from apathy. As well as a severe change in your cat’s general health, you may encounter signs such as shaking, which is indubitably linked to the nervous system we were mentioning above. The urinary system may also be affected, so  you either see your cat constantly looking for water, or it ‘goes to the bathroom’ and releases quite a high quantity of urine, all of the sudden. The latter sign isn’t particularly linked to the rat poison we were mentioning above. It’s just a desperate attempt that the body makes in order to get rid of the poison.

What should you do?

Don’t try force feeding your cat any natural remedies you may think are OK in case of poisoning. Just like in the case of humans that get bitten by snakes, the first thing you have to do is take your cat to a vet. A vet will know what to do and will most certainly administer an antidote. There even exist universal antidotes that can at least alleviate some of the symptoms, that can be used until the actual poison is discovered.

What happens next?

Even after the initial treatment, you still have to take great care of your cat. For some time, you may need to give your cat a special kind of food, that does not irritate the digestive system in any way. Evidently, it is highly recommended you hide all medicine so your cat does not come to contact with it. Remember, preventing is always to be prefered, instead of treating.