March is Pet Poison Prevention Month, and you may be hearing a lot of warnings about plants and other items that are poisonous to your cat. Chances are you probably already know about a lot of them. It is pretty common knowledge that plants such as lilies (most bulb plants, in fact), mistletoe, oleander and cyclamen are toxic to kitties. (For a full list, you can check out the ASPCA’s website.) And it’s common sense to keep cats far away from household items and food such as tobacco, aspirin, acetaminophen (Tylenol), chocolate, onions and garlic, and antifreeze. So I’m not going to write about them today.
What I am going tell you about are household items that don’t immediately come to mind as toxic to cats, but are. They are items you may be using in your house, or on yourself, completely unaware that they may be wreaking havoc on your cat’s health. A couple of them are really dangerous. I know my human was shocked when she read about them.
This isn’t a complete list, of course, but I hope it is helpful.
- Medicinal Creams. Whether you are trying to stop itching, relieve muscle soreness or cure a nail fungus, you do not want to touch your cat after rubbing one of these creams on your skin. The medicine in these creams can make your cat very ill, and it’s really easy to get it on her fur, which she will ingest the next time she grooms.
- Products Containing Zinc. My human never holds me in her arms right after applying her sunscreen, which contains zinc oxide. She cleans her hands off before putting me in the carrier for our outings. But zinc is in a lot more things than just sunscreen (and yes, there are pet safe sunscreens). It’s in diaper rash creams, many cold remedies, and of course in pennies. (Dogs are more likely to eat pennies than cats, but in any case, pennies are extremely toxic for either of us.) Most of these topical creams can potentially give your cat a stomach upset, but especially beware of prescribed creams with zinc, such as skin cancer or psoriasis treatments. Those can be extremely harmful.
- Minoxidil, or Rogaine. Did you know this hair regrowth treatment can kill your cat? If ingested, it can damage our hearts and cause cardiac failure! If you have a cat who loves to lick your hair or sleep on your pillow, never, ever use this application in any form. My human says she would rather go bald and have to wear a wig than put me at risk.
- Hair Mousse. Here is another hair product to keep away from your cat. Anything with ingredients like aluminum sulfate, hydrochloric acid or acetic acid can make your cat develop oral ulcers, nervous system issues and a host of other problems, if she ingests it. Always read the ingredients of any skin or hair product you use, and don’t let your cat lick it once you’ve applied it.
- Peppermint Essential Oil. One of the treatments my human tried for congestion when she was sick was putting a few drops of peppermint essential oil into lotion and rubbing it on her chest. It worked great — but there was no way she could let me near her! That’s because this essential oil — and several others, including wintergreen, ylang ylang, and tea tree oil — are toxic to cats. So when you are using an essential oil, check to see if it is safe around your cats.
- Mothballs. They are toxic to us kitties. I have seen a recommended use to keep stray cats out of gardens, but I think it is a potentially cruel solution. It’s better to scatter citrus peels — cats hate the smell, and it won’t harm them.
Not all of these items will kill your cat right away, but they could make her sick over a period of time. Some, like minoxidil, can affect a cat over just a few days. Keep track of any potentially toxic items in your house, and if your cat shows signs of being ill — lethargy, vomiting, shaking, or any other signs that something isn’t right — take her to the vet immediately. Try to discern anything toxic she may have ingested so the vet can give the proper treatment.
I hope I haven’t scared you too much! Just be cautious and careful around your kitties, and be safe always.
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Thanks for the post.
Thanks, Summer! My woman didn’t know about peppermint and tea tree oils. She is always careful to wash her hands after applying anything. Luckily, she doesn’t use most of those things you mentioned (and now, never will).
Great infomation! Faith use to love to play with pennies back when they were copper. Gramma would roll them across the floor and she’s chase them and slide on them. She’d also play a game where she’s hide them under the rug and then try to get them out. Gramma would find dozens of pennies under that rug when she cleaned. TW has new homeopathic stuff to help her sleep with lavender and other stuff which is a roll-on so she doesn’t have to touch it. Still anything with a scent, she’s afraid will bother my asthma.
That is important information. I always wash my hands after using any creams, but I didn’t know about Peppermint oil.
Great information, Summer ! Purrs
thanks, Summer. Good info for all of us to know. I knew about tea tree oil but not about peppermint.
Great info
Mom tries to be so careful about toxic things around us. She never wears shoes in the house, makes others take theirs off, always washes her hands before she touches us. Just so many things out there that could make us sick.
What good info, Summer. We had no idea!
Man…thank you!!
Fabulous post! After reading about the benefits of essential oils, especially peppermint and lavender, I was going to order some. Then I saw warnings about the dangers to cats and decided against it.
I am happy your human posts about this kind of thing…we did not know about zinc…its a good thing that my human has a “thing” about washing her hands all the time!
Purrs
Marv
Summer you, Boodie and Binga are lucky to be loved by such a cautious human.
We are glad to see the list some things we had not thought about.
Hugs madi your bfff
this was super important and thank you! I am always careful with powders, creams, etc………..I am so paranoid about them but many people are clueless so this was extremely important!
We hoomins forget that we rub stuff on our bodies, then it could get on our cats too! Excellent post!
Excellent post. I have gotten creams from the dermatologist, but never used them for fear of my cats getting harmed. I always avoid oils too , even Young Living and ones deemed safe. I never thought about hair products though. And my Penny will be sure to warn that pennies should not be ingested.
I belong to a number of Facebook groups and I am always shocked at the number of people who recommend using essential oils to treat cats. Also, tea tree oil is used in a lot of pet products…just go to one of the big box stores and read the ingredients in pet shampoos and conditioners! There are holistic vets who say the oils are safe to use if you dilute them. Why on earth would you dilute a poison and then put it on or use it around your cat? Sorry for the rant, Summer, but this is serious! Thank you for spreading the word.
Great Post Summer. We will happily share it on Facebook. It’s important that every pet parent is aware of these toxic items and pets. Purrs
very useful info… i did not realize some of these were toxic to the boyz…
Thanks for letting us know about these lesser-known things that can be toxic to us.
Thanks Summer. That is some good information.
That was very informative pretty Summer, scary stuff is sure everywhere!
Thanks, Summer! I did not know about the zinc.
Good to read this. My human does not use any of the things you listed, thankfully.
That is a very interesting and useful post, Summer. Our #1 washes her hands after applying almost anything, so we hope that has it covered.
Purrs,
The Chans
Thanks for pointing this out Summer.
So many things humans use can be dangerous 😮
Purrs Georgia,Julie and JJ
Wow! Thanks Summer. We were really surprised about the essential oils.