Poisoning in cats: symptoms, signs, treatment

Poisoning in cats - one of the most dangerous health problems,which can lead to death. Unfortunately, in many cases, the owners are guilty of poisoning, who did not look after the pet. How to recognize the signs of poisoning and give the pet first aid?

Many believe that poisoning in dogs happensmore often than poisoning in cats, because dogs regularly walk on the street and pick up "all sorts of nasty things" from the ground, and cats sit at home. But in fact, even a domestic cat is not immune from poisoning. What ways can the cat poison??

Cats are very clean creatures, so they can poison themselves, licking out if the poisonous substance will fall on the wool. That's why, by the way, drops from fleas and mites drip onto the withers, where the cat can not reach physically. Also the cat can poison poisonous fumes from, say, insecticides or a solvent.

But most often poisoning in cats occurs when they Hazardous substances swallow. These can be medicines, inadvertentlyleft without supervision, household chemicals, means for fighting rodents, spoiled food. Cats love to gnaw houseplants, some of which are poisonous to them (for example, diffenbachia). Some cats are attracted by the sweetish smell of antifreeze (ethylene glycol) - it can also cause poisoning.

Symptoms of poisoning in cats

How does poisoning occur in cats? Signs of it can be very diverse, depending on what the cat poisoned. Typical symptoms of poisoning - vomiting, diarrhea, profuse salivation,rapid breathing, convulsions. A cat can be overexcited or depressed. Usually, these signs manifest themselves unexpectedly and grow quite rapidly.

Treatment of poisoning in cats

If you have a suspicion that your cat has poisoned, you should immediately give first aid at home. First of all, you need to protect the cat from further exposure to a poisonous substance. If the poison has got on a wool, the cat needs to be carefullywash with soap and cool water (shampoos and other detergents can not be used). If the cat inhaled poisonous substances, you must take it to fresh air or at least to a ventilated room.

And if the cat swallowed the poison, you need to induce vomiting. To induce vomiting, the cat is applied to the backa quarter of a teaspoon of salt or give a teaspoon of 3% hydrogen peroxide solution at intervals of about 10 minutes until vomiting occurs. You can also give the cat a crushed tablet of activated carbon (1-2 tsp powder suspension in water). However, if several hours have passed since the poisoning, this will not improve the condition of the pet. Also Vomit can not be caused, if the cat is unconscious, there are signs of CNS depression if the animal is poisoned with alkali or acid or if you do not know exactly what was the source of the poisoning.

Acid can be neutralized with a solution of burnt magnesia (magnesium oxide) - 1 tsp. for 2-3 kg of animal weight, and alkali - a solution of vinegar or lemon juice (3 tbsp. juice or vinegar for 4 tablespoons. cold water). Also, when poisoning with alkali or acid, you can give the cat an egg white. Milk in case of poisoning is not recommended, it can provoke suffocation.

Poisoning in cats is very dangerous for their lives, so you can not engage in self-medication. The faster you call a veterinarian, the more likely that your animal will survive and recover. While the vet is going, you need to try to determine by symptoms what the cat poisoned. This will help to prescribe the right treatment.

Usually, poisoning in cats is treated gastric lavage a weak solution of potassium permanganate or baking soda. Do it with a special probe, so do not experiment with washing yourself. Depending on the poison, saline purgatives, adsorbents (activated charcoal), hypnotic, sedative and cardiac agents may also be prescribed, medications containing caffeine (subcutaneously) or glucose solution (intravenously) may be administered.

If the doctor has prescribed medicines to the cat, they should be given strictly in accordance with the instructions. It takes some time sustain an animal on a starvation diet, until the poison is completely eliminated from the body. But the intake of water can not be limited, the cat should drink a lot.

Poisoning in cats is fraught with a fatal outcome, so at the first symptoms of poisoning it is necessary to urgently provide the animal with first aid at home and call a veterinarian, even if it seems to you that the cat has become easier. In general, it is worth carefully concealing drugs and household chemicals, keeping plants out of reach of the cat, poisoning in cats is easier to prevent than cure.