Rat Poison & Cats
It can be a scary thing when your cat ingests rat poisoning. Not only can it make your cat very ill but it can cause death.
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Rat Poison
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Rat poison, also known as a rodenticide contains chemicals that kill rats once ingested.
Ingestion
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Cats may suffer from rat poisoning if they ingest the poison or if they eat a dead rat that has ingested the poison.
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Symptoms
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Depending on the chemical used in the particular poison, different symptoms may occur. Strychnine is used as a rat, mouse or mole poison. Ingestion of strychnine may cause agitation or cause your cat to collapse. Other chemicals such as sodium fluoroacetate may cause vomiting, convulsions, or difficulty urinating or defecating. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, ingested poisons can also lead to health problems such as bleeding, seizures or kidney damage. In addition, theses problems can be life threatening.
Prevention
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You can prevent your cat from getting rat poisoning by not leaving the poison anywhere your cat has access to it. In addition, monitor your cat to ensure it does not ingest the remains of infected dead rodents. You can help prevent this by keeping your cat indoors.
Treatment
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Contact your veterinarian immediately. Your veterinarian may recommend that you try to induce vomiting if the cat hasn’t vomited already. In addition, vomiting should not be induced if the cat shows signs of labored breathing or nervous system involvement. You can induce vomiting by administering three percent hydrogen peroxide using a dropper. The dosage should be 1 tsp. per 10 lbs. of body weight. You must then bring your cat to the nearest veterinary clinic as soon as possible.
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References
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