About Acetaminophen & Cats

Series Summary

Cats have been domesticated pets for centuries, providing companionship to people as far back as 9,500 years ago. Despite the stereotype of cats as solitary animals with no need for human presence, many cats have a very social relationship with their owners, providing and receiving affection on many levels. In fact, some people suggest that human owners provide a sort of surrogate mother figure for cats and kittens and that adult domesticated cats live in a sort of extended kittenhood. In this free video series on pet care, a practicing veterinarian discusses parasite and flea prevention in cats. Compare the different brands of flea medication, such as Advantage, Frontline and Revolution, and find out how they differ. Get tips on getting a cat tested for heartworms, and even find out what medications are toxic to the feline family. Keep a pet cat in optimum health by persistently providing flea and parasite prevention.

Video Transcript

"Let's talk about acetaminophen in cats. Acetaminophen is what the active ingredient is in Tylenol, but acetaminophen is actually in a lot of things. It's a pain reliever and a fever reducer in humans. The problem with it is that it's deadly in cats, so the first thing I have to say is that never ever give any type of medication over-the-counter to your any pets, and check with your veterinary clinic first if if there's anything you have a question about as far as a medication is concerned. The major reason is this, because acetaminophen in cats is extremely toxic. It's a small tablet. A three hundred and twenty five milligram tablet can be deadly to a cat. What happens is it ties up hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is what actively carries oxygen in the red blood cells in the bloodstream, and so if the oxygen carrying capacity is tied up these cats cannot breathe essentially, and so what happens is they get really muddy gums, muddy colored gums, dark, pale, and and blue muddy colored gums. They also sometimes will get edema, which is fluid under the chin, or on the forehead, liver disease basically sets in very, very quickly, and their liver dies essentially. And when, within typically twenty four to thirty six hours a cat can be, can die from an acetaminophen or Tylenol toxicity. Tylenol is in a lot of things, especially things that are for sinus problems. And so, never give an over-the-counter medication to your cat or pet without your veterinary clinic's consult first."