POISONOUS CHEMICALS
This is not at all an inclusive list of poisonous chemicals, but is the most frequently ingested in the cat crowd. Many of these chemicals are used to control vermin and insects, and because your cat will unhesitatingly eat either of these, he may consume the drug second hand. Rat poison can be Strychnine, Sodium Fluroacetate (1080), Metaldehyde, Phosphorus, Arsenic, Zinc Phosphide, Decon, Warfarin, and Pindone. Add to this list, food poisoning, lead poisoning, drinking antifreeze (they love the stuff) and the accidental ingestion of human drugs and your symptoms all look pretty similar:
Your cat may exhibit one or all of these symptoms. Treat poisoning by these chemicals by inducing vomiting and then coat the bowels and delay absorption as indicated in POISONING. These are only temporary measures and you should get your cat to a Veterinarian as quickly as possible. Many poisons result in long lasting problems usually affecting the liver and or kidneys. This is why it is so important to remove the toxins from the body as quickly as possible.
Some poisons are absorbed through the skin. Insecticides such as Dichlorvos, Malathion, Sevin dust, Ectoral, Lindane, Methoxychlor, Toxaphene, Chlordane, and Lead are used to kill fleas, but used improperly can kill the cat instead of the flea. Symptoms include twitching, convulsions, and hysteria. If the cat has licked his fur, induce vomiting and then wash the cat immediately.
If your exotic ingests gasoline, turpentine or kerosene or even inhales them, he may exhibit signs of laboured breathing, convulsions, vomiting and coma. DO NOT INDUCE VOMITING. Be ready to give artificial respiration if the cat stops breathing and give one ounce of cooking oil and then thirty minutes later give one teaspoon of Milk Of Magnesia per five pounds of body weight. Get him to your Veterinarian.
If your feline swallows acid DO NOT INDUCE VOMITING. Rinse the cat’s mouth with water and then give one teaspoon of Milk of Magnesia for every five pounds of body weight. If it was an alkali, DO NOT INDUCE VOMITING and mix one part vinegar or lemon juice to four parts water and give orally.
If your cat licks or eats a Bufo Marinus Toad, use a garden hose or kitchen sprayer to flush the mouth, being careful not to drown the cat. There are 12 species of this nasty frog world wide and they prefer dark, damp areas, like the places your cat will most likely choose to cool off. A cat can die within 15 minutes of tasting one of these toads. Induce vomiting and then be ready to administer artificial respiration on your way to the Veterinarian. We had a Bengal survive his encounter with the Florida species of this toad, but he nearly lost his tongue from the corrosiveness of the secretion.
As with most disasters, you can prevent them with proper planning and not having to deal with these emergencies is a reward that will far outweigh the time and cost involved in prevention.