Paracetamol is toxic to cats
Usually cats are very careful about what they put in their mouths, but as a cat owner it is still good to know that in the environments your cat is in, there may be some dangerous medicines, plants and substances that they can come into contact with. Of course, it is difficult to always keep track of what our cats are doing, especially if they spend a lot of time outdoors, but it is important to be aware that some things cats should avoid altogether and if an accident should occur, it could lead to serious poisoning in our cats. Being aware of what can be life threatening for our cats can be the difference between life and death.
It is not uncommon to think that you can give pain relief intended for humans to your animals, but medicines for humans can be extremely harmful to cats. That's why you should never give them any medicine without a prescription from a vet.
The medicines alvedone and panodil that many people use contain the substance paracetamol and when it comes to cats, they lack the enzyme needed to break down that substance. This means that they can become very ill very quickly if they ingest alvedone. Alvedone destroys the red blood cells and affects the oxygenation of the cat and the course of the disease can be very rapid from the moment the cat ingests alvedone. Most of the time it goes away once it has happened and the situation for the cat can quickly become life-threatening and lead to death. This can sometimes happen within 24 hours of the cat ingesting toxic substances. Other consequences of a cat ingesting medicationcan be kidney and liver damage that is not detected right away or too late. If you suspect that your cat has ingested alvedone, you should go to the vet immediately. Unfortunately, if a cat has been poisoned, the prognosis for recovery is often poor as even very small doses of alvedone are extremely harmful to cats.
In cases of feline poisoning, symptoms can be diffuse and difficult to notice. Often the cat becomes very tired and may have pale mucous membranes. Other symptoms may include vomiting, but to know for sure if your cat has been poisoned you should go to the vet urgently. If you know what your cat has ingested, it is a good idea to take the packaging to a vet so that they can quickly form an opinion about what your cat has ingested.
There are certain medicines that can provoke vomiting in a cat. It can be used by the vet to reduce the absorption of the toxic substance. We recommend that you always go to the vet urgently if you suspect that your cat has been poisoned. Never try to induce vomiting in your cat by using salt, it may get salt poisoning instead.
