10 Home Items that Can Kill your Cat

In the warmer months, it's normal for your cat to try and drink water wherever they find it. If their water bowl is empty, they might try to get some liquid from other sources. If you've just cleaned the floor and carelessly left the bucket full of water with bleach out in the open, you may have a serious problem on your hands.

Cats love bleach - they find it irresistible. Of course, this can pose a serious problem for their health, becoming one of the most common home items that can kill a cat. Bleach is very harmful and can cause serious problems in their digestive system as well as vomiting, excessive salivation and lots of pain. If they vomit, bleach can be a terrible corrosive for the cat's mouth.

Aspirin is a very common drug which causes no harm to the human body. However, the effects of aspirin on your cat can be very serious, because it is highly poisonous for cats. Other drugs, such as paracetamol, are also toxic for cats.

Poinsettia, a common but dangerous Christmas ornament, is one of the poisonous plants for cats. It's really important to make sure your cat has no access to this plant at all, since it seems that they have a natural attraction to poinsettias.

Consuming small amounts of the milky sage of poinsettia causes vomiting and diarrhea, whereas consuming large amounts could be very dangerous.

Chocolate contains a toxic substance called theobromine, an alkaloid obtained from cocoa which stimulates the cat's nervous system. Contrary to what happens with human beings, cats are unable to remove this substance from their bodies. Only six grams per kilogram of the cat's weight can be fatal.

Theobromine is also poisonous for dogs; here you can learn more about why can't dogs and cats eat chocolate.

Just as what happens with people, inhaling tobacco smoke increases the chances of cats developing cancer. If you're a smoker you should make sure to keep the windows wide open, smoke outside whenever possible, and always blow the smoke towards the ceiling.

Even if cartoons say otherwise, it isn't a good idea to give your cat raw fish, even if you have some leftover sashimi. Raw fish may contain bacteria which are very harmful to cats that are used to eating dry feed. On the other hand, we should also keep an eye on fish bones, which are one of the main causes of intestinal perforation in cats and thus one of the most common house items that can kill cats.

The consumption of certain fish such as tuna can lead to vitamin B deficiencies an an excessive amount of mercury, which is very harmful for cats.

Mothballs are a very common household item, and chances are that your cat will feel attracted to the toy-sized colorful mothballs that they sees on the floor. If your cat eats a mothball you may be facing a very serious health problem, since mothballs can cause serious damage to the nervous system. Your cat may suffer vomiting, diarrhea and even convulsions.

Who doesn't have toothpaste around the house? Although it's not dangerous for humans, it is for cats - in fact, it is among the home items that can kill a cat. Toothpaste contains a high amount of chemical substances such as fluorine and abrasives such as salts. Fluorine in particular is very harmful and dangerous to a cat's health.

Ingesting toothpaste can cause nervous disorders, difficulty in paying attention, heartburn, vomiting and internal damage. In the long run it can even cause incontinence and even death. It's really important to make sure your cat has no access to this product.

Different types of paints include of pigments, thickeners, solvents, plasticizers and other chemical elements. They can all be damaging for your cat's internal health, and solvents in particular can cause hallucinations, very severe interior pain, convulsions, epilepsy, comas and even cardiac arrhythmia. Paint is one of the most dangerous household items for cats.

It goes without saying that any type of poison is very harmful for the health of your pets. If you have cats or dogs at home, you should never try and kill rats with poison as your animals could become affected. Don't forget that children also have a tendency to eat anything that they find.

Your best bet is a homemade trap that doesn't kill the rat, also causing no harm to your animals. Consuming rat poison can cause a very quick death to your cat.

If your cat has been poisoned you should go to the vet as soon as possible so that they can help them rid the body of the toxic substance. Go to the emergency vet if necessary. The life of your cat is in danger if they have consumed any of these 10 home items that can kill your cat.

Remember that it's not advisable to try and make the cat vomit if you're not sure what they have consumed, as some products such as bleach can act as dangerous corrosives in their mouth.

Here is a thorough guide to poisoning in cats, including the most common symptoms and first aid that you should learn.

The best thing to do to prevent your cat getting poisoned is to keep all of these dangerous home items out of their reach, just like you would do with a small child. You can't expect the cat to be able to differentiate between harmful and non-harmful substances. It needs to be you who is responsible for ensuring their safety.

This article is purely informative. AnimalWised does not have the authority to prescribe any veterinary treatment or create a diagnosis. We invite you to take your pet to the veterinarian if they are suffering from any condition or pain.

If you want to read similar articles to 10 Home Items that Can Kill your Cat, we recommend you visit our Prevention category.