Canberra Cat Vet Blog

Fleas are out and about again with the warmer weather. Be sure to only use a cat flea product on your cat.

Dog flea products containing permethrin can be fatal if applied to cats even in small amounts. It is vital that dog flea products are not applied to cats.

In fact it is better that flea products with permethrin in them are not used on dogs who live with cats. A treated dog only has to brush against a cat to poison her. 

Last summer we saw Smokey cat who sleeps nestled against the family dog, Jessie. Last year Jessie was treated with a permethrin flea and tick product before going down the coast for holidays.

Some hours later Smokey started frothing at the mouth, vomiting and twitching. She was whisked off to us and spent several days in intensive care.

Next time the family will use a tick prevention product like Frontline or Frontera on Jessie that is safe for cats as well. They only use products intended for cats, like Activyl, Advantage, Comfortis or Revolution, on Smokey.

All species of lilies are toxic to cats. Indoor cats with little choice in plant munching material are most at risk as they will try any cut flower that comes into the house.  Any part of the plant – flowers, leaves or stems - is dangerous. Even lily pollen licked off the coat destroys cats’ kidney tubules.

Lilies proven to poison cats include: Easter Lily, Tiger Lily, Day Lily, Glory Lily, Stargazer Lily, Rubrum Lily, Asian Lily and the Japanese Show Lily.

If you see your cat with lily on her coat, in her mouth or in her vomit don’t wait for signs of poisoning. The sooner we get it out of her system and start treatment to protect the kidneys the greater her chance of survival.

Affected cats vomit and are depressed within hours of ingesting lily. Some then seem to recover before starting to show signs of severe kidney failure a day or so later. Others continue vomiting, go off their food and get more and more depressed.

If emptying the stomach and medications to prevent absorption of the toxin are effective, the chance of recovery is excellent. If your cat absorbs enough toxin to cause damage to her kidneys then her outlook is very poor. It is essential to seek emergency care immediately after ingestion of the lily plant.