Emergency Action: My Cat Consumed a Poisoned Rodent! Vital Vet-Reviewed Steps

Cats are pure predators. They like to hunt toys, bugs, and even small animals in the event that they get the chance to. Many individuals have cats as pets not just for companionship but additionally to assist defend their properties from rodents and different pests (like cockroaches).

Not all cats eat the mice that they catch and kill, however some do. In case your cat does eat a rat or mouse, it’s unlikely that they’ll get unwell, even when the rodent has been poisoned. The concept of your kitty consuming a poisoned mouse might sound scary, but when you already know the dangers and the indicators to look out for, you possibly can have the arrogance of figuring out you can deal with the scenario.

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The three Steps to Observe After Your Cat Ate a Poisoned Mouse

1. Perceive the Danger

Whereas it’s potential, it’s not generally reported for a cat to get significantly unwell after consuming some and even all of a poisoned rodent. The quantity of poison {that a} rodent should eat to be lethal is way lower than what a cat would want. This doesn’t imply that the poison received’t have an effect on your cat in any approach, and it’s all the time really useful to contact your vet when you’ve got considerations your cat might have been uncovered to a poison.

Poisoning is just not the one threat of a useless rat or mouse. These rodents are inclined to harbor issues like mites, roundworms, and even fleas—none of which you need your cat to grow to be infested with. In case your cat is your designated rodent hunter, they need to obtain common parasite prevention medicines and coverings.

sick ginger cat — Picture Creidt: JumpStory

2. Maintain an Eye Out for Indicators

If you happen to discover that your cat has eaten some or all of a rodent, it’s a good suggestion to look at for indicators of poisoning or sickness for about 48 hours. Throughout this time, your pet might show the next scientific indicators if the poison within the rodent has affected them:

Lethargy
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Stomach discomfort

If any of those indicators come up, contact your veterinarian, and go to an emergency veterinary clinic if potential. However you possibly can loosen up if no indicators of poisoning are displayed in the course of the 48 hours after your cat eats a mouse.

Parasites take longer to settle in and don’t pose as a lot of an instantaneous hazard as poisoning does. Nevertheless, you must proceed to maintain a watch out for indicators of parasite infestation, which embody:

Boring coat
Coughing
Bloody feces
Lack of urge for food
A “pot stomach”

In case your cat does get infested with parasites, the issue can usually be handled by a veterinarian. Afterward, your cat will go on to dwell a cheerful, wholesome, and protected life.

sick cat vomiting the food — Picture Credit score: Tom Wang, Shutterstock

3. Think about Different Types of Rodent Administration

Among the finest methods to make sure that your cat doesn’t eat a poisoned mouse is to keep away from rodent administration choices that contain poison to start with. An efficient possibility is a mechanical “snap lure” that allows you to load it with treats that mice and rats like, akin to peanut butter or small items of meat. When a rat goes to eat the deal with, the lure snaps closed and kills the rodent. One of these lure does require you to scrub the lure, however it can make sure that your cat stays protected from poisons of any type.

Different choices embody:

Sonic Pest Repellents — These are designed to repel rodents with noise frequencies that they will hear however people and pet canine and cats can’t. Understand that there may be little research-backed literature to confirm the effectiveness of those merchandise. Some individuals report that they work, whereas others say that they don’t. The one approach to know if a sonic pest repellent will be just right for you is to strive it.
Humane Launch Traps — These are normally designed to look and performance like pet habitats, although they’re meant to be non permanent, in order that they usually are usually not that giant in dimension or form. The concept is so that you can put a snack inside, and when a mouse enters to retrieve the snack, the habitat mechanically closes, and the rodent is trapped till you let it free some place else.
A Skilled Pest Management Specialist — Let your service supplier know that you’re making an attempt to maintain rodents away whereas protecting your cat, and they need to be capable of current you with humane pest management choices to contemplate.

The concept is to make use of measures to maintain rodents out of your own home with out risking the standard of your pet cat’s well being and happiness. There are all the time totally different choices to show to if one doesn’t be just right for you.

Pest Repeller — Picture Credit score: GS23, Shutterstock

Conclusion

Whereas it’s true that cats can grow to be sick after consuming a poisoned mouse, few cats grow to be extraordinarily unwell, and good veterinary intervetion can assist many of those. Cats are at increased risk of contracting a parasitic infestation than anything. Now, you already know the indicators to search for in case your kitty eats a mouse and what to do about it when you discover any issues.

Featured Picture Credit score: Viacheslav Lopatin, Shutterstock