What could have poisoned the kitty?

October 31, 2005 2:48 PM

My friend's (strictly indoor) cat recently died of poisoning. Potential causes?

The autopsy shows symptoms similar to that from poisoning by ethylene glycol (antifreeze): calcified crystals in the kidneys. There's pretty much no chance that the cat found any ethylene glycol, though, and the only plants in the house were kitty-safe African violets. Has anyone had any experience with cat poisoning? Can you think of any likely causes?

posted by unknowncommand to pets & animals (14 comments total)

Does your friend have roommates or regular visitors who perhaps don't like cats?
posted by mr_crash_davis at 2:54 PM on October 31, 2005

Does your friend have any enemies, or is there anyone around who was or might have been annoyed by the cat? I hate to say it, but it sounds like someone might have poisoned it purposely. Antifreeze is a favorite tool of pet poisoners -- a fellow who lived across the street from me killed two of my childhood cats that way.
posted by vorfeed at 2:56 PM on October 31, 2005

Some cleaning products meant for kitchen and bathroom or tiled surfaces contain this crap. Plus, with it's slightly sweet taste, pets will lick the floor or other surfaces.

Watch out for the Swiffer WetJet- I know this is a product that had the small-label warning for pets.
posted by id at 2:59 PM on October 31, 2005

The WetJet information is false. [No slight intended, id. Just clearing up rumors.]
posted by Loser at 3:17 PM on October 31, 2005

Household products containing ethylene glycol.
Containing propylene glycol. The latter, especially, includes many personal-care products.
posted by dhartung at 3:36 PM on October 31, 2005

Paracetamol is cat arsenic. Maybe that?
posted by armoured-ant at 3:46 PM on October 31, 2005

n.b. paracetamol = acetaminophen (tylenol).

Aspirin is also bad for cats.

Could the cat have eaten a mouse that had in turn been poisoned?
posted by zadcat at 4:17 PM on October 31, 2005

Accidentally crushed tablet behind a sink or something? We had a bad scare with our cat after finding crushed Tylenol on the floor, as others have mentioned, it causes liver damage and can be fatal.
posted by desuetude at 6:01 PM on October 31, 2005

Ditto on the aspirin poisoning in pets--this is a common tragedy around holidays as some people put aspirin in water to keep flowers and Christmas trees fresh. This is definitely a bad thing if you've got pets or tiny tots around.

Here's one list of common products that are poisonous to cats. Lots and lots of things on that list, unfortunately.
posted by divka at 6:07 PM on October 31, 2005

Ditto on the aspirin poisoning in pets

Although aspirin is poisonous for cats, it is certainly indicated for use in dogs. Dunno about any other critters, and IANAV.
posted by fuzzy_wuzzy at 6:50 PM on October 31, 2005

Apologies for the quasi-thread-jack, but perhaps they ate some chocolate? I don't know why chocolate is dangerous for dogs (and, I believe, cats), but it seems to be a fairly popular warning that I've accepted on faith. Any clues?
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 7:19 PM on October 31, 2005

C_D, I believe expiration due to chocolate poisoning would be more like a heart attack. In this case, the necropsy showed crystalization in the brain and/or kidneys, which is caused especially by ethylene glycol. Another possibility though is hyperoxaluria, a genetic disease which causes similar calcium oxylate crystals to form. Affected cats usually succumb at a fairly young age.
posted by fuzzy_wuzzy at 8:25 PM on October 31, 2005

C_D: Chocolate contains theobromine, a cardiac stimulant/diuretic that dogs are especially sensitive to; cats are much less sensitive and would probably need to consume quite a bit for it to become a problem.

On the other hand, "As little as one teaspoon of antifreeze can be deadly to a cat".
posted by Freaky at 4:56 AM on November 1, 2005

Thanks for all your replies (I apologize for not writing earlier but I didn't realize how important it was to some folks). We're pretty sure that it wasn't intentional poisoning, as the cat-owner in question has no roommates or friends either sadly (new to the area). The cat also probably could not have lived this long (3 years) with a genetic condition. My friend ransacked all the cabinets and really came up with nothing. Unknown. But thanks so much for the suggestions, it was good to be able to say that if a bunch of smart people couldn't figure it out then it probably was not preventable.
posted by unknowncommand at 1:27 PM on November 30, 2005