Mouse and rat poison are dangerous to cats

It is relatively uncommon for cats to be poisoned by mouse or rat poison. Cats often ingest the rat poison secondarily by catching and eating a mouse or rat.

The risk of the cat ingesting dangerous amounts of poison is lower than for dogs. It is also not as dangerous to ingest the poison secondarily.

What to do if you suspect that your cat has ingested rat poison or mouse poison:

• Contact a vet urgently
• Try to find out what type of poison your cat ingested
• Try to determine if your cat has actually eaten the poison
• Don't try to make your cat vomit, it often does more harm than good

Symptoms in cats when they have ingested rat poison

• Lethargy
• Pale mucous membranes
• Bleeding from the nose or in the stool, or bloody vomit
• Difficulty breathing if bleeding in the lungs
• Stop bleeding in the musculature.

If your cat has ingested rat poison, the symptoms can take 3-5 days to appear. Symptoms are often vague at first, becoming more visible later through, for example, bleeding. The poison makes the blood unable to coagulate, but bleeding isn't always visible, or it can be inside the body. Pay attention to other symptoms if you think your cat has ingested rat poison.

Vitamin K can act as an antidote for rat poison, but if bleeding has already occurred, blood transfusions may be needed.

Mouse poison with alphachloralose

Alphachloralose is a substance used in some types of mouse poison and can cause convulsions, salivation, movement problems and unconsciousness in cats. There is no antidote for this type of mouse poison, but supportive treatment can be given by a veterinarian.

Treatment of poisoning

If you suspect your cat has ingested poison, take them to the vet straight away. A cat that has ingested rat poison is given Vitamin K as an antidote. Against mouse poison, there is no antidote and instead the symptoms are treated.

If necessary, a veterinarian can induce vomiting by giving the cat an emetic injection. We advise against trying to make your cat vomit yourself, it often does more harm than good.