Poisoned cat: what to do in the first few minutes and what never to do
Most poisonings in cats happen at home, with everyday products and plants, and many can be treated successfully if you act quickly. Some poisons, such as lilies or antifreeze, cause no symptoms at first, and that is exactly when treatment works best. This is the guide to the first few minutes.
Why cats are so sensitive
A cat’s liver has a limited ability to process many substances, especially those eliminated through a mechanism called glucuronidation, which is very poor in cats. That is why drugs and products that are safe for people or dogs can be deadly for them. Cats also groom thoroughly: anything that sticks to their fur or paws, such as dust, cleaning fluids or pollen, ends up in their mouth. And they are curious: they chew plants, lick surfaces and play with tablets that fall on the floor. All this makes the home the main setting for feline poisonings.
The most common poisons at home
True lilies (Lilium) and daylilies (Hemerocallis): any part of the plant, including pollen licked off the fur or the water in the vase, can cause acute kidney failure. Dog spot-ons and collars containing permethrin, deadly to cats, including through contact with a recently treated dog. Human medicines: paracetamol, ibuprofen, antidepressants, ADHD medication and others. Anticoagulant rat poisons, which cause bleeding days later. Antifreeze containing ethylene glycol, which tastes sweet. Essential oils, such as tea tree or eucalyptus. Slug pellets containing metaldehyde. Onion and garlic in quantity. And cannabis and products containing it.
Symptoms that should alert you
The signs vary a great deal with the poison, but the most common are drooling or foaming at the mouth, vomiting, diarrhoea, tremors, seizures, staggering, very dilated or very small pupils, difficulty breathing, gums that are pale, bluish or chocolate brown (typical of paracetamol), swelling of the face or paws, marked lethargy, bleeding from the gums or in the urine, or very strange behaviour. But some poisons cause no symptoms for hours or days: with lilies, antifreeze and anticoagulant rat poisons, a cat can seem normal while the damage progresses. If you know or suspect it has been in contact with any of these, do not wait for symptoms.
What to do in the first few minutes
Move the cat away from the source of the poison and remove whatever is left within its reach. If there is something on its fur or skin, stop it licking, for example by wrapping it in a towel. Take the packaging, label, leaflet or a piece of the plant, or take a clear photo: it is the most useful information for the vet. Work out, if you can, how much it has eaten or touched and when. Call your clinic or a 24-hour emergency veterinary hospital and explain what has happened: they will tell you whether you need to come in and what to do in the meantime. And go, without waiting to see whether it becomes ill. With poisonings, the difference between arriving in one hour and in twelve can be the difference between a scare and kidney failure.
What you must never do
Do not make it vomit at home. The methods circulating online do not work in cats: salt can cause serious sodium poisoning, hydrogen peroxide causes gastritis and bleeding ulcers and is not effective in this species, and putting your fingers down its throat is dangerous for both of you. Also, with some poisons, such as caustic substances or petroleum products, vomiting makes the injuries worse. Do not give it milk, oil or any “home antidote”. Do not give it human medicines to treat the symptoms. And do not wait for it to get better on its own. If the vet decides the stomach should be emptied, they will do it with veterinary drugs that are safe and effective in cats.
If the poison is on its skin
If you have put a dog spot-on on it by mistake or it has a product on its coat, call the vet first. They will often advise washing it straight away with lukewarm water and a mild washing-up liquid, rinsing very thoroughly several times and drying it with towels so it does not get cold, without rubbing hard or using hot water. Only do this if the cat is calm and not having seizures, wearing gloves and with help, and if it is very agitated or trembling, do not waste time and go straight to the clinic. If the contact was with lily pollen, even just an orange smudge on the fur, take it to the vet anyway: washing does not guarantee it has not already licked some off.
What the vet will do
First, stabilise: control seizures, give oxygen if needed, regulate temperature. Then decontaminate, if there is still time: induce vomiting with veterinary drugs, give activated charcoal so the poison is not absorbed, or wash the skin. For some poisons there are specific antidotes, such as vitamin K for anticoagulant rat poisons or the treatment for paracetamol poisoning, which must be started early. For others, such as lilies, the key treatment is intravenous fluids for two or three days to protect the kidneys, with follow-up blood tests. Hospitalisation and prognosis depend on the poison, the amount and, above all, how much time has passed.
What it costs in Spain in 2026
As a guide: out-of-hours emergency, €70 to €150 for the visit alone; decontamination with induced vomiting and activated charcoal, €100 to €250; blood tests, €80 to €160 each; hospitalisation on fluids, €80 to €200 a day. Lily poisoning treated in time, with two or three days of fluids and blood tests, usually costs €400 to €1,000. Permethrin poisoning with seizures and hospitalisation, from €300 to over €1,000. Kidney failure from lilies or antifreeze that arrives late may need intensive care and dialysis, available at very few centres, with costs of several thousand euros and a guarded prognosis. Getting there early is also the cheapest option.
Plants and foods: the list to check
Besides lilies, some common houseplants cause problems: dieffenbachia, pothos, philodendron and poinsettia irritate the mouth and stomach, and the sago palm (Cycas) is highly toxic to the liver. Among foods, onion, garlic and leek cause anaemia even in small, repeated amounts, and chocolate, alcohol, caffeine and raw bread dough are dangerous. Michipedia has a tool to check whether a plant is toxic and another to find out whether a food is safe: use them before bringing a new plant home or sharing something from your plate.
Prevention
Do not keep lilies at home, in bouquets or on the balcony: it is the simplest and most important measure. Use only parasite treatments made for cats, and if your cat lives with a dog treated with permethrin, keep them apart until the spot-on is dry. Keep medicines in closed cupboards and do not leave them on the bedside table. Cleaning products and antifreeze tightly closed and out of reach, and floors rinsed after mopping. No essential oil diffusers. If you use rat poison or slug pellets, put them where the cat cannot reach, or better still, use poison-free alternatives. And keep the phone numbers of your clinic and a nearby 24-hour emergency veterinary hospital to hand.
If you suspect poisoning, move the cat away from the poison, keep the packaging or a photo, call your vet or an emergency clinic and go without waiting for symptoms. Never make it vomit at home with salt or hydrogen peroxide. Lilies, dog spot-ons and paracetamol are the most common dangers.
Educational content from Michipedia, translated from the Spanish original. It does not replace the advice of a vet or a feline behaviour specialist. Every cat is an individual.