Earlier this month, cat lovers would have cheered the announcement of a new framework that officially allows those living in Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats to snuggle with up to two kitties at home.
It’s welcomed news after a 30-year ban on felines in HDB flats – and comes with a list of requirements such as licensing, microchipping and, for first-time cat owners, an online course on owning one.
If you’re planning to adopt your first cat, there are some lifestyle changes to consider, such as cat-proofing your place. But there are also others that not many are aware of – such as seemingly innocuous household items like scent diffusers or even certain plants and flowers that could pose potential risks to your new family member.
While cats can be “quite fastidious and careful with what they eat”, Dr Rachel Tong from Spring Vet says she sees a few poisoning cases involving cats a month.
(Photo: iStock/RapidEye)
“Most cats dislike specific scent or odours, so the ones that unwittingly ingest harmful substances or foreign objects are usually attracted to that odour, or young cats that are still very inquisitive,” she said.
Here’s what you should keep out of your cat’s reach:
SCENTED CANDLES AND ESSENTIAL OILS
What may smell good to you may be toxic to your pet as one cat owner in Singapore found out. In her TikTok video showing her lolling ragdoll cat, she wrote that “this video may look cute but I didn’t know he actually was poisoned by the scented candles gifted to me during Christmas”.
Replying to a comment, she wrote that her cat “couldn’t walk straight” and “Even the video you can see his eyes. It’s just not right”. The owner said that all it took were several candles placed in the room that her cat often slept in – and they were unlit. It wasn’t clear what scents they were.
It’s not only scented candles. What are also known to poison cats include essential oils of sweet birch, citrus, pine, ylang ylang, peppermint, cinnamon, clove, eucalyptus and tea tree. And since we aren’t sure of any feline-friendly essential oils, it is best not to burn, diffuse, spray or vaporise any in their environment, advised Dr Tong.
Typically, cats come into contact with essential oils through respiration, she said. When breathed in, the vapours can irritate their respiratory tract and may cause respiratory issues or distress. Essential oil vapours can also land on the cat’s coat and get ingested during self-grooming, she added. Cats lack an enzyme in their liver and cannot metabolise essential oils.
Signs that your cat needs the vet’s attention right away include a watery nose or eyes, drooling and/or vomiting, and difficulty breathing, said Dr Tong. “Difficulty in breathing in a cat is evidenced by laboured breathing, fast breathing, panting, coughing or wheezing.”
BLEACH
Some cats seem to get high on bleach. How else do you explain the compulsive rubbing, sniffing, purring and rolling on any surface that has been wiped with the strong-smelling disinfectant?
As it turns out, chlorine is also present in the pheromones produced by your feline companion to mark a territory, or signal to a potential mate or familiar cat. “The behaviour may be due to the chlorine odour in bleach as the smell may induce a similar response to pheromones in your cat,” said Dr Tong.
(Photo: iStock/Oleg Opryshko)
So, Tabby’s repeated visits to the same spot could be to replace the chlorine smell with his own scent to reclaim his territory or warn other cats to stay away.
If your cat is constantly sniffing or coming into contact with bleach – or even licking the surface – you’ll need to put a stop to it. “Bleach can cause ulceration of the eyes, skin, paws pads, lining of the airways and mouth, and the gastrointestinal tract,” said Dr Tong.
Symptoms of bleach exposure include drooling, difficulty or pain on swallowing, vomiting and abdominal pain, pawing at the eyes, or eyes that look watery, red, squinting or closed, she said.
PERFUMES
You may be inspired to stage one of those adorable #GRWM (get ready with me) videos with your cat but if you’re going to be spritzing and spraying stuff, can the idea. Not only would the fragrance smell nine to 16 times stronger to feline nostrils than to human ones, the scents in some skincare products and perfumes can be harmful, warned Dr Tong, as they are usually composed of aromatic oils and alcohol.
In fact, when spritzing on perfume, spray it away from your pet and only do so in well-ventilated areas. “Make sure they don’t contact the perfume directly after spraying,” she said. Perfume poisoning signs are similar to essential oil poisoning.
LILIES
(Photo: iStock/Lyudmila Lucienne)
Lilies and cats simply don’t mix. If you have kitties, don’t bring fresh-cut lilies into your space because Mochi wouldn’t be able to resist exploring the flowers and there’ll be trouble.
That’s because the entire lily plant – stem, leaves, flowers, pollen, and even the water in the vase – is toxic to your feline. And it doesn’t take much to kill your pet with fatal kidney failure. It could just be a nibble of the leaf or petal, licking a few pollen grains off his fur while grooming, or drinking the water from the vase.
In the first 12 hours after ingesting lilies, there may be decreased activity level, drooling, vomiting and loss of appetite. The signs of kidney damage start about 12 to 24 hours after ingestion and include increased urination and dehydration. If treatment is delayed by 18 hours or more after ingestion, the cat will develop irreversible kidney failure. If treatment still isn’t given within 24 to 72 hours, it will die.
Suspect lily poisoning if you notice your cat drooling, vomiting or having diarrhoea, seizures, twitching, swelling of the mouth or skin irritation after encountering a floral arrangement, said Dr Tong.
OTHER HOUSEPLANTS
(Photo: iStock/Delmaine Donson)
It’s not only lilies. The houseplants you’ve accumulated over the circuit breaker period can be poisonous baits for cats, too. Pothos – no matter the variety such as golden pothos, marble queen pothos, jade pothos, neon pothos or cebu blue pothes – all contain insoluble calcium oxalates that cause intense burning and irritation of the mouth, tongue and lips. Other plants that contain the micro needle-like oxalates include peace lily, dumbcane (aka dieffenbachia), ZZ plant (aka zamioculcas zamiifolia) as well as alocasia and philodendron varieties.
You’ll also want to watch out for sago palm and dracaena varieties such as snake plant, money tree and lucky bamboo. They contain saponins that cause gastrointestinal harm to cats.
Just because aloe vera is found in skincare products and desserts doesn’t make it feline friendly. It has anthraquinones, which have a strong laxative effect. The yellow latex that the fleshy leaves produce when cut or crushed isn’t good news either as it can also irritate the gastrointestinal tract of cats.
Like the aloe vera, the rubber plant also produces a latex when its leaves and stem are bitten, chewed, torn or scratched. The milky sap can irritate the mouth, tongue and throat of your cat.
There may be other plants that affect your pet as well. The key is to be vigilant and if you spot kitty drooling, vomiting or having nausea and diarrhoea, it's best to take him to the vet.
Continue reading...
It’s welcomed news after a 30-year ban on felines in HDB flats – and comes with a list of requirements such as licensing, microchipping and, for first-time cat owners, an online course on owning one.
If you’re planning to adopt your first cat, there are some lifestyle changes to consider, such as cat-proofing your place. But there are also others that not many are aware of – such as seemingly innocuous household items like scent diffusers or even certain plants and flowers that could pose potential risks to your new family member.
While cats can be “quite fastidious and careful with what they eat”, Dr Rachel Tong from Spring Vet says she sees a few poisoning cases involving cats a month.
(Photo: iStock/RapidEye)
“Most cats dislike specific scent or odours, so the ones that unwittingly ingest harmful substances or foreign objects are usually attracted to that odour, or young cats that are still very inquisitive,” she said.
Here’s what you should keep out of your cat’s reach:
SCENTED CANDLES AND ESSENTIAL OILS
What may smell good to you may be toxic to your pet as one cat owner in Singapore found out. In her TikTok video showing her lolling ragdoll cat, she wrote that “this video may look cute but I didn’t know he actually was poisoned by the scented candles gifted to me during Christmas”.
Replying to a comment, she wrote that her cat “couldn’t walk straight” and “Even the video you can see his eyes. It’s just not right”. The owner said that all it took were several candles placed in the room that her cat often slept in – and they were unlit. It wasn’t clear what scents they were.
It’s not only scented candles. What are also known to poison cats include essential oils of sweet birch, citrus, pine, ylang ylang, peppermint, cinnamon, clove, eucalyptus and tea tree. And since we aren’t sure of any feline-friendly essential oils, it is best not to burn, diffuse, spray or vaporise any in their environment, advised Dr Tong.
Typically, cats come into contact with essential oils through respiration, she said. When breathed in, the vapours can irritate their respiratory tract and may cause respiratory issues or distress. Essential oil vapours can also land on the cat’s coat and get ingested during self-grooming, she added. Cats lack an enzyme in their liver and cannot metabolise essential oils.
Signs that your cat needs the vet’s attention right away include a watery nose or eyes, drooling and/or vomiting, and difficulty breathing, said Dr Tong. “Difficulty in breathing in a cat is evidenced by laboured breathing, fast breathing, panting, coughing or wheezing.”
BLEACH
Some cats seem to get high on bleach. How else do you explain the compulsive rubbing, sniffing, purring and rolling on any surface that has been wiped with the strong-smelling disinfectant?
As it turns out, chlorine is also present in the pheromones produced by your feline companion to mark a territory, or signal to a potential mate or familiar cat. “The behaviour may be due to the chlorine odour in bleach as the smell may induce a similar response to pheromones in your cat,” said Dr Tong.
(Photo: iStock/Oleg Opryshko)
So, Tabby’s repeated visits to the same spot could be to replace the chlorine smell with his own scent to reclaim his territory or warn other cats to stay away.
If your cat is constantly sniffing or coming into contact with bleach – or even licking the surface – you’ll need to put a stop to it. “Bleach can cause ulceration of the eyes, skin, paws pads, lining of the airways and mouth, and the gastrointestinal tract,” said Dr Tong.
Symptoms of bleach exposure include drooling, difficulty or pain on swallowing, vomiting and abdominal pain, pawing at the eyes, or eyes that look watery, red, squinting or closed, she said.
PERFUMES
You may be inspired to stage one of those adorable #GRWM (get ready with me) videos with your cat but if you’re going to be spritzing and spraying stuff, can the idea. Not only would the fragrance smell nine to 16 times stronger to feline nostrils than to human ones, the scents in some skincare products and perfumes can be harmful, warned Dr Tong, as they are usually composed of aromatic oils and alcohol.
In fact, when spritzing on perfume, spray it away from your pet and only do so in well-ventilated areas. “Make sure they don’t contact the perfume directly after spraying,” she said. Perfume poisoning signs are similar to essential oil poisoning.
LILIES
(Photo: iStock/Lyudmila Lucienne)
Lilies and cats simply don’t mix. If you have kitties, don’t bring fresh-cut lilies into your space because Mochi wouldn’t be able to resist exploring the flowers and there’ll be trouble.
That’s because the entire lily plant – stem, leaves, flowers, pollen, and even the water in the vase – is toxic to your feline. And it doesn’t take much to kill your pet with fatal kidney failure. It could just be a nibble of the leaf or petal, licking a few pollen grains off his fur while grooming, or drinking the water from the vase.
In the first 12 hours after ingesting lilies, there may be decreased activity level, drooling, vomiting and loss of appetite. The signs of kidney damage start about 12 to 24 hours after ingestion and include increased urination and dehydration. If treatment is delayed by 18 hours or more after ingestion, the cat will develop irreversible kidney failure. If treatment still isn’t given within 24 to 72 hours, it will die.
Suspect lily poisoning if you notice your cat drooling, vomiting or having diarrhoea, seizures, twitching, swelling of the mouth or skin irritation after encountering a floral arrangement, said Dr Tong.
OTHER HOUSEPLANTS
(Photo: iStock/Delmaine Donson)
It’s not only lilies. The houseplants you’ve accumulated over the circuit breaker period can be poisonous baits for cats, too. Pothos – no matter the variety such as golden pothos, marble queen pothos, jade pothos, neon pothos or cebu blue pothes – all contain insoluble calcium oxalates that cause intense burning and irritation of the mouth, tongue and lips. Other plants that contain the micro needle-like oxalates include peace lily, dumbcane (aka dieffenbachia), ZZ plant (aka zamioculcas zamiifolia) as well as alocasia and philodendron varieties.
You’ll also want to watch out for sago palm and dracaena varieties such as snake plant, money tree and lucky bamboo. They contain saponins that cause gastrointestinal harm to cats.
Just because aloe vera is found in skincare products and desserts doesn’t make it feline friendly. It has anthraquinones, which have a strong laxative effect. The yellow latex that the fleshy leaves produce when cut or crushed isn’t good news either as it can also irritate the gastrointestinal tract of cats.
Like the aloe vera, the rubber plant also produces a latex when its leaves and stem are bitten, chewed, torn or scratched. The milky sap can irritate the mouth, tongue and throat of your cat.
There may be other plants that affect your pet as well. The key is to be vigilant and if you spot kitty drooling, vomiting or having nausea and diarrhoea, it's best to take him to the vet.
Continue reading...