Nicotine poisoning in cats
If you are a smoker, you most certainly know the harms of nicotine on your health. You may have been battling cigarettes for a long time trying to cut down. However, it is sometimes a very sticky companion. Do you know that she is also very toxic to your cat who breathes the vapours?
Find out what causes a nicotine poisoning in cats whether it comes from a traditional or electronic cigarette.
What exactly is nicotine?
Nicotine is an alkaloid, a natural chemical compound mainly composed of nitrogen. It is found in tobacco leaves, but also in tomatoes or eggplant. It is one of the many ingredients that make up traditional or electronic cigarettes. In plants, she plays a role of insecticide and protect them. However, it is not because it is natural that it is good for our health or that of our little companions. If nicotine is known for its stimulating effects on the central nervous system human, it can however become very addictive. To understand it, we must look at its impact on the brain. When inhaled, nicotine crosses the blood-brain barrier (a barrier that prevents most substances from entering the brain from the bloodstream). It then acts on receptors in the brain. When she bonds with them, she provokes a release of neurotransmitters like dopamine, which is called the pleasure molecule, because it produces pleasure and a feeling of reward. This is why, when you smoke, it is very difficult to reduce or eliminate your consumption. However, she presents a real toxicity for our brain and, as it is accompanied by other equally harmful substances in cigarettes, it turns out to be even more dangerous and the cause of various cancers.
How is nicotine toxic for a cat?
Nicotine can be lethal to a cat at relatively low doses.
Effects of nicotine on our little felines
Our feline companions are more sensitive than us due to their small size. A reduced amount of nicotine can therefore intoxicate them. Moreover, their grooming fashion particular, which involves licking all the fur on their body, increases the risk of nicotine ingestion. Indeed, from tobacco smoke, it can be deposited on their coat. Similarly, residues present in the environment can fall on their hair. Moreover, cats living in a smoking environment have significantly higher levels of nicotine on their fur than animals living in non-smoking homes.
The effects can be acute when the cat is in contact with nicotine suddenly, but they are also chronic in smoking homes.
Acute effects of nicotine
The acute effects cause mainly neurological symptoms, due to the central and peripheral nervous system receptors on which nicotine is deposited. This translates into restlessness, tremors or even convulsions. Receptors in the autonomic nervous system may also be stimulated by the substance, which in turn produces cardiovascular effects such as increased heart rate and blood pressure. Finally, gastrointestinal effects can also appear, because the digestive receptors are also stimulated. The cat may present with excessive salivation, sometimes suffer from vomiting or diarrhea.
Chronic effects
Chronic effects nicotine are of another order. Studies suspect a risk of malignant lymphoma(cancer of the lymph), others come under respiratory disorders(asthma, bronchitis), skin problems and impaired immunity in general.
Differences in effects between traditional cigarette and electronic cigarette
When your pet breathes in traditional cigarette smoke, the effects of nicotine are compounded by those of other components such as tars. With the electronic cigarette, the liquids contain less toxic substances such as tars, but they are composed of propylene glycol. This can produce toxic and irritating compounds. Ingested by a cat, it sometimes causes severe anemia. Moreover, their nicotine concentration can be much higher. This therefore leads to more high-pitched effects. In addition, the animal can directly absorb the vaping liquid if it has a good smell and is within reach of the animal, which is extremely dangerous.
What is the toxic dose of nicotine in a cat?
The cat can be poisoned, not only directly, by accidentally swallowing a cigarette butt, chewing gum or a nicotine tablet or even by breathing in a spray, but also by passive smoking. When you smoke in front of your cat, it inhales the vapors of your electronic cigarette or the smoke of your traditional cigarettes. It can also absorb nicotine through his skin when it comes into contact with people who smoke or vape and whose hands are impregnated, for example, or with surfaces on which nicotine residues have been deposited.
If, moreover, you do not often ventilate your home and your cat remains locked up there, he breathes in very (too) large quantities.
However, the toxic dose for a cat is quite low: all you have to do is 10 mg of nicotine per kilo of cat, i.e. 30 mg to kill a 3 kg cat, regardless of the mode of absorption. The dose which, without being lethal, is nevertheless toxic, is 1 mg per kilo of the cat’s weight. A 4 kg animal will therefore be poisoned by 4 mg of nicotine. However, a traditional cigarette alone contains between 10 and 30mg of nicotine. Only one can therefore kill a small cat, the toxic dose being very low.
What to do if your cat is intoxicated?
If your cat shows the signs of intoxication described, you are facing a veterinary emergency. So bring your animal in without delay, especially if you do not know the dose to which it has been exposed. The sooner he is taken care of, the better his prognosis will be, even if the latter depends on the quantity of nicotine absorbed and the clinical signs.
The diagnosis of intoxication is made by the veterinarian on the basis symptoms and history exposure to nicotine. Sometimes, additional tests, in the form of a blood test, are prescribed to confirm the diagnosis of poisoning. The treatment aims to eliminate the nicotine from the body of the animal. It is necessary in parallel control symptoms and especially, support vital functions. Sometimes you have to make the cat vomit, administer activated charcoal to bind the nicotine in the stomach, and add medication to control convulsions and tremors. It is generally necessary to hospitalize the animal to regularly monitor and support it.
With prompt and proper treatment, many cats make a full recovery.
How to prevent further poisoning?
The best way to protect your cat from passive smoking is to do not smoke or vape inside your home, and even less in front of him. If you can’t go out for some reason, try smoking in a well-ventilated room away from your petopen your window.
Also, be sure to keep all of your nicotine products somewhere inaccessible to your cat’s curious little nose. Watch out for the packet of cigarettes left in the open purse! Similarly, cigarette butts left in the ashtray pose great dangers, especially for kittens who risk playing with them and taking one in their mouths.
Opt for storage in a lockable cupboard or a high drawer that your little companion is not able to open.
Also be careful when handling cockroach-type insecticides, including cat repellents, as some contain nicotine, as we will see below.
Finally, always wash your hands after smoking or vaping to avoid depositing nicotine on your cat by petting it. Also clean your clothes, furniture and other surfaces well to remove nicotine residue.
Did you know that some insecticides have a form of nicotine?
Some insecticides have what is called neonicotinoids, such as imidacloprid, for example. These are molecules which, among other things, have the reputation of destroying bees. Products containing it have been banned in France, except for pest control for our pets. This concerns dogs and cats, but also rabbits and ferrets. The doses contained in these products are considered non-toxic for our animals. However, ANSES (national food safety agency) recommends not to touch them for 24 hours after having treated them… which the owners generally do not respect. How can we avoid stroking our cat or forbidding it to come against us for 24 hours? But if the products are considered neurotoxic for humans, we can legitimately ask the question of their repeated effects on our cats, especially when several live together, fight or lick each other after being treated. For now, there is no recognized alternative to have the same effectiveness against fleas and ticks. These insects can cause serious illnesses.
Neonicotinoids are also found in cockroach repellents, some fly repellents and even substances used against termites. It is therefore advisable to wash your hands well after handling them, not only for you, but also to avoid depositing them on your cat’s coat. It is also necessary not to allow your cat to approach the treated area for at least 24 hours.
Nicotine is a real danger for pets, cats like dogs. This threat is however often underestimated whereas it can be fatal. It must therefore be taken seriously. Prevention, awareness and education are the best ways to avoid poisoning. If you are a smoker, remember to protect your pet from passive smoking, and if you are not, warn your guests and encourage them to smoke outside or in a ventilated room and away from your little companion.
