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Our homes are full of toxic substances that can cause serious symptoms and even death if consumed in large quantities by our pets.
While the list of toxic substances in our kitchen is long, Coffee proves to be one of the most overlooked toxic substances that can kill our cats.
The Christmas has turned our homes into instant coffee bars but we must be careful with cats.
So, is coffee safe for cats?
Can coffee cause severe health complications to cats?
Cats can be very curious and unpredictable and it’s not a surprise to find cats licking your coffee.
They have a hiding habit that usually gets them into unexpected places.
Many of these places in our homes are packed with harmful and toxic products that can actually cause death in cats.
If you are wondering what Coffee can do to your cats, you should know that all domestic pets are very sensitive to Caffeine.
Your cat doesn’t know this and so she might be tempted to sniff or taste especially if the coffee is mixed with Milk.
Cats usually need to be hydrated and so they will drink almost anything available for that purpose.
They crave for milk and if you mistakenly added coffee in your milk, they can end up tasting it.
Cats cannot digest milk and coffee which causes serious stomach upset and pains.
Why is Coffee bad for cats?
Coffee contains Caffeine which is a very serious substance for pets and humans.
Coffee contains other substances such as Magnesium and Potassium which can benefit the cat.
However, Caffeine is the culprit and usually induces severe health complications.
In cats, Caffeine has high levels of toxicity.
What to do when cat consumes large amounts of coffee?
There are several things you can do after noticing your cat is at the risk of Caffeine toxicity.
But before you rush, be sure of what is happening and rule out the possibility of your cat being poisoned by Caffeine.
If caffeine is consumed in large quantities, the cat may develop some fatal side effects.
It’s equally important to remember that even non-caffeinated beverages can contain some caffeine content.
Watch out for these symptoms to rule out the possibility of your cat being poisoned by caffeine.
- Restlessness
- Tremors
- Coma
- Rapid breathing
- Seizures
- Heart Palpitations
Its not just coffee that has caffeine, it can be found on sodas, chocolate, cocoa and many painkillers.
If you’re using milk in your coffee, the cat can easily consume it and get more serious complications.
Check out any of these complications and if you realize that your cat is suffering serious complications, it’s important to visit your vet immediately.
Don’t take a lot of time because the longer you delay the shorter the prognosis.
The vet may consider giving your cat IV fluids to get out the toxins and administer liquid charcoal to initiate vomiting if your cat consumed coffee recently.
Treating Caffeine Toxicity
Early intervention in Caffeine Toxicity is very paramount.
As soon as you realize that your cat is sick, reach out to your veterinarian immediately.
The vet may induce vomiting as the first method of flushing the toxins from the Body.
He/she may give liquid charcoal to absorb the remaining toxins or give the cat fluids to flush the toxins from the blood stream.
Pet Poison Helpline claims that even a small dose of caffeine is fatal.
How to prevent your pets from poison
There’s always the need of protecting your pet from poison.
As I stated earlier, pets and especially cats are very curious and they can end up consuming different types of toxins.
Besides caffeine, there are several other toxins that you should protect your cat from.
Here are common pet poisons and how to protect your feline friend from danger of Caffeine poison and other forms of poison.
Always keep Human Foods away from your cats
Besides coffee, tea and cocoa, there are several other human foods that can be fatal to your cat.
Your kitty may get curious and taste some of human foods such as Garlic, Chocolate, Chives or alcohol which are very fatal.
Human Medications
Human medications can be very toxic to cats and other pets.
For that reason, always keep them away from human and pet reach.
Make sure that all human medications are tightly closed and the cat cannot reach out to them or tamper with them.
Avoid poisonous Indoor and Outdoor plans
Indoor and outdoor plans such as Aloe, Hyacinths, Azalea, Lily and Marijuana are all poisonous to cats.
It’s now important to make sure that these plants are out of reach for cats.
Safely keep insecticides and other chemicals
Cats can be tempted to sniff or taste some insecticides and other chemicals that can be really toxic to them.
To be on the safer side, keep all the chemicals locked away.
They include detergents, De-icing salts, antifreeze and insecticides.
FAQs
How much coffee is bad for cats?
Cats can experience serious symptoms after consuming 9 mg/pound of Caffeine.
The symptoms might not be too serious but consumption of about 20mg/pound of caffeine can cause severe symptoms.
Can cats die from Coffee?
Yes, Cats are very sensitive to caffeine and can develop some symptoms that might threaten her life.
The symptoms usually last for some time before causing death.
Its now even better to make sure coffee and tea are out of her reach.
Do cats like smell of coffee?
Cats just like many carnivorous have serious sense of smell.
Their sense of smell is more powerful than the human’s smell.
This means that cats are very sensitive to the smell of coffee and it can turn them on.
Coffee contains Caffeine and Caffeine is very fatal to all pets including cats.
If you suspect that your cat is poisoned after drinking a caffeinated drink, its always important to reach out to your vet immediately.
The more you delay the shorter the prognosis.
The vet will implement some of the most effective methods of flushing the toxins from the body such as fluid injections and liquid charcoal to absorb the remaining poison.
