Our beloved cats are so curious that sometimes they can put something in their mouth that is not entirely appropriate for them. They can swallow any substance that they find pleasant to taste, or by being distracted by playing “hunting”.
Of course, not all the substances or objects that our felines find are not edible and some are even very dangerous. What can we do when this happens?
What is vomit?
First of all, I think it is important that we know what vomiting is and why we should go to the vet. Vomiting is the expulsion of gastric contents through the mouth. You will always have nausea, retching and will make abdominal effort to be able to expel the greater gastric content.
When in doubt, his thing is that you call the veterinary center you usually go to. Tell him what the case is so that he can assess the seriousness of the situation.
Here I attach some situations in which you should take your cat to the veterinary center if it vomits:
- In kittens under one year of age.
- If you suspect that you have ingested human drugs or a toxic substance (poison for snails, rodenticides, etc.)
- If it is suspected that a foreign body has been eaten, such as rope, thread, needles, etc.
- If you vomit very frequently or the vomiting is persistent.
- If in the vomit we find bilious content, blood or something similar to "coffee grounds".
- If during the day you vomit more than 2-3 times.
How do I know if my cat is nauseous?
Our friends have a very subtle way of expressing nausea. As a first indication can they stop eating. Other times it will have like a slight drooling and will movements with the tongue, as if licking the remains of food from his mouth.
The ideal is, of course, to go to the vet, but if we live far from a clinic it is important to know how to make a cat vomit and when not to induce vomiting.
When should NOT make a cat vomit?
No matter how bad we see it, we do not have to induce vomiting under any circumstances if you have swallowed chlorine, gasoline, or any product that is used to maintain the car or to clean the home. That is, any product that is corrosive. The reason is that by ingesting it the animal has already caused damage and if we induce vomiting, the damage to the esophagus is enhanced by joining the corrosive with the acidic juice of the stomach. It is important to ensure that there are no remains on the floor.
In addition, If more than two hours have passed since the animal ingested the toxic product or the foreign object, vomiting cannot be caused. This is because after two hours it will have passed into the small intestine and in the case of toxic substances, part will have been absorbed by it. In this case it is urgent and vitally important that you go to the nearest veterinary center you have.
Activated charcoal can be given to prevent it from absorbing the poison. Activated charcoal can be found in any pharmacy without the need for veterinary pre-registration. We will use about 4-5 tablets of activated carbon diluted with a little water, for a cat of about 3-4 kg.
Another case in which the cat cannot be made to vomit is if the animal is unconscious because of the risk of suffocation due to aspiration.
Asphyxia by aspiration is based on the fact that when the animal is not conscious or has an object that obstructs the airways and the gastric content can pass to the lungs because the epiglottis partially closes the passage or does not close it.
When should a cat vomit?
Not everything our four-legged friend eats is directly dangerous for him. But we do have to keep an eye on him if we suspect that he has eaten something he shouldn't have. Take special care with home air freshenersMany times we choose sweet smells that are "appetizing" for them. Herbs or plants that have been treated with herbicides.
How to make the cat vomit?
Of course, Vomiting will be induced if the vet tells us to.
At home we can induce vomiting with hydrogen peroxide of 3% purity. You will be given 5ml of 3% hydrogen peroxide, which amounts to a teaspoon of coffee. We at home will not give more since it can be harmful to the animal by not having enough training or means. It is important that after giving the hydrogen peroxide dilution we make the animal walk so that it is more effective.
Once the cat has vomited, activated charcoal will be administered in the doses mentioned above in this post.
One of the main situations in which we think about how to make a cat vomit is because it has eaten some of the plants that we have at home. Next, I leave you a list of the plants that we normally have in our homes and gardens and that are toxic to cats.
Plants toxic to cats
If you take these plants into account, you will save your cat a bad time and we can prevent you from having to make your cat vomit.
Inside plants
- Aphelandra
- Castor oil plant (Ricinus)
- Christmas cherry (Solanum)
- Chrysanthemum (Dendranthema)
- codiaemun
- Cyclamen or persian violet
- Devil's ivy, Poto (Epipremmun aereum)
- diephenbakia
- Elephant ear
- ferns
- Holly (Ilex)
- Hypoestes phyllostachya
- Hyacinth (Hyacinthus)
- Ivy
- Mistletoe (Viscum)
- Oleander (Nerium oleander)
- Ornithogalum (from the hyacinth family)
- Poinsenttia or poinsettia (Euphorbia)
- Senecio
- Belen star
- Umbrella tree
- Zebra plant
Garden plants
- Abrus precatorius or American licorice
- Hyoscyamus
- Aconite (Aconite)
- Ilex (Holly)
- Actaea Impatiens
- Aesculus (Horse Chestnut or False Chestnut)
- Ipomoea (bells)
- Agrostemma githago (candelaria or carnation)
- Aleurites Hedera (Ivy)
- Allium sp. (onion, leek, garlic)
- Jasminum (jasmine)
- Alocasia
- Juniperus sabina (creeping juniper)
- Alstroemeria (lily of Peru)
- Anagallis laburnum
- Anemone (forest anemone)
- Lantana (Spanish flag)
- Angel's Trumpet (Brugmansia)
- Larkspur (Delphinium)
- Lathyrus (Orobus)
- Angel Wings (Caladium)
- Ligustrum (Henna)
- Apricot tree (Prunus armeniaca)
- Lilium
- Aquilegia (Colombinas)
- Lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis)
- Arisaema (cobra lilies)
- Arum (VERY POISONOUS)
- Linum (Linen)
- Astragalus
- Lobelia
- Atropa
- White lily
- Avocado (Persea americana)
- Azalea (Rhododendron)
- Lupinus (lupine or lupine)
- St. Christopher's Wort (Actaea)
- Lycopersicon (potato, tomato)
- Bird or flower of paradise (Strelitzia)
- Lysichiton (Skunk cabbage)
- Black-eyed Susana (Thunbergia)
- Madagascar Vinca (Catharanthus)
- Bloodroot (Digitalica)
- Dianthus (Tagetes, Moor's carnation)
- Boxwood (Buxus)
- Melia (Mahogany Family)
- Nicotiana (tobacco)
- Peach (Prunus persica)
- Broom (Cystisus)
- Mirabilis jalapa (Don Diego at night)
- Brugmansia (Angel's Trumpet)
- Monk Wood (Aconitum)
- Bironia Bellflower (Ipomoea)
- Buckthorn (Rhammus)
- Narcissus (daffodil)
- Burning Bush (Dictamnus)
- Nerium oleander (Oleander)
- Buttercup (Ranunculus)
- Boxwood
- Belladona
- Caladium
- Caltha
- Oak or holm oak (Quercus)
- Catharanthus
- Onion (Allium)
- Celastrus
- Ornithogalum
- Centaurea cyanus (cornflower or blueberry)
- oxytropis
- Cestrum (gallant at night)
- Paeonia (peonies)
- Papaver (poppy)
- Parthenocissus (climber)
- Chinchinchee (Ornithogalum)
- Peony (Paeonia)
- pernettya
- Clematis (clematis)
- Philodendron
- Colchicum (autumn crocus or saffron)
- Physalis
- Columbian (Aquilegia)
- Phytolacca (Ombu)
- Conium Pokeweed (Phytolacca)
- Convallaria majalis (lily of the valley)
- Polygonatum
- Black carnation (Agrostemma githago)
- Poppy
- Primrose obconica (primulaceae)
- Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus)
- Henna (Ligustrum)
- Prunus armenica (apricot tree)
- Cotoneaster (similar to fire thorns)
- Prunus laurocerasus (cherry laurel)
- Saffron (Colchicum)
- Cupressocyparis leylandii (Leyland cypress)
- Quercus (oak)
- Cytisus
- Rhamnus
- Narcissus
- Rhododendron
- Daphne (Daphne)
- Rhus (Sumac)
- datura ricinus
- Delonix
- Robinia (false acacia)
- Dicentra (bleeding heart)
- Rubber plant (ficus)
- Dictamnus (gypsy herb)
- rudbeckia
- Digitalis (digitalis or foxglove)
- Ruda (Route)
- Echium (viper's nest)
- Elder
- Euonymus (spindles)
- Schefflera (umbrella tree)
- solandra
- Don Diego at night
- solanum
- Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum)
- Frangula or hazelnut (Rhamnus)
- Galanthus (bluebells)
- Strelitzia (bird or flower of paradise)
- Gaultheria (sumac)
- Giant hog weed
- Gloriosa superba (Spanish flag)
- tanacetum
- Taxus (yews)
- tetradymia
- Helleborus (Christmas rose, green hellebore)
- Robe of Christ (Datura)
- Hemlock (Conium)
- Tuhja (Yours, cypress)
- Henbane (Hyoscyamus)
- Thunbergia (black eyes)
- Heracleum mantegazzianum (giant parsley)
- Hippeastrum (Knight's Star Lily)
- Horse Chestnut (Aesculus)
- Hyacinthus (Hyacinth)
- Visum (white mistletoe)
- Hydrangea (hydrangea)
- Wisteria (wisteria)
- Tejo
I hope you liked this post and it helps you. And remember that this post is an informative article, but the one who can really help your cat is the veterinarian, so if you have any questions, go to your trusted veterinary center.