Is Disinfectant Harmful To Cats

Cleaning and disinfecting a home can be tough when you have curious kitty paws stepping on everything.

Is disinfectant harmful to cats. Wear safety goggles and rubber gloves when disinfecting to protect the eyes and skin. It smells sweet and tarry and is usually cloudy in commercial liquid cleansers. To be safe put fluffy in a different room and open all windows to help with ventilation you certainly don t want your cat around strong disinfectants that could be toxic. But his exploration may expose him to some not so obvious dangers in your home.

Phenol is a corrosive organic compound technically a hydrocarbon in many household cleaners and construction products. Some human over the counter and prescription medicines pose serious threats to cats so keep them in a place he can t get into. Antiseptics safe to use on cats include chlorhexidine diacetate or iodine as the active ingredient. In both its natural and synthetic form it s toxic to mammals particularly cats who lack the ability to clean it out of their bloodstream.

Deficiency of the enzyme udp glucuronosyltransferase renders the cat susceptible to toxic effects of phenol based disinfectants including essential oils tea tree and clove so these are best avoided in feline environments. These are for external use only. In fact all members of the allium family including onions leeks scallions and shallots are toxic to felines. Garlic and chives are by and large the most dangerous herbs for your cat.

Even a small ingestion of these can cause damage to your cat s red blood cells leading to anemia or even death. Remove all cats from the room while disinfecting and where possible open windows as many disinfectants can cause irritation to the airways and eyes in closed rooms. Dettol s harmful ingredient is phenol chloroxylenol which is dangerous for all animals but especially cats because felines are unable to eliminate toxins following ingestion. Your cat is curious sticking his nose into random places.

It just takes a bit of time and know how to cat proof your house so your kitty stays healthy and safe. The chart below lists antiseptic products and their brand names which are safe for cats along with the dilution rate. It creates a poisonous gas if it is mixed with bleach it which can be deadly to small pets. Some can become extremely toxic when mixed.