How to Safely Induce Vomiting in Cats
Cats sometimes eat things they shouldn’t. Household chemicals, common foods, houseplants, and even sewing supplies might tempt your cat at some point. While some human food and houseplants are safe for cats to nibble on, many can be toxic. Knowing how and when to make your cat vomit can be an important tactic in at-home first aid.
At-Home Methods
A common method to make dogs vomit is to administer 3 percent hydrogen peroxide orally at a dosage of about 1 tsp per five to 10 pounds of body weight, but is peroxide safe for cats? The use of hydrogen peroxide in cats is no longer recommended since it is rarely effective and can instead induce severe, life-threatening ulceration of the stomach.1
Other sources may recommend giving your cat a solution of salt water. This has its own pitfalls, though. Giving a large amount of salt at once can be toxic by itself. Also, renal (kidney) dysfunction is a common disease process seen in cats, especially elderly ones. Additionally, some toxic items, including all lily plants, antifreeze, and NSAIDs such as ibuprofen or aspirin, can cause acute kidney failure.2 Part of the job of the kidneys is to filter out the salt in your cat’s bloodstream, so adding to that by way of salt water may exacerbate an underlying issue.
Veterinary Methods
Truly, the safest way to make your cat vomit is to have your vet do it. There are injectable medications that your vet can give your cat to induce vomiting, including dexmedetomidine, hydromorphone, and xylazine. It should be noted that this is a different medication than the one your vet will give your dog to induce vomiting.
Ideally, your cat should start vomiting within a few minutes of receiving the injection, but cats are not as consistent as dogs about vomiting at the vet’s office. Only about 60-75% of cats will vomit with medication.3 Once it is clear there is nothing more that your cat can bring up, there are other medications your vet can give that will help with the nausea from hydromorphone or the sedation from xylazine or dexmedetomidine. Veterinarians tend to induce vomiting far less frequently in cats than in dogs, though, so ask them if they have this medication in the hospital in case of an emergency so that you can plan ahead.
When Not to Induce Vomiting
If you suspect your cat has gotten into something they shouldn’t have, making them vomit might actually might cause more harm than good. There are certain instances when making your cat is not recommended. If it has been more than two or three hours since you suspect your cat ate a toxin, making them vomit is less likely to be successful since the object may have been absorbed or already moved past the stomach.
If your cat has ingested caustic materials, such as bleach, drain cleaner, or petroleum-based products you should not make them vomit it back up. By doing so you could cause chemical burns on your cat’s esophagus and could even cause your cat to breathe in (or aspirate) the caustic materials. If you suspect your cat at a sewing needle or sewing thread, you also do not want to make them throw up. The needle could puncture the esophagus or mouth on the way back up. Sewing thread has a nasty habit of getting partly stuck in a cat’s intestines, allowing the rest of the thread to cut through the rest of the intestines. If you suspect your cat ate thread, making them vomit could potentially cause the thread to cut through your cat’s esophagus.
There are other times you should not induce vomiting in your cat:
Already vomiting
Weak or unconscious
History of seizures or other neurological conditions
Current heart conditions
Recent abdominal surgery
By and large, dogs definitely are the main offender when it comes to getting into toxins and things they shouldn’t be, but that doesn’t mean cats don’t get into their fair share of mischief either. If you suspect your cat has gotten into something that can harm them, contact your vet immediately. They can advise you on what steps you should take and can make your cat safely vomit if that is the best course of action.
