What To Do If Your Cat Eats Rat Poison? A Vet Explains

Rat bait poisoning can be fatal for cats if not treated quickly. Oliver Hewett / Shutterstock.com

Other Names: Rodenticide toxicity, rat bait poisoning

Common Symptoms: Weakness, pale gums, bleeding, unexplained bruising

Requires Ongoing Medication: For several weeks until fully recovered

Vaccine Available: No

Treatment Options: Vitamin K; may need supportive care initially including intravenous fluids, medication, or blood transfusion

Home Treatment: Gentle handling and restricting exercise until fully recovered

Your cat can develop rat bait poisoning if they eat rat bait directly or if they eat rodents that have died from rat bait poisoning. Most rodent poisons are anticoagulants, which stop blood from clotting normally. Pets who accidentally eat them can suffer from bleeding problems, which can be fatal.

However, unlike many other poisons, cats don’t begin to show symptoms for several days after eating it. This can lead to a delay in many cats starting treatment. So, you should contact your vet immediately if your cat may have eaten some, even if they seem ok. Once symptoms develop, they include weakness, lethargy, pale gums, bruising, and signs of bleeding. The antidote for anticoagulant rat bait poisoning is vitamin K, initially by injection and then with tablets at home for several weeks.

Cats who eat rat poison can make a full recovery. But the prognosis depends on the type and quantity your cat has ingested, and how quickly they have started treatment. Read on for everything you need to know about rat poison and cats.

About Rat Poison and Cats

Rat poison comes in many forms, from hard brightly coloured blocks to gels, or grains of wheat (pictured) laced with poison. VVVproduct / Shutterstock.com

Rodenticides are poisons that are used to kill rodents like rats and mice. They can come in many forms, from hard blocks to gels or even grains of wheat laced with poison. They are often flavoured to make them smell and taste attractive to the rodents. Unfortunately, this can lead to pets or children eating them instead. Rarely, cats can also be affected if they eat rodents that have died from poisoning (called secondary or relay poisoning). However, they must ingest multiple poisoned rodents, so it is only usually a problem for farm cats whose diet is mostly prey.

Most rodenticides are anticoagulant, meaning they interfere with the normal clotting of blood. They work by reducing the levels of vitamin K1, which is needed to produce clotting factors. This results in uncontrolled bleeding and death in rodents. Unfortunately, they affect other animals and birds the same, making them very toxic. This article will focus on anticoagulant rodenticides, as these cause poisoning in cats most often.

Common ingredients in anticoagulant rodent poisons include brodifacoum, warfarin, bromadiolone, chlorophacinone, and difenacoum. Taking packaging, samples, or photos of the suspected poison will help your veterinarian determine what type of rat poison your cat may have eaten. Other types of rat poison can affect your cat differently, resulting in kidney failure or neurological symptoms such as seizures.

What Are the Symptoms of Rat Poison Ingestion in Cats?

Although the poison will begin to affect them immediately, your cat will have enough clotting factors already in their body to last 1-2 days. This means they will not show any symptoms initially, which can lead to a delay in diagnosing or treating the problem.

Once these clotting factors have been used up, your cat will develop bleeding problems. This usually begins internally, in the gastrointestinal tract, lungs, or abdomen, making it hard to spot. Cats tend not to show obvious symptoms until there has been significant blood loss, often 3-7 days after first eating the poison.

Once visible, symptoms of rodenticide poisoning can include:

• Weakness or lethargy
• Pale gums and eyelids
• Difficulty breathing
• Poor appetite
• Bruising
• Tiny purple spots on the skin (petechiae)
• Blood in vomit – digested blood can appear like coffee granules
• Blood in stools – can appear fresh or black and ‘tarry’
• Enlarged abdomen
• Visible bleeding from mouth, nose, ears, or anus

Seek veterinary advice immediately if you suspect your cat could have ingested rat, even if they seem normal. Treatment is most successful if started before your cat develops symptoms.

Diagnosing Rat Bait Poisoning in Cats

If your cat has been poisoned by rat bait, blood tests will show that their blood is struggling to clot, leading to uncontrolled bleeding. Maria Sbytova / Shutterstock.com

Definitively diagnosing rodenticide poisoning is difficult unless the cat has had known exposure. Diagnostic tests are often normal until at least 1-2 days after the poisoning, and multiple conditions can cause bleeding disorders, so it is hard to know for sure that rat poison is the cause.

So, if you know (or strongly suspect) your cat has ingested rat poison, it is best to begin treatment immediately rather than wait for a diagnosis.

If your cat is already showing symptoms, your veterinarian can perform blood tests to check how well your cat’s blood is clotting. These are called activated partial thromboplastin time (aPPT) and prothrombin time (PT). An abnormal result means that your cat’s blood is not clotting normally, and rat poison could be the cause.

Depending on your cat’s symptoms, your veterinarian may run other screening blood tests or use imaging such as ultrasound to check for internal bleeding.

Treating Cats Who Have Eaten Rat Poison

If your cat may have eaten rat poison in the last few hours, your veterinarian may be able to give them medication to make them sick. This is the most effective treatment, but it must be done quickly, before the poison has been absorbed into their body. You should not attempt to make your cat sick at home as this can be dangerous. Following vomiting, your veterinarian can give activated charcoal, which reduces the absorption of any remaining poison. It is safest to treat all cats who have eaten rat poison with the antidote, even if they have vomited up the poison.

The antidote to anticoagulant rodenticides is vitamin K. This replaces the vitamin K depleted by the poison, allowing your cat’s body to make the clotting factors needed to prevent bleeding.

This is usually given as an injection initially, moving to oral tablets or liquid once your cat is stable. They will need to take vitamin K for several weeks. Your veterinarian will run a blood test 48 hours after stopping the medication, to be sure your cat’s blood is clotting normally.

Read Vitamin K for Cats: Overview, Dosage & Side Effects to learn more about vitamin K treatment.

While vitamin K is an effective antidote, it takes several days to work. If your cat was already showing symptoms of blood loss before starting vitamin K, they may need supportive care at first. This will usually be in a veterinary hospital, and may include intravenous fluids, anti-sickness medication, oxygen therapy, or feeding support. In severe cases, your cat may need a blood transfusion to replace the blood they have lost.

Unfortunately, rat poison can be fatal if not treated early.

Caring for Cats With Rat Poison Toxicity

Your cat will need gentle handling and limited exercise while they are recovering, to avoid the risk of bruising or bleeding. Kirsten McCarthy / Cats.com

Recovery from rat poison toxicity takes several weeks, and your cat will need some special care in that time. Here are our top tips for caring for your cat during their recovery:

• Handle your cat gently and avoid excessive exercise: cats recovering from rat poison toxicity bleed and bruise easily, so you must handle them gently. You should initially keep your cat inside, in one room, to prevent jumping and running.
• Become a pro at giving tablets calmly: your cat will need vitamin K tablets daily for several weeks. However, it is important not to restrain them too firmly or risk accidental bruising. Hiding the tablet in tasty food is a good way to ensure they get the medication without adding any stress. See The 7 Best Cat Foods To Hide Pills In: Unbiased Review for our top tips.
• Attend the follow-up tests: your cat should have a blood test 48 hours after stopping their vitamin K therapy to be sure their blood is clotting normally again. Otherwise, they will be at risk of bleeding again and will need to restart the medication for a few more weeks before re-testing.

Once tests show your cat’s blood is clotting normally again without vitamin K medication, they can return to normal. Cats who respond well to treatment in the first few days have an excellent chance of fully recovering.

Preventing Rat Bait Poisoning in Cats

Rat bait poisoning is preventable on your property. Talk to a pest control expert for advice on cat-safe rodent control methods. This might include rodenticides that are safe for pets or using containers that cats cannot access.

Cats who roam outside their property are at greater risk of encountering rat bait. Unfortunately, this can be difficult to prevent.