# I nearly killed my cat



## Guest (Jan 17, 2013)

Ok since having the cats i have always been ultra clean around them!

I dont let them in the kitchen at all and if there is a puddle of something gross then i just used to clean it up without thought.

Rogue started vomiting on a regular basis and was diagnosed with stomach ulcers and ibs.

A few monthes back he started having siezures. SCARY ones. He really wasnt well. 

So some blood tests were taken to find the cause. 

And it turns out i was killing him with dettol. He was slowly being poisened over a long period of time.

The poison caused the ibs and stomach ulcers. 

Everytime he was sick i sprayed dettol/bleech to clean it up. he would then be sick even more and i would again clean it up............. And round and round it went.

This is something i would never have even dreamt of being the cause! All those tests, vet bills and stress was down to me!

Rogue is finally better! He is happy, alert and full of beans again. 

After the vet broke the news to me i immediatly stopped using dettol and started using white vinegar to clean with and a pet detergent and baby wipes to clean up after them.

I use a steam mop to clean the floors now aswell!

Im so shocked as i didnt even no it was an issue! I just new he wasnt well!

I feel so guilty! 

I will certainly be warning people about detergents/bleech in future! Something so simple!


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

Im glad Rogue is better and Im sorry youve had to deal with this. I first heard about this when someone I knew had to rush her cat to the vets when her toddler squited it all over with anti bacterial cleaning spray, the cat was really ill and the vet pointed out that it said on the packaging to keep away from animals (especially cats). I do still use it on the benches etc but as the vet advised I now dry it before I leave it. In the animals cages or where the cats might walk I use F10 veterinary disinfectant though.


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## PetloverJo (Nov 4, 2011)

It looks wrong me liking your post but your experience and other people may read this thread and may find that they are doing the same.

Glad your cat is better now.


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## NEW2CATS (Aug 28, 2009)

Thank you for the warning

sounds very scary for you but I am glad your cat is better now!


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## Tao2 (Sep 9, 2012)

Thanks for posting this: very useful information, sorry for you and your cat that you had to learn it the hard way but thanks for making life easier for the rest of us. I shall make sure the dettol is consigned to the bin, luckily I'm a quite slovenly when it comes to cleaning so I won't notice its' loss......


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## cats galore (Jul 17, 2012)

i'm so glad you posted this thread. i went out only yesterday to get some dettol for wiping down the insides of my hooded litter trays. one of my cats stands on the front of the tray and sprays up the back. rather than keep changing the whole tray i was going to just spray some dettol on the hood and wipe it over. don't think i'll bother now
so glad your cat is better now


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## Treaclesmum (Sep 26, 2011)

Clean & Safe spray from Pets At Home is specially for cats and dogs, that's what I use for changing litter trays


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## Miri (Oct 20, 2012)

Does anyone have any experience with this range of disinfectants?

Safe4 - Safe4 Online Shop


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## Iduna (Feb 1, 2012)

Miri said:


> Does anyone have any experience with this range of disinfectants?
> 
> Safe4 - Safe4 Online Shop


Yes, I got the disinfectant and hand sanitiser to use at shows. They've been fine and I will continue to use their stuff. Smells okay too.

For general household stuff I've found the Method stuff quite good, though I do keep on hand some chemical spray to tackle anything that it dosen't quite get, though I make sure any treated surface is well and truly dry before letting the cat in.


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## oliviarussian (Sep 2, 2010)

great post, thanks for sharing


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## Miri (Oct 20, 2012)

Iduna said:


> Yes, I got the disinfectant and hand sanitiser to use at shows. They've been fine and I will continue to use their stuff. Smells okay too.
> 
> For general household stuff I've found the Method stuff quite good, though I do keep on hand some chemical spray to tackle anything that it dosen't quite get, though I make sure any treated surface is well and truly dry before letting the cat in.


Thanks very much, Iduna!


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## Guest (Jan 17, 2013)

Im glad i posted then!

I hope my experience helps others!


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## Oscars mam (Aug 22, 2011)

Oh god!!! Thanks for posting and I'm glad your cat is better now


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## CoCoTrio (Jan 3, 2013)

Since acquiring Mr T I'm reluctant to use any cleaning chemicals around the house. I've been relying on old-fashioned soap and water and a bit of white vinegar and it seems ok so far. 

Only trouble is the lovely smell of the vinegar always makes me hanker after a bag of chips!


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## Guest (Jan 17, 2013)

Thank you for sharing. I've given you a rep as this post could quite possibly save lives of other cats. I actually use this to clean down my kitchen but it's now going in the Bin. Sam is occasionally sick and now i'm worrid.


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## Bonnie82 (May 4, 2011)

Oh gosh, how scary for you! I'm so glad you figured it out fairly quickly and got your cat the attention he needed before it was too late. I agree with the others that this is a good post to warn others. I will certainly remember it and will mention to my partner too, as we use Dettol around the house, though not for cat-related cleaning.

So glad Rogue is on the mend!


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## spid (Nov 4, 2008)

Rule of thumb - if a disinfectant turns the water cloudy (as Dettol does) it's poisonous to cats.


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## Ianthi (Oct 21, 2008)

I'm glad to hear you've managed to discover the source of Rogue's probems. 
Sounds as if he had chemical burns from ingesting the Dettol. Are the seizures better now?

As a general rule with disinfectants, any product that turns cloudy when water is added is toxic to cats. 

For years now I've used my steam cleaner, good old soap and water for kitchen tops! Never used any proprietary products anyway as hate the sticky residue some leave.

ETA Just seen Spid has said the same thing!


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## Asteria (Dec 31, 2012)

Thank you for posting this! It is very informative! I'll be more careful with the Dettol around my cats from now. 

I'm glad that your cat is feeling better


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## catcoonz (Aug 4, 2012)

Zoflora also turns the water cloudy but is now sponsered by petplan which i thought was strange as im sure thats also poisonous to cats.

Thankyou for the warning, i do know of some owners who use dettol so have now told them not to, i use disinfectant from my vet which i know is safe.

Going to rep you also, when i work out how to do this as this is a good warning to other cat owners.


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## Hannahmourneevans (Dec 16, 2012)

Thank you for sharing - I was not aware of this as we use pet specific stuff. x


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

Glad your cat is OK. I've never felt the need for anything heavy-duty to clean up - a damp cloth is often enough, in my view. A solution of biological washing powder is very useful sometimes. But modern microfibre cloths are absolutely brilliant at taking off all the dirt with just a spot of water.


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## Cinbad (Jan 13, 2013)

I am so glad I found this post! I had to put my oldest cat down a couple of days ago but before that he was peeing all over the place. I did clean it up but it still smells in here. I was just getting ready to pour bleach on the floors but I have 3 other cats. Always when we clean the litter box we use a petrolium base cleaner like Pinesol. I guess that's not good either. What about baking soda and vinegar? 
As far as antibacterial anything I stay away from it. We bought a cheap brand of dishwashing liquid and my OH developed huge bloody blisters on his hands and fingers. I did some research on the ingredients and the main one was Triclosin. Very toxic and it's in a lot of household products, including toothpaste and makeup. If you buy bottles of antibacterial hand sanitizer most of them have this chemical in them. It's a pesticide! My OH went to 2 doctors and creams and pills and it was getting worse. The doctors couldn't figure it out. After I read a lot of links about Triclosin we stopped using anything that had it and his blisters stopped. This was over two years ago. We only use alcohol as a disinfectant and I noticed that when we go to hospital for blood tests or anything they only use alcohol. 
So now I will scrub the floors with baking soda and vinegar and I guess that's what I'll do with the litter box too.


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## Izzie (Aug 18, 2011)

I'm so glad you found the cause and your kitty is now on the mend. I used to use a lot of bleach before I got my kitties but soon discovered it was like catnip to them! They'd roll around on the floor and try to lick it up and would scream the place down if I locked them out of a room where I'd used bleach or any product that contained bleach. We've been really careful with cleaning products since then.


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

Cinbad said:


> I am so glad I found this post! I had to put my oldest cat down a couple of days ago but before that he was peeing all over the place. I did clean it up but it still smells in here.
> <snip>


A warm solution of biological washing powder or liquid works very well, and the price is good. 

But depending on what he peed on, it might need replacing rather than cleaning.


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## sarahecp (Aug 22, 2011)

I'm so pleased to hear that Rogue is now better 

Thank you for sharing this and making others aware of the dangers 

I never use Dettol or anything that makes the water go cloudy, I always dry the work surfaces after cleaning and make sure the floors are dry before allowing the boys to come in to the room.


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## koekemakranka (Aug 2, 2010)

White vinegar works well for everything. Real lemon juice also good for wiping down surfaces if the vinegar smell is too sharp for your liking.


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## colliemerles (Nov 2, 2007)

_glad to hear he is ok now, and it sounds like you may of helped to save alot of cats from becoming unwell._


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## Paddypaws (May 4, 2010)

Gosh what a terrible experience for you, but thanks for the timely reminder to us all to limit exposure to chemicals for our cats.
I too love Microfibre cloths, and will use a spray of Colloidal silver to wash down my work tops. I worked in catering for years and we often used good old fashioned brown vinegar in hot water to get surfaces sparkling clean....swabs proved that the surfaces were also free of bacterial overload so it really does work. I find Tescos the best place to buy cheap white vinegar which I use for general cleaning and also to run through the water fountain to descale and disinfect.


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## merlin12 (Jun 24, 2011)

Thanks for posting, will have to use an alternative product to clean the litter box. I use Johnson to clean the dust from wooden furniture, is this also toxic?


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## Ianthi (Oct 21, 2008)

merlin12 said:


> Thanks for posting, will have to use an alternative product to clean the litter box. I use Johnson to clean the dust from wooden furniture, is this also toxic?


I can't comment on the exact product but only if they manage to ingest/inhale it which is unlikely given the method of application.

The thing with cats though, is so many products _are_ toxic it's always a good idea to limit their exposure to any chemicals in general.


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

Paddypaws said:


> ...
> I worked in catering for years and we often used good old fashioned brown vinegar in hot water to get surfaces sparkling clean....swabs proved that the surfaces were also free of bacterial overload so it really does work.
> ...


Did you compare hot water and elbow grease to hot water with vinegar and elbow grease?


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## Cinbad (Jan 13, 2013)

OrientalSlave said:


> A warm solution of biological washing powder or liquid works very well, and the price is good.
> 
> But depending on what he peed on, it might need replacing rather than cleaning.


He peed on the linolium floor in the living room so that was easy to clean but it ran down under the threshold in the doorway so I need something that will soak in and get the smell out. It's old wood under there.


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## catguy (Mar 16, 2012)

I read somewhere that you shouldn't use Dettol around cats as it's toxic, I believe the US equivalent is something called Lysol.

It's not just cats either a man died from excessive use of it: 'Dettol Man' cleans himself to death ? The Register


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## Miri (Oct 20, 2012)

Wheee, my order of Safe4 disinfectants arrived a few minutes ago!

Can't give much feedback on the product yet except that it smells ok by disinfectant standards and does a good job of windowsills and windows! 

What I would like to say is that the company have been a pleasure to do business with. My order was dispatched and delivered promptly, a nice surprise given the van-unfriendly road conditions, delivered by someone friendly and courteous with a cheery smile, and exceptionally well packaged.


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## Guest (Jan 21, 2013)

Miri said:


> Wheee, my order of Safe4 disinfectants arrived a few minutes ago!
> 
> Can't give much feedback on the product yet except that it smells ok by disinfectant standards and does a good job of windowsills and windows!
> 
> What I would like to say is that the company have been a pleasure to do business with. My order was dispatched and delivered promptly, a nice surprise given the van-unfriendly road conditions, delivered by someone friendly and courteous with a cheery smile, and exceptionally well packaged.


Im interested in the 5l tub of disinfectant. How much do you add to water?


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## Paddypaws (May 4, 2010)

I don't think even an extra helping of elbow grease would shift oily or fatty deposits...the vinegar cuts right through it.



OrientalSlave said:


> Did you compare hot water and elbow grease to hot water with vinegar and elbow grease?


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## Ianthi (Oct 21, 2008)

Miri said:


> Wheee, my order of Safe4 disinfectants arrived a few minutes ago!
> 
> Can't give much feedback on the product yet except that it smells ok by disinfectant standards and does a good job of *windowsills and windows!* .


Oh! it's a combined cleaner and disinfectant! Was wondering why you'd want to _disinfect_ windows!


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## Miri (Oct 20, 2012)

@ Howldaloom: http://www.safe4disinfectant.com/files/safe4_dilution_guide.pdf

@ Ianthi: Mucky paw-prints complete with Oko-Plus dust! And yes, it is also a cleaner.


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## Guest (Jan 21, 2013)

Is that 1 part dis to 100 part water? Um not very good with this sorta thing


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## Miri (Oct 20, 2012)

Howldaloom said:


> Is that 1 part dis to 100 part water? Um not very good with this sorta thing


I think so, yes, but I'm not very good with these things either which is why I initially bought the ready to use sprays!!! I'm probably going to have to figure out the concentrate soon, though, for use on floors!

Let's just say that I'd personally interpret that as 1 part disinfectant to 100 parts water.


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## Isabellej (Jan 21, 2013)

I have always used pet safe disinfectant on cat items, but never really gave much thought to the rest of the house. I do keep the cat out of the bathroom/kitchen while it is being cleaned (I lost my boy 2 months ago, so will have to make sure that our new arrival is trained to do this too!) I never let anyone in until the surfaces are totally dry, is this enough?

If not, what do people use as a kitchen cleaner and bathroom cleaner? Kitchen floor is fine, that's pet safe, it's the kitchen worktop and bathroom I'm worried about. Hubby thinks I am being paranoid, as nothing ever happpened with our last boy, but I am a big worrier!

Thanks,

Isabelle


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