Lillies. I never knew this until I adopted Kato and was given this information. Lillies are rapidly fatal to cats. We have a blanket ban on flowers in our house - sorry guests! no flowers! - just to cover ourselves. We also only grow herbs that are non-toxic to cats, and I used this list to check it all out.
Garlic. Onion. Raw tomatoes. Grapes. Chocolate. This isn't a complete list, but common things in our house. It includes small amounts of these things as ingredients in processed foods!! These things I don't allow near cats or their food, or leave for more than 3 seconds on the floor if I accidentally spill something...there are grey streaks living in this house. It is amazing how fast they can be on the chase of a rolling grape!
Surprisingly, some of these things I have found in various commercial cat food! I only wrote to one company to ask why garlic was in their blend...they didn't respond. Always check ingredient lists.
Human medications. Dog medications. I keep this as a really general rule in my head so it doesn't explode with details.
Essential Oils. I just avoid them, including in cleaning products. Cat's can't metabolise them, so they build up in their systems. Some of them are deadly to cats, some will be a major irritant. Peppermint Oil, Tee-tree Oil, Eucalyptus Oil, and Citrus Oils are particular ones to avoid in the Australian market (but not the complete list). Oh, and it's not just eating them that's the problem - oils absorb into the body by breathing, and touching the skin.
Many Cleaning Products. Especially Phenols. Pine based Disinfectants. Cats walk and roll around on the floor, and various surfaces like sinks, showers, baths, tables and kitchen benches (even though it's off-limits, there's footprint evidence to suggest ours do a little jig up there every night when we're in bed!) Then they wash themselves all over with their tongue.
When we got Kato, I did a complete overhaul of my cleaning regime. I could only really control entry into the toilet bowl (just!), so every other surface needed to be safe. I opted for vinegar, water, and sodium bicarbonate - everywhere. I keep a spray bottle of half vinegar, half water (which is a strong solution apparently). And when I need to scrub, like in the shower, I'll sprinkle in the sodium bicarbonate. And if I feel I need to use something commercial every now and again, I RINSE. A lot. I clean my floors with a water/vinegar solution.
The one thing I wish I could find again is powdered Oxygen Bleach. It is based on sodium percarbonate, and I could only find it once in Woolworths. It safely breaks down into natural soda ash and/or borax and oxygen, which is safe for pets and humans. I used it for the litter trays - now I have to use diluted bleach with insane amounts of rinsing. Regular bleach breaks down into chlorine, which is toxic. I'm still hunting for it...if any of you label readers find it, please let me know!
If you want the ASPCA's complete list of chemicals poisonous to pets, I found it here:
http://thewholedog.org/poisonlist.html
Garlic. Onion. Raw tomatoes. Grapes. Chocolate. This isn't a complete list, but common things in our house. It includes small amounts of these things as ingredients in processed foods!! These things I don't allow near cats or their food, or leave for more than 3 seconds on the floor if I accidentally spill something...there are grey streaks living in this house. It is amazing how fast they can be on the chase of a rolling grape!
Surprisingly, some of these things I have found in various commercial cat food! I only wrote to one company to ask why garlic was in their blend...they didn't respond. Always check ingredient lists.
Human medications. Dog medications. I keep this as a really general rule in my head so it doesn't explode with details.
Essential Oils. I just avoid them, including in cleaning products. Cat's can't metabolise them, so they build up in their systems. Some of them are deadly to cats, some will be a major irritant. Peppermint Oil, Tee-tree Oil, Eucalyptus Oil, and Citrus Oils are particular ones to avoid in the Australian market (but not the complete list). Oh, and it's not just eating them that's the problem - oils absorb into the body by breathing, and touching the skin.
Many Cleaning Products. Especially Phenols. Pine based Disinfectants. Cats walk and roll around on the floor, and various surfaces like sinks, showers, baths, tables and kitchen benches (even though it's off-limits, there's footprint evidence to suggest ours do a little jig up there every night when we're in bed!) Then they wash themselves all over with their tongue.
When we got Kato, I did a complete overhaul of my cleaning regime. I could only really control entry into the toilet bowl (just!), so every other surface needed to be safe. I opted for vinegar, water, and sodium bicarbonate - everywhere. I keep a spray bottle of half vinegar, half water (which is a strong solution apparently). And when I need to scrub, like in the shower, I'll sprinkle in the sodium bicarbonate. And if I feel I need to use something commercial every now and again, I RINSE. A lot. I clean my floors with a water/vinegar solution.
The one thing I wish I could find again is powdered Oxygen Bleach. It is based on sodium percarbonate, and I could only find it once in Woolworths. It safely breaks down into natural soda ash and/or borax and oxygen, which is safe for pets and humans. I used it for the litter trays - now I have to use diluted bleach with insane amounts of rinsing. Regular bleach breaks down into chlorine, which is toxic. I'm still hunting for it...if any of you label readers find it, please let me know!
If you want the ASPCA's complete list of chemicals poisonous to pets, I found it here:
http://thewholedog.org/poisonlist.html