- Joined
- 7/2/10
- Messages
- 5,796
- Real Name
- Heidrun, or Mouse
I think we all know that grapes and raisins are toxic to dogs, and I had assumed the same was true of cats.
This weekend I learned that as little as one grape can kill your cat. (Not through personal experience - a friend's cat ate a grape. She looked it up on the internet and was shocked to find that just one grape can kill a cat. Two emergency vets and her regular vet confirmed it.)
Grapes can cause kidney failure in cats. The exact amount of grapes that need to be ingested before they are fatal probably varies from cat to cat, but cats have died from eating just one.
The protocol is to get the cat to vomit immediately, but since it's difficult to induce vomiting in cats, charcoal is often used. Then the cat has to be put on IV for 72 hours to flush the system. This is the recommended protocol for all cats who ingest even one grape, because if you wait in the hope that you cat will not be affected, it will be too late. Without treatment, kidney failure can manifest itself within 72 hours or as long as two weeks after ingestion of the grape.
This weekend I learned that as little as one grape can kill your cat. (Not through personal experience - a friend's cat ate a grape. She looked it up on the internet and was shocked to find that just one grape can kill a cat. Two emergency vets and her regular vet confirmed it.)
Grapes can cause kidney failure in cats. The exact amount of grapes that need to be ingested before they are fatal probably varies from cat to cat, but cats have died from eating just one.
The protocol is to get the cat to vomit immediately, but since it's difficult to induce vomiting in cats, charcoal is often used. Then the cat has to be put on IV for 72 hours to flush the system. This is the recommended protocol for all cats who ingest even one grape, because if you wait in the hope that you cat will not be affected, it will be too late. Without treatment, kidney failure can manifest itself within 72 hours or as long as two weeks after ingestion of the grape.