Cat Ibuprofen Poisoning

Ibuprofen is one of the most popular pain relievers and over-the-counter (OTC) medications that are available on the market today. Unfortunately it is not as effective in cats as it is in humans. In fact, Ibuprofen can rapidly approach toxic levels in your cat when it would not even treat your own headache.

Causes of Ibuprofen Poisoning

Treating your cat with ibuprofen is one of the most common causes of ibuprofen toxicity, but there are well known and documented cases of cats that find the bottle and simply chew on it or bat it around until it is either punctured or the lid falls open.

As our cats age, they are sometimes affected by joint pains, Cat Arthritis and other problems which are readily noticeable to the pet owner. Enter the well meaning person who simply wants to give relief to their cat but has no idea of the proper dosage to avoid offering a toxic one.

Initially, the effect of the ibuprofen will quite likely result in a stomach ulcer in your cat. More importantly than this, if you continue to feed your cat ibuprofen, the result will be Cat Kidney Disease or even kidney failure if you don’t seek out intervention from a vet.

Your cat is far more likely to have problems with the ibuprofen tablet than a dog would. One single ibuprofen tablet can lead to the death of your cat. Avoid treating your cat with ibuprofen and if necessary to gain pain relief, seek out the advice of a veterinarian. If your cat has been given or has accidentally taken ibuprofen, your best bet is to get the advice and treatment of a veterinarian immediately.

Signs and Symptoms

If, as is sometimes the case, you’re not certain that your cat has indeed ingested the medication, you will want to watch for certain symptoms.

The symptoms that you may notice in your cat who has ingested Ibuprofen that will make you want to seek out the help of a specialist are:

• Cat Loss of Appetite
• Emesis or Cat Vomiting
• Blackened or tar colored stools(indicative of bleeding internally)
• Bloody vomit
• Pain or obvious distress in the abdomen, such as Cat Swollen Abdomen
• Decreased activity or Cat Lethargy
• Cat Dehydration
• Weak or apathetic behavior.

These signs may appear as rapidly as 10-12 hours after the ingestion but may take as long as five days to appear.
Your cat may also be affected by seizures and other things associated with the ingestion of the ibuprofen. If you suspect that your cat has eaten ibuprofen, you can give them a dose of activated charcoal such as may be given in humans. If they have not ingested the ibuprofen, the activated charcoal will not do them any harm, but it may be very helpful if they have done so.

Any time that you suspect that your cat may have taken a toxic substance, it is better to be safe than sorry, and call your vet for their advice immediately. He or she can tell you what to watch for and what signals will tell you to bring your cat in to be diagnosed.