Quick advice please - cat ate silica gel

beatlesgirl25 · January 2010

So I just realized that the piece of paper my cat has been playing with for the past hour is actually an empty packet of silica gel (about 1x1 inch). It looks like the majority of the packet spilled on the floor, but I think he's been licking/eating some of it.

I called the vet and three hotlines (most of which asked for $35-65 consultation fee, so I just got minimal info), and it doesn't seem to be life-threatening. But I'm still concerned. Has this happened with any of your cats? What did you do? I am watching him closely but would rather not take him for an emergency vet visit if it's not necessary. TIA

janedoe1113a · January 2010

Call poisen control and ask them.

If you see any change in behavior, take him to a vet immediately. I'm sure he'll be fine though if they vet isn't concerned.

katiewhompus · January 2010

A Quick call to my vet discovered:

Silica gel is actually non-toxic. There is some worry about the cat getting an obstruction because the gel can absord liquid but this is rare. Give the kitty some petroluem gel (like hairball gel) to move things along and keep a close eye on their behavior. Make sure the cat gets lots of water as well.

beatlesgirl25 · January 2010

Thanks navy - One of the hotlines was poison control, and it looks like the adverse effects might be constipation or throwing up. Right now the cat is getting sleepy, so the paranoid part of me is like "don't go toward the light!" I tend to be overdramatic, but I don't want him to be sick either.

beatlesgirl25 · January 2010

Thank you katie!

jasmineh7777 · January 2010

Glad you got things figured out.
My dog swallowed a pair of socks whole awhile back. We took her to the vet and they gave her medicine to throw it up. My regular vet told me that if it happens again to give her a little hydrogen peroxide to make her throw up. (Haven't had to try it yet). Idk if that would be okay with a cat, but it might be worth asking if he likes to eat interesting things.

thesuninherhead · January 2010

I hope he is doing ok! How scary. I'm always freaked out about things like this because one of our cats (aptly named Chomp) eats pretty much anything that he comes by. He ate some tinsel that fell off the tree over christmas (and promptly threw it back up again), so we have to be super-careful not to leave anything on the ground that we don't want in his mouth.

It's a pity the help lines couldn't give you more information!

beatlesgirl25 · January 2010

Jasmineh, that's a good idea, thanks! Sun, I know, it's so hard with cats! They can slurp up the tiniest things and not leave a trace, so sometimes I feel like Monkey eats all kinds of things that I never know about. Yeah, the helplines could have given me more info if I would have paid the fee, but I figure if I'm going to spend money it might as well be toward an emergency visit to the vet. I mean, how much can they really diagnose my cat over the phone anyway? He's doing okay now though, just playing as usual and being precocious.

thesuninherhead · January 2010

I don't suppose your vet has an emergency/after-hours number?

beatlesgirl25 · January 2010

There are a couple emergency numbers, plus one vet is open until 8pm tonight. Unfortunately, we haven't switched vets since we moved 4 months ago, so we don't have a tried and true place to call. But there are several options around. Thanks for the support!

thesuninherhead · January 2010

Funnily enough, it was shortly after we first moved that Nomad got sick, and we didn't have a vet here, either. I called an after-hours number for a random vet clinic nearby and found a really awesome vet through doing that. Perhaps get a few numbers ready so if Monkey seems unwell (hopefully won't be an issue, but just in case!) you have them there to call.

beatlesgirl25 · January 2010

That's definitely a good idea. I sort of took it for granted that I have a healthy kitty, and getting him in for a regular exam has not been on top of the to-do list since we moved. I'm glad you found a good vet from your experience though. I remember you talking about missing Nomad in another post. What happened to him/her, if you don't mind me asking?

Quick advice please - cat ate silica gel

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