Ask Dr Claire

I used an ant killer in my kitchen -I kept my cat out until I cleaned the floor.  What if I didn’t clean it well enough? Will it harm her?

Cats are sensitive to permethrin, which is a common ingredient in bug sprays. Luckily, most over the counter bug sprays are very low in concentration, usually 1%.

Permethrin products that cause toxicity in cats are in the concentrated forms, e.g. spot on treatments for dogs are 45%, or poorly diluted dips can be 15%.

It’s the dose that makes the poison. Concentrations below 2% should not pose a toxicity risk.  

Exactly as you did, it’s important to keep cats out of the room whilst using bug sprays as we never want to expose our pets to unnecessary chemicals.

In the unlikely event she is displaying any unusual symptoms such as tremors or hiding, head straight to your local vet.

If you’d like to chat in person, you can get a vet on a live video call or start a chat to discuss in more detail now.

We’re here to help!

Chat soon,

Dr Claire