Acetaminophen is one of the most common ingredients in most household medicines. This aspirin-free ingredient is more commonly found in: Tylenol, Excedrin, Midol, Pamprin or Nyquil, to name a few.
It may seem a natural thought to administer the same pain medicines that work on you when you have a sick cat but such action could seriously harm or even kill your cat. Due to the cats body size and the lower enzyme levels in their liver, cats cannot metabolize this medicine like humans or even like other animals such as dogs.
Some signs that you cat may have ingested and been poisoned by acetaminophen are: labored breathing, discolored (brownish-gray) gums, low body temperature, uncoordinated when trying to walk, jaundice, swelling, unconsciousness or coma. If your cat shows these signs, take your cat and the medicine that may have been ingested to the vet immediately. More than likely, the vet will, as with most poisons, try to flush it out of the body as fast as possible to prevent further damage.
Some household over the counter medicines (such as aspirin) are sometimes prescribed to cats for various illnesses but should always be done so by a licensed veterinarian. As with children, keep all medicines up away from your pets. They may think they look like fun little toys or some sort of yummy new treat.
If you think your cat has been poisoned always keep your vet and the poison control phone numbers close at hand.
Tina Seay is the author and webmaster of ForTheCatLover.com [http://www.forthecatlover.com] a website for cats and the people who love them. Her other websites include http://www.LearnSomethingToday.com a website that promotes quality of life and YourWeddingStory.net a site that helps the whole bridal party get ready for a dream wedding. Her goal is to help others achieve a happy healthy lifestyle.
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