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sprucing up our gardens. However, before you clean your patio, think carefully if you own a
cat. Many patio cleaners contain benzalkonium chloride, a chemical that can be toxic to cats,
with exposed cats potentially suffering severe reactions and even occasionally death.
As part of the charity International Cat Care’s Keeping Cats Safe campaign, the danger to
cats from benzalkonium chloride and other disinfectants is being highlighted.
Benzalkonium chloride is a cationic detergent that can be found in many household
disinfectants, including commonly used antibacterial sprays and patio cleaners. Cationic
detergents are irritants and can cause adverse effects in cats that have licked or walked over
treated surfaces and then groomed or cleaned their paws and ingested the chemical. These
effects are often seen several hours after exposure and typically include drooling, a red and
inflamed tongue and a high temperature. The mouth may be extremely painful and cats can
stop eating. There may also be redness and irritation of the skin. In severe cases of exposure,
especially without the correct veterinary treatment, the cat can die.
The Veterinary Poisons Information Service (VPIS), which provide a 24-hour telephone
emergency service for veterinary professionals who suspect acute poisoning, reports
receiving an average of 70 calls each year about cats being poisoned as a result of exposure
to benzalkonium chloride, and another 35 per year for other disinfectants.
International Cat Care has highlighted several of these cases on its website to help raise
owner awareness. One involves a cat that developed a high temperature, was drooling
profusely and had ulcerations in its mouth, 12 hours after walking on a recently cleaned patio.
The cat was treated with pain relief, fluids and fed soft food only, and after 6 days was lucky
enough to make a full recovery.
To keep cats safe International Cat Care recommends that all disinfectants be kept well out
of the way of any areas that cats can access, as the greatest risk is when cats are exposed to
concentrated solutions of the disinfectants. Cats should also be kept off treated surfaces
until completely dry, and where concentrated disinfectants (such as patio or floor cleaners)
are used, the area should be thoroughly rinsed and allowed to dry before cats have access.
This is particularly important as if treated areas become wet again (ie, from rain fall, wet
paws or even a cat licking the surface) the product may still be present. To be completely
safe, the charity has advice on several alternative methods of cleaning on its website.
International Cat Care is a charity registered in England and Wales,
Charity No. 1117342 and a company limited by guarantee, Company No. 6002684
Registered office: High Street, Tisbury, Wiltshire SP3 6LD, UK VAT Registration No. GB 868 9025 76
International Cat Care also advises that if your cat comes into contact with a disinfectant
that you wash it off straight away and seek immediate veterinary advice, as the quicker
treatment is received the more positive the outcome.
Benzalkonium chloride and other cationic detergents are very widely used disinfectants
around the house. Although cases of poisoning are relatively uncommon, they can be severe,
and care should always be taken when using these products.
For more information about the risks of disinfectants see:
http://icatcare.org/advice/keeping-c.../disinfectants and for further case studies see:
http://icatcare.org/advice/keeping-c...t-case-studies.
Full details about the campaign can also be found at: http://icatcare.org/keeping-cats-safe