Are Candles Harmful to Cats? A Concerning Guide

Currently, the wide array of mosquito repellent products available on the market all contain essentially five primary ingredients:

1. DEET (N,Ndiethylmtoluamide)

2. Picaridin

3. Eucalyptus oil

4. Icaridin

5. Pyrethroid compounds

Among these, pyrethroid compounds are the most toxic to mosquitoes and also the most affordable, making them the main components in nearly all noncontact mosquito coils and electric mosquito repellents on the market.

Pyrethroid compounds come in a variety of types, such as permethrin, deltamethrin (also known as Baygon), fenvalerate, cypermethrin (also known as Fenthion), cyhalothrin, and transfluthrin, among others.

These derivatives are all recommended by the World Health Organization for use in the production of mosquito coils and for controlling vectorborne diseases. Therefore, as long as they are used according to instructions, there is no risk of poisoning to humans.

Humans have the ability to metabolize these compounds into nontoxic or lowtoxic substances and excrete them. Similarly, despite their smaller size, dogs also possess the capability to eliminate these pyrethroid compounds from their bodies.

So, it's not surprising that many flea collars for dogs contain low concentrations of pyrethroid compounds. However, cats lack the ability to metabolize pyrethroids!

Humans and dogs can slowly eliminate small amounts of pyrethroids from their bodies without harm. But for cats, even a small amount of pyrethroids can almost completely remain within their bodies, making it difficult to metabolize. These substances can cause longterm harm to cats, and recovery from poisoning can be difficult.

Therefore, it is not advisable to let cats come into contact with human mosquito repellents, even those designed for dogs.

Symptoms of poisoning in cats, which can be similar to those experienced by humans from excessive exposure to mosquito coils, may include:

1. Drooling

2. Limping

3. Overexcitement and seizures

4. Vomiting

5. Loss of appetite

If cats exhibit these symptoms, pet owners should immediately take them to a veterinarian for emergency treatment, as failure to do so can lead to irreversible harm to the cat's body.

However, due to the unique physiology of cats, even professional treatment can only provide shortterm relief from the symptoms of poisoning. Longterm detoxification often requires multiple dialysis sessions, which can cause significant physical and emotional distress for both the cat and its owner.

Therefore, pet owners should take preventive measures from the source to avoid harm to their cats:

1. Be particularly cautious or avoid using any products containing pyrethroid compounds.

2. Wash your hands after applying mosquito repellents to prevent the cat from getting the product on its fur.

3. Do not randomly apply dogspecific deworming medications or flea collars to cats.

4. Avoid purchasing unbranded, unlisted, and unquantified catspecific mosquito repellents online.