Cat Ate Mouldy Food

[lwndlnd]

Hello everyone! My cat just got into the garbage and ate some mouldy food. It was some week old soup. There isn’t a lot of mould but there is some. He ate approximately 2 table spoons or so I can’t tell for sure. It happened like 20 minutes ago and for now he acts fine. I can’t take him to the vet right now because we don’t have any vet practices opened at the moment. I also just messaged my vet, hopefully she replies soon. But I can’t sit here and just do nothing. What should I do? Is there anything I can do to help him? Has someone had something like that happening to their cat? Can it go without any dangerous symptoms? I’m really worried sick right now. Anything helps.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I would just watch him and encourage him to drink water. I doubt it could have been rancid or he likely would not have eaten it. The odds are if anything should happen he might throw it up or have some loose stools/diarrhea from it later - maybe a bit of an upset stomach. I presume there was nothing in the soup that could be toxic - that would be a different story.

If you were able to take him to the vet, they would either just tell you to watch him or they could have suggested inducing vomiting, but I imagine that would only be if they were concerned of toxicity.

Hopefully your vet will get back to you soon. Let us know what they say.

 

[lwndlnd]

Hi. I would just watch him and encourage him to drink water. I doubt it could have been rancid or he likely would not have eaten it. The odds are if anything should happen he might throw it up or have some loose stools/diarrhea from it later - maybe a bit of an upset stomach. I presume there was nothing in the soup that could be toxic - that would be a different story.

If you were able to take him to the vet, they would either just tell you to watch him or they could have suggested inducing vomiting, but I imagine that would only be if they were concerned of toxicity.

Hopefully your vet will get back to you soon. Let us know what they say.

Thank you. Your reply soothed my anxiety a bit. He is still acting fine and he just ate and now playing. The soup was definitely rancid, because I threw it away a week ago and it smells really nasty. I don’t know why he ate it as well. My vet still hadn’t responded but I got a consult with another vet that I trust and she responded immediately. She only said to monitor him and give him sorbents today and tomorrow. It helped to feel calmer too. Everything I’ve read on the internet was really scary.
Thank you. I will update you later.

 

[Caspers Human]

It might make him throw up or get diarrhea but I don't think a couple teaspoons of spoiled soup will make him sicker than that.

When I was a kid, my father raised hunting dogs. We used to keep the dog food in a 55 gallon drum in the back shed. One day, the lid got left open and all the food went moldy. The dogs ate some of it and got sick. They started to puke and got the squirts but my father quickly realized that their food had gone bad. He threw out the spoiled food and bought new. A couple of days later, the dogs were fine.

From that experience, my advice is to just keep an eye on him for 24 to 48 hours. If he pukes or gets diarrhea, you can kinda'-sorta' think of it as a good thing because that means the bad stuff is coming out so that he can get better.

Watch his litter box. Make sure he's pooping and peeing like usual. Make sure he has enough water to drink and check to be sure he's eating his food.

His appetite might go down for a day or so. If you had a belly full of spoiled food, you wouldn't want to eat, either.

If he gets any sicker than that, call the vet. If he doesn't start getting better within 24 hours, call the vet. Of course, if you have any questions, call the vet.

Like I say, just keep an eye on him. I'm sure he'll be fine, though.

 

[lwndlnd]

It might make him throw up or get diarrhea but I don't think a couple teaspoons of spoiled soup will make him sicker than that.

When I was a kid, my father raised hunting dogs. We used to keep the dog food in a 55 gallon drum in the back shed. One day, the lid got left open and all the food went moldy. The dogs ate some of it and got sick. They started to puke and got the squirts but my father quickly realized that their food had gone bad. He threw out the spoiled food and bought new. A couple of days later, the dogs were fine.

From that experience, my advice is to just keep an eye on him for 24 to 48 hours. If he pukes or gets diarrhea, you can kinda'-sorta' think of it as a good thing because that means the bad stuff is coming out so that he can get better.

Watch his litter box. Make sure he's pooping and peeing like usual. Make sure he has enough water to drink and check to be sure he's eating his food.

His appetite might go down for a day or so. If you had a belly full of spoiled food, you wouldn't want to eat, either.

If he gets any sicker than that, call the vet. If he doesn't start getting better within 24 hours, call the vet. Of course, if you have any questions, call the vet.

Like I say, just keep an eye on him. I'm sure he'll be fine, though.

Thank you! Simba is still totally himself, eating and playing and everything. I do expect him to throw up or at least have diarrhea, we’ll see. I will definitely keep an eye on him. I got really scared because I’ve seen a lot of information about mould causing neurological symptoms and even leading to death and stuff. The vet I consulted with today was pretty chill and said this sort of thing happens quite often with cats and he should be totally fine. So I hope so. It’s been like more than 4 hours and he is still totally okay, so I’ll take that as a good sign.

 

[Caspers Human]

I got really scared because I’ve seen a lot of information about mould causing neurological symptoms and even leading to death and stuff.

There are thousands of kinds of mold but only a few of them produce toxins. Some molds are used to make cheese! Roquefort, Gorgonzola, Stilton and Bleu Cheese are just a few. There are some molds that are actually beneficial. The antibiotic, Penicillin, was first isolated from mold cultures.

90% of the molds that grow on foods in your refrigerator aren't harmful. If you eat them, they'll taste bad, they might give you an upset stomach and make you throw up or they might give you the runs. Only a few types of mold are more harmful than that. Those are often the black ones or the ones with bright colors. It takes a professional mycologist (a person who studies mold, yeast and fungi) to really know the difference.

Still, best advice is to throw food away if it gets moldy. It just makes common sense. Right?

 

[lwndlnd]

Hello everyone! My cat just got into the garbage and ate some mouldy food. It was some week old soup. There isn’t a lot of mould but there is some. He ate approximately 2 table spoons or so I can’t tell for sure. It happened like 20 minutes ago and for now he acts fine. I can’t take him to the vet right now because we don’t have any vet practices opened at the moment. I also just messaged my vet, hopefully she replies soon. But I can’t sit here and just do nothing. What should I do? Is there anything I can do to help him? Has someone had something like that happening to their cat? Can it go without any dangerous symptoms? I’m really worried sick right now. Anything helps.

Thank you to everyone who gave information and shared some kind words! I’ll just hop in to inform you that Simba was totally okay after! I was waiting for him to throw up or have some diarrhea or abdominal discomfort, but none of that has happened. He was just totally okay. Apparently, he is immune to the mould now. Hopefully, it was his first and last time trying that.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Thanks for letting us know! I was figuring - and hoping - there wouldn't any issues and am glad to hear there wasn't!