Cat By Mineral Oil On Cutting Board For A Few Seconds

[Delany]

I never had a wooden board before. I had put food grade mineral oil on it for the first time, I read that it should soak in the first time. If you ran your hand over it you would get a light coating on your hand. It was in a place he never goes up on normally. I was in the other room and heard him jump up on something. I came right in and he was near the board, facing it, I'm guessing he put his nose down by it for a few seconds to see what it was. I THINK he licked his lips once. I didn't know mineral oil was bad for cats in general but I freaked out when I saw him, shooed him down and then gave him some food that has a lot of gravy and also wiped his nose with warm water. Now I've read that it can hurt their lungs. I've put it in a garbage bag, and the bottle of oil and applicator and put them in the garage and am going to throw them out. I've asked on a vet site where you pay but I don't think anyone is online. I'm worried now! What should I do? Do you think he will be okay? It was honestly seconds but he may have sniffed it or just had his nose by it, he may have touched it with his nose for a few seconds and may have got a tiny (I'm guessing tiny) bit of it on his nose and then licked his nose.

6.34 AM He is eating pate again. He seems fine but I am still really worried. I turned the heat up a bit so that he doesn't get cold. I thought at least if he's eaten food it would help it get through his system if he did get any in his mouth. He's not wheezing or anything.

I have just read on this site someone recommending mineral oil for constipation - and that person had many posts so maybe what's happened with my cat is going to be alright? I'm going to keep searching this site. I'd appreciate any thoughts however.

 

[LTS3]

Can you call your vet as soon as they open and ask? Or call now and see if the after hours voice mail has a phone number you can call for advice or emergencies. I wouldn't trust those vet advice web sites. You have absolutely no idea if the person on the other end is a real vet or not. It could be some troll whose idea of fun is to cause harm for all you know.

 

[Delany]

Hi LTS3 Thank you so much. I did speak to an actual vet now and they told me:
"We do use mineral oil to treat constipation, so ingesting it could cause diarrhea if he got enough, but it does not sound like he got much of it, if any. Mineral can be a problem if aspirated into the lungs, but not just sniffing it will do this. Just sniffing at it would not be the same thing. I would expect he will be fine. If he is eating and drinking that is a good sign he did not get enough to make him sick."

So I think we are okay. Kitty seems really happy and relaxed and has eaten twice. But you are right about being careful so thank you very much for the warning.

 

[Willowy]

The warning is---if you give mineral oil for constipation, be very careful that they don't aspirate it, because aspirating oil has worse effects than aspirating food or water because it coats the lungs. This applies to any oil; the warning is given because mineral oil is used for constipation and other oils are rarely force-fed to cats.

Mineral oil is no more dangerous than other oils. You don't have to worry about cats sniffing it .

 

[Delany]

Oh my gosh, yes I see W Willowy ! Thank you for explaining it in that way! It's not an exclusive thing about mineral oil and it's is specific to it being put into a cats mouth So if my cat sniffs my Italian salad I needn't fear!

I do think I'm set on sticking with pumpkin for constipation if the need occurs. Umm, for my cat I mean.

 

[mewcatmew]

If he just licked a drop off his nose. that won't do anything. Mineral oil can cause loose stools, but you would need more than just a few drops of it for that to happen.

 

[Delany]

Hi, I hope I didn't sound flippant in my last post. I was just super stressed - I've been a bit strained lately - and then relieved. I do care about all cats and want them all to be well.

 

[Delany]

Hi, just "delete" what I just wrote ^^^ here as it made no sense! Thanks everyone.

 

[valentine319]

You sound like a good cat Guardian. Yes we freak when things happen and might be dangerous. It's perfectly fine to post and ask. We encourage it. Thank you for taking care of your kitty!