Panicking - Garlic

[carriej]

Ok so I did a stupid, stupid thing.

I cooked dinner and used a whole garlic glove in the recipe, chopped in half.

Long story short, left pan on counter while eating at table (10 feet away) with the garlic and remaining oil left in it. In the time it took me to eat, my 3 cats cleaned the entire pan. I did find one half of the garlic mangled on the counter, but I can only assume that someone(s) ate the other half as I turned the house upside down looking for it. I turned around and panicked when I seen ALL 3 on the counter staring back at me.

I called the e-vet, and they said that half a clove is close to the toxic amount. However, if they all got some it would not be. We have no idea. We have been advised to watch but I'm still freaking out. They all seem perfectly normal... Anyone else ever have a run-in with garlic?

 

[stephanietx]

This has happened to me before and my kitty has suffered no side effects.  Just keep an eye on them and watch for the signs of toxicity. 

 

[lisahe]

We also had a garlic incident: one cat took some of our home-grown garlic and thoroughly mangled a clove. She didn't eat it but must have invested some juice. She was fine but I was very worried, too!

 

[carriej]

I'm still super worried. They all seem normal. Eating, drinking, travelling around doing their usual cat stuff. The information on the internet is SO conflicting. Some websites RECOMMEND feeding cats 1/4 of a clove per day (***?!) and some say their cats have died from licking a garlic steak. I have no idea what to do. If I knew which one ate it I would take them in to have their blood tested. They seem unconcerned but the internet also says it could take 3-4 days for symptoms. I'm so worried

 

[stephanietx]

Just continue to keep an eye on them for the next 3-4 days.  If you don't see any negative signs, then everyone will be in the clear.  Remember that your pets will pick up on your stress and anxiety, so try to keep your own anxiety at bay.  For the record, one of my cats has eaten both onions and garlic and is still alive and kicking. 

 

[lisahe]

 
Just continue to keep an eye on them for the next 3-4 days.  If you don't see any negative signs, then everyone will be in the clear.  Remember that your pets will pick up on your stress and anxiety, so try to keep your own anxiety at bay.  For the record, one of my cats has eaten both onions and garlic and is still alive and kicking. 

This is good advice!

And, yes, our cat that ate garlic also once carried a big chunk of coffee grounds (from making espresso) around in her mouth. I kept a close eye on her and was convinced it was curtains for her because there's absolutely no way she didn't ingest caffeine, even if the coffee grounds were "used." But she was fine and didn't even act over-caffeinated.

 

[carriej]

I'll try to relax and keep you guys posted. I'm so concerned though

 

[carriej]

It has been approximately 48 hours since the ingestion of garlic. So far, so good. However most articles I've read 3-5 days... One of my cats seems a little dopey, but that is not unlike him. They are all wanting to eat, no one's threw up or had any weird poops or anything like that.
 

I think I'm going to take the smallest guy in tomorrow and have bloodwork done for peace of mind. The other two are pretty big cats but he is a very tiny Siamese so naturally I'm worried about him since he's so small.

 

[stephanietx]

Since you're not seeing any signs of toxicity, I think you're probably in the clear.  I would continue to wait it out.  Remember, the garlic was somewhat diluted by the juices and stuff that they licked up.

 

[carriej]

Took the smallest guy to the vet today as he was the one who through the process of elimination I determined consumed probably the most. She confirmed the presence of Heinz bodies and that his rbc was slightly lower than his last blood work before his neuter, however she said that there isn't enough Heinz bodies to cause clinical issues and that his rbc is on the high end of normal. She thinks they will all be fine and that it wasn't quite enough garlic to cause issues. Whew!

 

[lisahe]

Took the smallest guy to the vet today as he was the one who through the process of elimination I determined consumed probably the most. She confirmed the presence of Heinz bodies and that his rbc was slightly lower than his last blood work before his neuter, however she said that there isn't enough Heinz bodies to cause clinical issues and that his rbc is on the high end of normal. She thinks they will all be fine and that it wasn't quite enough garlic to cause issues. Whew!

I'm glad to hear he's okay! You must be relieved: I probably would have taken a cat in, if only for peace of mind, too, if the cat didn't seem quite right.