Possible exposure to peppermint oil—what should I be watching for?

ColoradoCat

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Hello everyone. One of my cats recently came into contact with a bit of peppermint oil-based rodent repellent. I don't think it was a lot, but it was enough that her fur smelled fairly minty. I used some cat wipes to wipe her down as best I could, and I don't smell it on anymore. However, I was reading online about the toxicity of peppermint oil in cats and am now very concerned. How long after exposure do symptoms start to appear? What should I look out for? Should I call her regular vet in the morning just to have her looked over to make sure she's ok? She seems perfectly fine now and is purring and playing, but I've worked myself into a bit of a panic and am terrified that if I go to bed, I might wake up to a medical emergency or worse.
 

mani

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It sounds as though she rolled in it? I'm really surprised she went anywhere near it as it's not an oil they like. I also wonder how much she would have groomed herself, for the same reason. Wiping her down was a good idea if it was thorough. Cleaning the areas that you spayed (if that's how you used the repellent) is obviously the way to go as well.
It's more a 'wait and see' thing now, but please don't fret too much.
 

Antonio65

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Hi ColoradoCat ColoradoCat , I can fully understand your concern, having myself gone through two recent episodes of my cats ingesting toxic stuff (*).
I would act preempitvely rather than waiting for any signals to show up. According to some researches I've done on Google, the signs for intoxications could be breathing issues, lethargy, neurological disorders, fever, lack of appetite, diarrhea.

I wouldn't wait for any of them to show up, because by the time you see something, it could be maybe too late.
Call your emergency vet service and tell them what happened, and take your cat there immediately. Better safe than sorry.

(*) One of them chewed on and ate some Lily leaves, then, two weeks ago, they ate some raisins. Both time they were rushed to the vets and treated accordingly.
 
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ColoradoCat

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It sounds as though she rolled in it? I'm really surprised she went anywhere near it as it's not an oil they like. I also wonder how much she would have groomed herself, for the same reason. Wiping her down was a good idea if it was thorough. Cleaning the areas that you spayed (if that's how you used the repellent) is obviously the way to go as well.
It's more a 'wait and see' thing now, but please don't fret too much.
Yes, she plopped down on the carpet wanting pets. It was a well-meaning family member trying to use the stuff as an insecticide not knowing how dangerous it could be. She seems perfectly fine today (and currently has the zoomies), and I spoke with the vets on the phone and they said that they weren't too concerned but to keep an eye on her. The area is covered and I'll be renting a Rug Doctor as soon as we can get out.
 
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ColoradoCat

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Hi ColoradoCat ColoradoCat , I can fully understand your concern, having myself gone through two recent episodes of my cats ingesting toxic stuff (*).
I would act preempitvely rather than waiting for any signals to show up. According to some researches I've done on Google, the signs for intoxications could be breathing issues, lethargy, neurological disorders, fever, lack of appetite, diarrhea.

I wouldn't wait for any of them to show up, because by the time you see something, it could be maybe too late.
Call your emergency vet service and tell them what happened, and take your cat there immediately. Better safe than sorry.

(*) One of them chewed on and ate some Lily leaves, then, two weeks ago, they ate some raisins. Both time they were rushed to the vets and treated accordingly.
Thanks so much for the list of symptoms. I'll definitely be watching for those. Thankfully, it's looking like I managed to get the stuff off her before she could ingest any and is currently doing very well. I spoke with the vet and they said that it's unlikely at this point that it'll be an issue, but to call them again if we notice anything. Glad to hear your babies recovered.
 
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ColoradoCat

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If anyone's curious for an update, it seems that I did manage to get all of the peppermint oil off of Cassie before she ingested any. She's currently doing very well, albeit a bit tired from some extensive zoomies with her kitten friend. There should be no more risk of exposure, and I think my family member learned an important lesson from all this. We will continue to use the spray to kill gnats, but not in areas where the cats will go.
 
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