My cat ate beta-blockers – what should I do?

Updated 2026-09-30 · 1 sources

Based on: Pet Poison Helpline

Call a vet now

Call your vet or the nearest emergency vet right now. Beta-blockers have narrow margins of safety.

What to do now

What to do right now

Call your vet or the nearest emergency vet.
Note what was eaten, how much and when.
Bring the packaging.
Keep your cat calm.
Remove what is left.

Don't

Do not make your cat vomit unless a vet tells you to.
Do not give any human medicine.

Why it can be dangerous

Beta-blockers have narrow margins of safety.^[1] Beta-blockers are used in human and veterinary medicine for heart disease and blood pressure regulation.^[1]

Signs to watch for

Kidney failure
Low blood pressure

If your pet is struggling to breathe, has collapsed, is having a seizure or can't stand up: go to the nearest vet now.

Not sure how serious it is?

OkPaw asks a few quick questions about your pet and tells you in 30 seconds whether it can wait. Free on Google Play for Android.

OkPaw is on Android now – an iPhone version is on its way.

Common questions

How much is dangerous?

Beta-blockers have narrow margins of safety, so call your vet or the nearest emergency vet right now.

What signs should I watch for?

Call your vet or the nearest emergency vet right now.

What should I do now?

Call your vet or the nearest emergency vet, note what was eaten, how much and when, and bring the packaging.

Sources

Pet Poison Helpline

How this page was made: written with the help of AI from the sources below, then checked claim by claim against those sources. Urgency levels follow OkPaw’s fixed safety rules. It is guidance, not a diagnosis. How we write our pages

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