My cat ate rat and mouse bait—what should I do?
Call a vet nowCall your vet or the nearest emergency vet right now. Rat and mouse bait can contain toxic active ingredients, and different ingredients require different treatment for pets that ingest an overdose.
What to do right now
- Call your vet or the nearest emergency vet.
- Note what, how much, and when your cat ate.
- Bring the packaging.
- Remove what is left.
- Keep your cat calm.
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
Common toxic active ingredients in mouse and rat poisons include long-acting anticoagulants, cholecalciferol, bromethalin, and phosphides.[2] Each ingredient has a different mechanism of poisoning and requires specific treatment for pets that ingest an overdose.[2]
Signs to watch for
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.
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Common questions
How much rat and mouse bait is dangerous?
Call your vet or the nearest emergency vet right now, and note what, how much, and when your cat ate.
What signs should I watch for?
Watch for vomiting, diarrhea, coma, or difficulty breathing, and call your vet or the nearest emergency vet right now.
What should I do now?
Call your vet or the nearest emergency vet right now, bring the packaging, and do not make your cat vomit unless a vet tells you to.
Sources
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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