Cat Behavior Question - My 14 yr Old Cat Ate Chocolate and Poisoned Herself

by Margaret
(Vienna, Austria)

My cat behavior problems started 4 days ago when I came home to find my 14 yr old cat had been at the chocolates. After a few hours she was crying in a most distressed way, jumping all over furniture and cupboards and had a crazy look in her eyes.

The vet explained chocolates are poison for cats and dogs and gave her an infusion and also homeopathic drops for me to give her twice a day. Four days later she is acting and looking 'normal' apart from the fact that she is peeing everywhere - on me, on my friend, when we pick her up for a cuddle. She's also peeing on the table, floor, on shoes, anywhere but in her litter box.

Is this an effect of her being poisoned by chocolates, and do you think it is reversible. What advice can anyone give me ??

Many thanks,
Margaret


Reply from Liz (Editor): Does her urine look normal? Is there any sign of blood, pus or any strange smell? is she peeing small amounts only or are her pees "normal" size? I think it's definitely worth at least ringing your vet, just to make sure they think she's OK. She could have a medical problem that's resulted from the poisoning which is causing this, ad if that's the case, the sooner it's treated, the better.

Is she drinking loads? I'm wondering if she's drinking a lot more than normal because of the need to flush out the last bits of poison from her system - in which case she may be getting caught short and peeing everywhere as a result.

Do the homeopathic drops she's taking have a diuretic effect (i.e. make her pee more than normal?) It may be that they're designed to do this - again to flush out the toxins - so she may pee more during the time she's taking them.

Alternatively, it could be that the effects have upset her to an extent where she's stressed, and peeing outside of her litter box as a result. A Feliway diffuser or spray may help her to de-stress enough to stop this if that's the case.

Here is a useful article about chocolate poisoning in pets written by a vet:

Chocolate Toxicity in Dogs and Cats

One of the symptoms of chocolate poisoning is excessive urination, so it may be that she's still expelling the poison. I'd definitely speak to the vet as a first port of call. Best of luck - I really hope she's OK.