In many countries, deliberate poisoning of cats is a criminal offence.Įthylene glycol is broken down in the liver and this process produces other chemicals that severely damage the cat’s kidneys. Regrettably, malicious poisonings have been reported, when individuals deliberately poison cats (and other exposed wildlife) and these stories feature all too often in the press.

A cat walking through a puddle of antifreeze will groom its coat or paws and ingest the poison this way.Įthylene glycol may also be used in garden water features to prevent them freezing up, and unfortunately this can also be drunk by a thirsty cat. So a curious lick or two from a bottle, or from a spillage, could be enough to cause big problems for your cat.Īntifreeze tends to be found in garages or on drives, where it may be stored incorrectly or spilled while pouring into a car radiator, or it could be left in a shallow tray after a car radiator has been drained. Cats only need to drink a teaspoon or less of antifreeze for it to cause serious illness and even death. How are cats exposed to ethylene glycol or antifreeze?Ĭats do not taste ‘sweetness’ in the same way, but it does appear to be attractive to cats for some reason.

Antifreeze antidote