The overall situation of mosquito repellent products
The mosquito repellent products we use daily can be roughly divided into two categories:
One is physical repellent / Mosquito killing, such as mosquito killing lamps, electric mosquito swatters, mosquito nets and screens can also be included.
The other category is chemical repellent/killing mosquitoes, which is also the most abundant product: toilet water, disc mosquito coils, electric mosquito coils, spray-type mosquito repellent insecticides, mosquito repellent candles/aromatherapy with natural ingredients , smear-type mosquito repellent, portable mosquito-repellent tablets (bracelets), etc.
In the chemical category, except for a few natural products such as citronella oil, most of them use synthetic pyrethroid repellents or DEET. , they are effective and safe for humans and most mammals (when used at safe doses).
Safe for humans and dogs, but not cats!
In the professional pet medical book "Dr. Cat's Feline Diseases", it is written about pyrethrins:
Pyrethrins are an insecticide extracted from chrysanthemums. Commonly used first and second type pyrethrins include: permethrin, penmethrin, fenvalerate, cypermethrin, etc.
Furthermore, a formulation of fenvalerate plus dihexyltoluamide (Deet) has been safely used on dogs, but it is very toxic to cats. .
Yes, you read that right. The dose that is safe for humans and most mammals is very dangerous for cats. The reason for this is that cats lack the ability to metabolize pyrethroids in their bodies. Glucuronyltransferase, which causes cats to have a very weak ability to metabolize pyrethroids, in other words, the tolerated dose is very low.
Poisoning symptoms and prognosis
Direct contact, accidental ingestion, or inhalation of excessive amounts of pyrethroids or DEET will lead to the accumulation of toxins and cause poisoning symptoms in cats:
Salivation (drooling), restlessness, vomiting, convulsions, inability to walk/stand, difficulty breathing, etc.
Prognosis:
In most cases, pyrethroid poisoning is not fatal unless the dose is huge. As long as active treatment is given, the prognosis is optimistic.
However, some compound pesticides (such as the compound preparations with fenvalerate mentioned in the previous literature) are more serious and may endanger the life of cats.
Prevention
As the saying goes, diseases enter through the mouth, and the same goes for poisoning, so the focus of prevention is to prevent "entrance" and direct contact (skin).
Because pyrethroids or DEET are the main ingredients of mosquito repellent and mosquito repellent products, and there are many types, their effects and methods are different, which also leads to different safety for cats:
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Disc mosquito-repellent incense: It emits smoke and active ingredients through burning to repel mosquitoes, but it will emit smoke and smoke particles during use, which is not friendly to cats with sensitive sense of smell. In addition, disc-type mosquito coils may Being accidentally licked or bitten by a cat is highly dangerous, so stay away from families with cats.
Spray insecticides: spray them into the air as well as on walls, furniture, and floors to repel mosquitoes. This method of use will almost certainly pollute the indoor environment, and may also fall on cats and be inhaled by them. , even if cats are kept away when spraying the room, the atomized pesticide particles that land on the furniture and floors will be contaminated on the cat’s paws and fur due to the cat walking or lying down, and the cat licks its fur. The habit of licking paws, so it can also be taken into the body indirectly orally. It is very dangerous and can be passed directly.