If a cat ate a rat that had been poisoned,

[Fluffycloudland77]

What symptoms would he show? And how long would it take?

Obviously he is grounded for the night.

[cozietoesie]

Oh Gawd, Fluffy.

I've never had it in one of mine but all the guidance I could find after a look around suggested a very cautious approach.

See \link{http://www.fabcats.org/owners/poisons/home.html\this} as an example.

Are you sure he's eaten any ? And if so, how much?

[Fluffycloudland77]

He's eaten through the spinal cord and exposed the abdominal cavity, no internal organs have been eaten but he must have eaten a bit of the membranes round them.

It was a baby too.

I'm buying a Rottweiler, that'll teach him.

He's sleeping now.

[cozietoesie]

How do you know it was poisoned - especially if it was a baby?

I don't know on this one, Fluffy. I think you need a vet's view. (My concern would be that low levels of toxin could lead to low level but long term effects without treatment - but that's only my limited understanding, I'm afraid.)

[Fluffycloudland77]

I'm looking at worst case scenario, he never eats mice but people get funny about rats and put poison down, dh was congratulating him until I mentioned people poison rats

He's doing the happy cat croissant pose at the moment.

Plus I'm wondering why mice come in alive but he's managed to kill two rats? Unless the rats have been weakened in some way.

[cozietoesie]

Just guessing but - mice they can stun and bring in to play with. Rats are more serious opponents (even to a boy like yours) and if I was a cat, I'd want to make sure of it before I relaxed my guard.

[CajaDeLaMemoria]

How recently was the rat poisoned? And what with? The packaging should state a chemical name and how much needs to be ingested to cause harm.

I'd err on the side of getting a vet check, just in case, because getting symptoms could mean it's too late to prevent long term damage. Easier said than done, though.

[cozietoesie]

PS - if you have no clear evidence of the rat being poisoned and it was only a baby, I reckon he'll have got away with it.

What the heck you do about possible future prey, I have no idea.

[cozietoesie]

Thanks for that Caja.

As you said, though, easier said than done. Basically, any outside-going cats could be eating rats galore every night and owners might never know.

[FairyJen]

My cat ate a mouse that was definitely poisoned. He lept on it whilst it was eating said poison. He ate the entire thing despite all my efforts to get him to drop it.

I phoned exterminator to get exact brand or whatever it is of the poison and the vet. Long story short, cat was and is absolutely fine. I panicked over nothing

[Fluffycloudland77]

I'm going to keep an eye on him for odd behaviour.

If he starts to act oddly I'm going to have to ring the local vets.

[MaggieMaggieMaggieMcGill]

When this happened to the ex-inlaws and there stupid cat who made a hobby of eating rats near the local grain silo, he got very ill very quickly, foaming at the mouth and vomiting.
They took him to the vets and he lived to do it again, along with half a dozen other things which must mean he is down to his last one or two lives!

[MaggieMaggieMaggieMcGill]

*their

[cozietoesie]

That's it, maggie - it's something to be concerned about everywhere. A central city dweller could be having stuff put down in the neighbourhood by the Council Rat Controllers - but in the most idyllic seeming country area, friendly Farmer Jones down the road could be pouring industrial strength and price granules into containers every night to protect his barn or grain.

I think it might just be one of those things you have to ignore unless you see clear symptoms of a problem.

[lljkk]

Symptoms here, your cat sounds fine, OP.

If my cat could get out to catch rats then it would be at risk of being run over, I would expect that to happen before cat managed to eat a poisoned rat.

[Fluffycloudland77]

s1295.photobucket.com/user/Fluffycloudland77/profile/

The murderer.

[cozietoesie]

Looks beatific, doesn't he?

[blackbirdatglanmore]

Ah, he's gorgeous!

at the rat, though!