A warning that may be common knowledge but wasn't known to me. Ant Powder and other insecticides on the market that contain Permethrin can be very poisonous to cats and dogs.

I've just got back from collecting Indi (cat) from the vet. We had the house have its annual bug spray a couple of weeks ago. A couple of days before that, we had an ant infestation so the husband put a load of ant powder down where they were coming in. We noticed a few days later that Indi was very lethargic and not eating properly. A couple of days after that, she was still the same, which was when the poison idea came to us. We figured that she can't have had much but that it must have been well into her system by then so just kept her quiet, eating and drinking and she started getting better.

Then about three days ago, she went downhill again fast, the weight dropped off her in a very short period of time, no fat around her haunches and her back legs couldn't hold her weight very well. Took her to vet yesterday, he managed to get a drip into her and some other stuff but then she became violently aggressive and wouldn't let anyone near her, not even to give food. They had to put a blanket over the cage so she couldn't get upset by anyone.

Went to pick her up and the vet was very concerned about how she'd be with us, she was scary until some part of her brain kicked in and she recognised us enough to calm down a bit. Turns out Permethrin can have this effect, although it's unlikely to kill. Got her home and she's still very weak in the back legs, all the neuro receptors there not working properly, but also freaked by anything and everything so she's shut in the laundry and I think has gone to sleep It was almost like a human on LSD or something and seeing things and freaking out about nothing. Horrible to watch and know that you can do nothing about it. She will get better, she's not going to die but.......

So, beware of Permethrin, it's not as harmless as the cartons, sprays, bug people would have us believe.

I'm sorry to hear about Indi MP. I hope she makes a swift recovery and is back to her former self really soon. xx

That is very scary. I hope your poor cat recovers fully.

Oh poor Indi! And poor you and your family for the worry of it.

Hope Indi is feeling better soon x

I hope she feels better soon, poor thing. I don't think I can keep any pets as my garden is filled with plants that are highly toxic

Aw poor Indi. Hope she makes a full recovery Pen.

Thanks for the heads up. We have an ongoing battle with ants and I've always been reluctant to put anything down as we've got two cats. However, my patented method of squashing them individually with my thumb, (ants not cats) is struggling to keep up with the supply. Don't suppose the vet recommended any 'safe' chemicals, (for cats, not ants!)?

Having just said all that, Mr. Rosscov killed a brown snake in the garden today, so maybe ants are the least of my worries!

I have decided to stop using sprays in the house except for putting a mortein bomb in the roof space to kill the crickets/spiders. The outside of the house gets sprayed but my cat doesnt go out.

I have on occasions sprayed the windowsill in the kitchen with Mortein when we have had an ant problem as they come in through a crack in the corner but will think twice about this now. We have never used powder but I should imagine its all pretty toxic. Dettol is another poison to cats or anything with phenol compounds in it.

Bastard ants are so persistent though.

Interesting, didn't know that about Dettol.

And you're right about persistent. When will they get the message, the sneaky, cunning little......

One of the things we were taught in vet nursing and were also told they can absorb the phenol via their paws.

http://www.fabcats.org/owners/poisons/article.html

My cat prefers to drink out of the toilet than from a bowl and believe me he's been offered a variety of vessels, so I always have to remember to put the toilet lid down after I've bleached it...Why is everyone in my house dysfunctional... and that includes me..?

I have no idea what to put down if we get ants now. Certainly won't be using it in the house again, regardless of what the carton says! As for the annual house spray, I think we may continue having that done, she's never been affected before and we're just about certain it was powder she may have inhaled whilst also licking it off her feet.

Still really wobbly but eating and drinking well. Tries to jump on the sofa and 9 times out of 10 falls over but she getting there. Become very affectionate as well which isn't her, she's fussy about who she cuddles normally.

Glad to hear she's well on the mend.

I use Coles green choice multi-purpose cleaner (trigger gun) as a spray to wipe down my kitchen surfaces and found out by chance that it kills the little buggers instantly. So when I spot them scouting my cupboards or roaming around the cat bowls I give them a quick squirt and them wipe 'em all up with a bit of kitchen roll. Doesn't stop the problem completely, but works as a quick fix until the next lot start snooping about. Doesn't seem to bother the cats, if you ignore the fact that one has an eating disorder and the other thinks it's a dog.
Outside the house I blitz the buggers with boiling water.

(Oh the shame, it's Friday night and I'm talking about cleaning products and ants.)

We had a terrible problem with ants in my last home and the thing that worked best was those ant baits, where it attracts the ants to feed and they take stuff back to the nest and pass on the killer stuff to all their friends and family. We put about 4 of the little bait things down and within a couple of days no more ants and they never came back. Can't remember the brand we used but we got it from Bunnings. No idea how safe it is in relation to cats though, we put ours up off the floor and where the cat never went so he seemed safe enough but I suppose it depends on how mischievous your cat is!