Lemon juice is great for people. As a cat owner, you might have some lemonade in the fridge and wonder if your cat can have some. Before your cat drinks the juice, let’s make sure, can cats have lemon juice? is it safe for them?
No! Cats can’t have lemon juice. Lemon is toxic to cats. Your pet mustn’t ingest the fruit, juice, or any product made with lemon. According to the ASPCA, all citrus fruits are toxic to pets. And lemon, in particular, contains toxins that horses, dogs, and cats mustn’t ingest. Moreover, felines are curious animals and might ingest some of the juice in your absence. So if you have lemonade in your fridge, it is your responsibility to keep it away from your cat.
But wait, there’s more.
Are you not curious a tiny bit as to why lemon juice is forbidden for cats? You’d be right to want to know more. So, stick with me and I’ll explain why cats can’t have lemon juice or eat lemons.
Will Lemon Juice Keep Cats Away?
Consider all citrus fruits as cat repellants. Lemon, in particular, has toxins in its scent. And cats hate their smell. According to the ASPCA, lemon contains psoralens and essential oils, which poisonous to cats. Essential oils are used by people, mostly for their scents. The essential oils in lemons are limonene and linalool. To people, these scents are not poisonous. In fact, we use them as fragrances in our body products, air fresheners, and insecticides.
However, these scents are toxic to your pet. And they are present in lemon juice too. If your pet as much as sniff lemonade, you might notice her vomiting or fall into depression. And if your pet consumes the juice, she might exhibit symptoms such as diarrhea, lethargy, vomiting, skin irritation, tremor, seizures, and in severe cases, death. Most times, felines on their own wouldn’t ingest the juice. So unless you intentionally want to use lemon juice to keep cats away, never allow cats to come close to them. Cats can’t have lemon juice, neither should they sniff air fresheners with limonene. Needless to say, never use lemon oil on your pet’s skin.
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Do Cats Like Lemon?
No! Cats don’t like lemon. Sometimes even humans sneeze when they are peeling lemons. Cats get irritated too. Ordinarily, your pet should walk away from the fruit once it sniffs it. And as earlier explained, lemons contain essential oils that are toxic to felines. But wait, that is not all. The fruit also contains psoralens. When ingested, psoralens can cause photosensitivity in your pets.
The peels are more dangerous because they contain more of the oils, especially D-limonene. So, if you are peeling the fruit near your cat, you can get poisoned. Having lemon-scented cosmetics around your pet is not a good idea. Felines are curious animals and may go about sniffing your body products when you are not around.
My Cat Licked A Lemon Juice – What Should I Do?
Perhaps, you have a glass of lemonade by your side. Then you noticed it is all gone. And you see your cat beside the empty cup. What should you do if your cat licked some lemon juice? Let’s find out.
Firstly, you need to know that because your cat drinks lemon juice doesn’t mean it’s going to get sick. Whether your pet will exhibit any of those symptoms mentioned above like diarrhea, lethargy, vomiting, skin irritation, tremor, or seizures, depends on the quantity ingested, the age, and the weight of your cat. If your cat consumes a lot of lemonade, for instance, a full glass, that might be too much. Moreover, concentrated lemon juice is more toxic than diluted ones.
So, if your cat drinks lemon juice, you should call the veterinarian immediately. Your vet will most likely ask for the quantity ingested. After, activated charcoal would be used to prevent the bloodstreams from absorbing the juice. Iv fluids should be given to pets in severe cases. If your cat has a seizure, she should stay overnight at the clinic for monitoring and medication.
Let’s find out more of the toxic ingredients you should keep your cat away from.
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What is Toxic To Cats?
Part of your responsibility as a cat parent is knowing what foods are toxic to cats. It’s better to keep these foods away from your pet. Here are some foods your cat shouldn’t eat:
Citrus Fruits
Most citrus fruits contain essential oils that are toxic to pets. The ASPCA warns pet parents from feeding their pets any of these fruits. The scents from the fruits irritate pets and can cause depression, lethargy, vomiting, etc. So, your cat should never eat oranges, grapefruits, lemons, tangerine, or lime.
Chocolate and Caffeine
Chocolate and caffeine are methylxanthines. They contain theobromine, which is poisonous to your cat. Dark chocolates contain the highest quantity of theobromine, next to milk chocolates, while white chocolate has the lowest quantity. Also, caffeine is a stimulant and can cause hyperactivity in your cat.
Dairy Products
Most people believe cats love milk. Your cat may indeed love the taste of milk. However, their stomach isn’t build to properly digest lactose. Felines don’t have enough lactase to break down milk and other dairy products. So, if you are going to give your pet some milk, give her cat milk instead. Cat milk is made with little lactose so your pet can digest it properly.
Onions and Garlic
Felines cannot tolerate onion and garlic in the GI tracts. According to the Us National Library of Medicine, ingestion of 5g/kg of onions can cause blood-related diseases such as anemia for cats. Other foods that are toxic to cats are alcohol, salt, nuts, almond nuts, walnuts, excessive salt, and xylitol.
What Smell Cat Doesn’t like?
If you’re wondering what other scents your pet hate, in general, cats dislike the smell of essential oils. To mention a few, keep away rue, pennyroyal, lavender, cinnamon, peppermint, tea tree, eucalyptus essential oils from your pet. These scents are toxic to your pet. Also, prevent your pet from sniffing citrus fruits, and essential oils drive from them. Th And lastly, even though cats love to sniff their human parents, they hate human hair.
Conclusion
As cat parents, it imperative to keep a safe environment for your pet to live in. And that includes a healthy diet. And now that you know that cats can’t have lemon juice, citrus fruits, and essential oils, you must keep them away from your pets.
However, it is not all essential oils that are toxic to pets. For instance, ginger is not toxic to pets. So, if you want to practice aromatherapy on your cat, you could use some ginger oil instead. And remember: If your pet eats lemon while you are away or drinks the juice, consult a vet immediately.
