Nile's Story: The Danger of Rodenticide Toxicity

January 1, 2021 Scott Russell

I want to take this opportunity to share with you our 13-month-old F4 Savannah boy Nile and warn all cat owners about the dangers and warning signs of ingesting poison.

On September 13th, 2020, we brought Nile with us to our trailer, as we do with our four-year-old cat, Phoenix. Nile was our extraordinary boy from Shannon at “Mighty Fine Savannahs” in Leduc Alberta, Canada, a small town outside Edmonton. (We reside in Hamilton, Ontario). It was such an exciting flight for me because I'd wanted a Savannah cat for many years.

We own a trailer at a beach camp resort three hours away in a place called Sauble Camp Resort in Ontario, Canada, a pet-friendly trailer park. When we were staying at the trailer, I found Nile to be behaving out of sorts. He was stumbling, and his eyes were slightly closed, but there were no other immediate signs of distress. Coincidentally, the propane had run out in our trailer, releasing an odor (expected result when the tank is low). My girlfriend, Kelly, thought Nile might have inhaled the propane, so she put him outside in a cage to get some fresh air.

We watched him for a few hours, but his condition slowly worsened. He deteriorated so slowly; it was barely noticeable. He made no fuss and seemed content--until he started to foam at the mouth. We realized his condition was definitely worsening, so we began to research nearby vets, as the emergency vet was three hours away. At this point, it was 11:00 p.m. and "after hours."

It was clear something was seriously wrong with Nile. So, we embarked on that three-hour drive. His condition got so bad; I didn't think we'd make it in time. It was heart-wrenching being so helpless as we watched him pant for air and breathe heavily. As we drove, we contacted poison control, and they helped us rule-out propane being a causative factor. Because he was conscious when we'd taken him outside for fresh air, they said he'd have gotten better had this been the case. We were confused and panicked as we grasped to figure out what could be wrong with our beautiful boy.

We arrived at the vet at around 2:30 a.m. They were waiting for Nile and immediately started an IV. We'd been talking to them on the way there and updating them on his condition. By the time I pulled Nile out of the carrier, he was almost lifeless. He was floppy in the vet's arms with very little to no mobility, completely limp. The vet drew blood and gave him oxygen. His blood results came back, pointing to the main chemical used in rodenticides. The vet told us Nile was likely brain-dead and wouldn't make it.

There was nothing we could do except stop his suffering. It was 4:30 a.m. when we made the gut-wrenching decision. We had to euthanize him and let him go. With my heart breaking and guilt kicking in, I asked myself why I hadn't brought him sooner--as soon as I'd noticed something was wrong. Our guess is it'd been around 24 to 48 hours since he'd ingested the poisoned mouse. But that wouldn't have made a difference for Nile's survival.

We did a top-to-the-bottom search of the trailer, examining every crack and corner. The vet said people commonly put mouse poison where they don't think their animals can get to it, but that doesn't mean it's safe. I've found dead mice under the logs outside the trailer, so it's no surprise one likely made its way inside.

A mouse is an easy prey for a cat. Even if the cat only plays with it and doesn't eat it, it can be enough to poison the cat. We firmly believe Nile caught a poisoned mouse inside our trailer since he's not an outdoor roaming cat. We also learned that nearby neighbors put poison in their trailers, sheds, and around their property to keep the mice away.

The nights had been cold. We think the mouse made its way into our trailer, and Nile ate it, leaving no trace as it was in his blood samples. The other possibility is when taking Nile for a walk, the poison got on his paws, and when he cleaned himself, he ingested just enough.

It's a mystery exactly how the poisoning got into his bloodstream. At least we know what happened to our boy, and hopefully, my story will save other cats. Be very cautious when allowing your cat to walk around other people's properties or visiting others' homes. You never know if the people residing near you have used rodent poison.

To help ease our pain and help our other cat Phoenix recover from missing sweet Nile, we added "River," from a breeder in Ontario, to our family. Phoenix would look for Nile every night, howling and crying. The night we brought River home, that stopped. We’re soon adding Niles' little brother from another litter as soon as we can get him here.

It's tough to go back to the camper now, as we don't feel comfortable taking the cats anymore.

Nile and Phoenix

Our new kitty “River”

In the case of Rodenticide toxicity: “High doses of vitamin K1 must be administered for several weeks after exposure in order to replace the damaged vitamin K1 in the body. In addition to vitamin K1 supplementation, supportive care may be necessary depending on the clinical signs. This includes intravenous fluid therapy and blood transfusions to treat life-threatening hemorrhage, and the removal of blood from around the heart or lungs to improve breathing and circulation if necessary.” --Dr. Jenny Biehunko DVM

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