Emergency Action
My cat ate something
What to do in the first 10 minutes when your cat has eaten or been exposed to something dangerous.
This page is designed to be the fastest route to the right action when you're in a panic. Save it to your home screen so you can find it quickly.
Below, we link to the specific emergency pages for the most common US cat exposures — each one has step-by-step action advice for that specific item.
Do these things right now
- Move your cat away from whatever they ate. Don't try to induce vomiting at home — this is dangerous in cats.
- Identify what was eaten and roughly how much. Keep the packaging, a plant sample, or a photo.
- Call your vet immediately. Even if it's out of hours, call — most US clinics have an after-hours or emergency referral number.
- If you can't reach your vet, call the ASPCA Poison Control on (888) 426-4435 (24/7, charges apply — the US's dedicated pet poison hotline for owners).
- Tell them your cat's weight, what was eaten, when, and how much.
The big emergencies — tap for specific advice
These are the exposures that most often turn into serious illness. Each link has its own detailed emergency steps and symptom timeline.
Lilies
no
Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
no
Antifreeze (ethylene glycol)
no
Onions
no
Chocolate
no
Grapes
no
Raisins
no
Permethrin
no
Essential oils
no
Tinsel
no
Ibuprofen
no
Rat poison
no
Dog flea treatment
no
Xylitol
no
🍫 Chocolate calculator — work out if the dose is toxic
Open chocolate calculator →
💊 Acetaminophen calculator — time-critical dose check
Open acetaminophen calculator →
🔍 Don't know what they ate? Check symptoms
Open symptoms triage →
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Cat Owner Essentials
Questions owners ask
Should I try to make my cat vomit at home?
No. Inducing vomiting at home is dangerous in cats — unlike dogs, there's no reliably safe home method, and doing it wrong can cause aspiration or further injury. Call your vet or ASPCA Poison Control instead and let a professional decide.
What information should I have ready when I call for help?
What your cat ate (or is suspected to have eaten), roughly how much, when it happened, your cat's weight, and any symptoms so far. Having the product packaging or plant name to hand speeds up the call significantly.