This weekend the news has been full of warnings about the fumes that Teflon products can give off. It was even said that the fumes from Teflon heated pans has been known to kill pet birds in some homes. I heard mention that cats are sensitive to this too and that the fumes, in some cases, can cause respiratory problems in cats. Does anyone have any info on this?
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Cats & Teflon Fumes??
- Thread starter tncatfancier
- Start Date
Teflon is dangerous for anything that breathes.
As I have birds, teflon is rarely used in my house.
If you follow Dupont's use guidelines though, it's fairly safe.
I never use teflon at above Med/low stove setting, and never without the hood fan running.
Most problems with teflon stem from cooking at too high a heat and/or unattended pans on the burner (even if only unattended for a few minutes).
As I have birds, teflon is rarely used in my house.
If you follow Dupont's use guidelines though, it's fairly safe.
I never use teflon at above Med/low stove setting, and never without the hood fan running.
Most problems with teflon stem from cooking at too high a heat and/or unattended pans on the burner (even if only unattended for a few minutes).
I think Teflon is only a problem if you leave it on high on the stove for awhile. (my friend's sister-in-law almost killed their bird this way.) I don't think normal cooking will give off fumes. That being said, I prefer cast iron.
I haven't heard any reports about this yet. Is Teflon really that bad?
Honestly I have no clue if my cookware is Teflon or not, my mother gave them to me years ago and back then, a pan was a pan and they only differed in size in my mind. Maybe i'll have to check mine out.
Honestly I have no clue if my cookware is Teflon or not, my mother gave them to me years ago and back then, a pan was a pan and they only differed in size in my mind. Maybe i'll have to check mine out.
It's not just teflon.
Teflon is Dupont's brand name.
It its all non-stick.
Non-stick heats more evenly than most cookware, thus requiring much lower cook temps, which is why it is easy to overheat it and produce harmfull fumes.
Dupont has agreed to discontinue Teflon by 2016.
Teflon is Dupont's brand name.
It its all non-stick.
Non-stick heats more evenly than most cookware, thus requiring much lower cook temps, which is why it is easy to overheat it and produce harmfull fumes.
Dupont has agreed to discontinue Teflon by 2016.
I left a teflon pan on an element all night , accidently,and the next day one of my older kitties was having a hard time breathing. After bringing him to the vet, we saw his heart was full of fluids and had to put him down the next day, cause there wasnt a lot that could be done. I believe my cat had some other health issues and that is why the teflon really effected him. I have thrown all my teflon away.
First... let me say that I am so sorry for your loss. It sounds like your kitty has been sick for a while and kept it hidden well until it reached a tipping point. I'm not a vet and can't diagnose, of course, but this sounds like a chronic heart or pulmonary issue. What you describe sounds consistent with congestive heart failure. CHF usually takes a period of time to develop, and it usually affects cats that have pre-existing heart conditions like cardiomyopathy (an enlargement of the heart muscle or 'change' in the chamber space as a result of thickening or thinning of the muscle. Cardio= heart; myo=muscle; -pathy= disease or abnormality. Cardiomyopathy comes in several types. A common form is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. This means a thickening and enlarging of the heart muscle, which constricts the ventricles and slows up filling and emptying time. The heart cannot pump as well with the thick, heavy muscle and blood can begin to pool up. The pooled blood can form a clot, or thrombus, which can then travel down the blood vessels and hang up in the fork where the aorta splits into the back legs. This stops blood flow to the legs, and the cat loses movement and sensation. CHF can also result as a complication to "silent" heart disease. Cats don't show signs as readily as d*gs and people because of their laid-back life style. So you might not even catch the subtlest signs of a problem, because cats hide it well.
While the Teflon may or may not have played a part in this... it's more likely that your dear kitty has been ill for a while and it wasn't apparent to anyone. I did away with the no-stick cookware in favor of cast iron because I don't like that stuff anyway for anyone. And nothing bets cast iron for perfect cornbread or chicken fried steak.
Again, I am sorry for your loss...
~MackieMac
While the Teflon may or may not have played a part in this... it's more likely that your dear kitty has been ill for a while and it wasn't apparent to anyone. I did away with the no-stick cookware in favor of cast iron because I don't like that stuff anyway for anyone. And nothing bets cast iron for perfect cornbread or chicken fried steak.
Again, I am sorry for your loss...
~MackieMac
From what I understand if non stick is left on the stove (dry) the coating starts degrading. During that process it starts giving off carbon monoxide. So if you left it on the stove and water you were going to boil it dried up it would then start burning the coating causing carbon monoxide release.
Yes, it can kill. It doesn't happen during general use. A friend killed all her birds and the family ended up in the hospital because she fell asleep while boiling water for Mac and cheese. She didn't fall asleep for 30-1:00. It was hours that she fell asleep. But you can burn down a house too with regular pan left on the stove.
Yes, it can kill. It doesn't happen during general use. A friend killed all her birds and the family ended up in the hospital because she fell asleep while boiling water for Mac and cheese. She didn't fall asleep for 30-1:00. It was hours that she fell asleep. But you can burn down a house too with regular pan left on the stove.
Thanks for sharing what you know about heart problems. My cat "Mouse" had slowed down the past 6 months, but I thought it was because he was getting older. I had brought him to the vet, 6 months prior because he went through phases where he would throw up for 3 or 4 days and then stop for months. The vet didnt think it was anything serious and Mouse seemed healthy in other aspects, so unfortuneatly I didnt pursue it.
The next day after I left the Teflon pan on all night, my other cat was totally fine, but Mouse was gasping for air,,,,,,so I thought the fumes from the Teflon pan did something to race up whatever was going wrong in him. Regardless of what happened I want to be more aware of what is going on in my cats and I dont want to ever go through what I just went through, again. I miss Mouse terribly and feel horrible because I was irresponsible by leaving a pan on, all night.
The next day after I left the Teflon pan on all night, my other cat was totally fine, but Mouse was gasping for air,,,,,,so I thought the fumes from the Teflon pan did something to race up whatever was going wrong in him. Regardless of what happened I want to be more aware of what is going on in my cats and I dont want to ever go through what I just went through, again. I miss Mouse terribly and feel horrible because I was irresponsible by leaving a pan on, all night.
From what I understand, Melissacat, birds are far more sensitive to the fumes of overheated/burnt of Teflon (or generic equivalent) than cats are. It's sad but not terribly surprising that they succumbed to the burnt pan in the one case.
Then again, this comparison presumes an otherwise healthy cat and a typical bird. If your cat had an undiagnosed heart condition, then there could be the possibility that it was too much.,, the final straw But that fluid in Mouse's chest-- the on again-off again vomiting-- the slowing down-- the fluid-- those things go along with congestive heart failure. If there was HCM and/or thyroid disease, that makes it even more likely. Being a male is another card in the deck of risk factors. If he was Siamese or Siamese mix, that's yet another factor. Having dental disease is another factor. A factor is no guarantee though that a problem will arise, only that cardiac disease is seen more often in cats with these characteristics.
I'm not diagnosing what was wrong with Mouse. I was just helping you to see that Mouse might have had a pre-existing condition and it would have been triggered by something sooner or later unless it was discovered in some other (appropriate) way. But that's often very hard to do. Some cats with severe cardiomyopathy have little to no murmur, while other cats whose problems lie within the valves might have a very severe Grade V or even Grade VI murmur, the loudest there is. And the two problems can exist together.
Without a sonogram and EKG, or an echocardiogram-- it's difficult to find these problems sometimes. They don't always show up on a routine exam, and these aren't routine tests. They cost more than a regular exam, and the doctor needs to be quite skilled in reading and assessing the findings. A consultation with a cardiologist might also be necessary. Even then, a case can be marginal-looking but progress quickly for unknown reasons. Some cats with unknown cardiac problems just simply die suddenly with no warning-- as quickly as someone who has a massive heart attack. That's quite painful and shocking for the family. But it sounds like you were there when Mouse went to the Rainbow Bridge. He went knowing that he was loved.
I am so sorry for your loss. May he hunt in the StarClan hunting grounds, where the prey is endless and the leaves are always green and the sun is warm. May his star shine in Silverpelt, the starry band that stretches across the sky. And when you look up and see the countless stars, may you see Mouse's light shining down on you, lighting your path and your heart.
RIP, Mouse.
~Mackie
Then again, this comparison presumes an otherwise healthy cat and a typical bird. If your cat had an undiagnosed heart condition, then there could be the possibility that it was too much.,, the final straw But that fluid in Mouse's chest-- the on again-off again vomiting-- the slowing down-- the fluid-- those things go along with congestive heart failure. If there was HCM and/or thyroid disease, that makes it even more likely. Being a male is another card in the deck of risk factors. If he was Siamese or Siamese mix, that's yet another factor. Having dental disease is another factor. A factor is no guarantee though that a problem will arise, only that cardiac disease is seen more often in cats with these characteristics.
I'm not diagnosing what was wrong with Mouse. I was just helping you to see that Mouse might have had a pre-existing condition and it would have been triggered by something sooner or later unless it was discovered in some other (appropriate) way. But that's often very hard to do. Some cats with severe cardiomyopathy have little to no murmur, while other cats whose problems lie within the valves might have a very severe Grade V or even Grade VI murmur, the loudest there is. And the two problems can exist together.
Without a sonogram and EKG, or an echocardiogram-- it's difficult to find these problems sometimes. They don't always show up on a routine exam, and these aren't routine tests. They cost more than a regular exam, and the doctor needs to be quite skilled in reading and assessing the findings. A consultation with a cardiologist might also be necessary. Even then, a case can be marginal-looking but progress quickly for unknown reasons. Some cats with unknown cardiac problems just simply die suddenly with no warning-- as quickly as someone who has a massive heart attack. That's quite painful and shocking for the family. But it sounds like you were there when Mouse went to the Rainbow Bridge. He went knowing that he was loved.
I am so sorry for your loss. May he hunt in the StarClan hunting grounds, where the prey is endless and the leaves are always green and the sun is warm. May his star shine in Silverpelt, the starry band that stretches across the sky. And when you look up and see the countless stars, may you see Mouse's light shining down on you, lighting your path and your heart.
RIP, Mouse.
~Mackie
Thanks so much for sharing what you know about heart conditions. Everything went so fast when we were at the vet , that I had forgotten or wasnt paying attention to everything the vet had said besides Mouse probably had an undiagnosed heart problem. Thank you.
