Help! Cat & Garlic

[musicandcats]

I went into the kitchen to grab some food and I didn't realize that my cat followed me in. He found a piece of garlic on the floor (it was relatively small and sliced, it came in a pack). He only licked it once, will he be alright? Seems silly but I'm really concerned.

 

[lisahe]

I went into the kitchen to grab some food and I didn't realize that my cat followed me in. He found a piece of garlic on the floor (it was relatively small and sliced, it came in a pack). He only licked it once, will he be alright? Seems silly but I'm really concerned.

If he just licked it once, he should be fine. We grow garlic and one of our cats chewed on a garlic clove (or head of garlic, I don't remember exactly what) and didn't have any problem at all. I was worried, too, and watched her carefully for a few hours.

For just in case, you might want to watch for symptoms. The ASPCA and PetMD have symptom lists that might be helpful for you to have in mind.

I hope everything's okay!

 

[lalagimp]

From what I read, exact garlic toxicity is unknown. If your cat starts showing an unusual amount of lethargy or other symptoms that don't go with their personality then take them to see your vet. Frequent issue is anemia.
My cat steals things that I've cooked in garlic semi frequently throughout the year, worrying me like nuts, and he's just thrilled he made off with half an egg roll.

 

[Furballsmom]

...and he's just thrilled he made off with half an egg roll
LOL

 

[duckpond]

If he only licked a piece, didn't actually eat any i don think you have anything to worry about. But if he shows any symptoms, or acts off then i would have a vet check. But i see several cat foods, and supplements, with garlic in them, its way down the list, but its still there, so i cant imagine a lick would be any worse? I dont buy foods with Garlic, just to be safe, but they are out there.

 

[Chris Jordan]

It takes less than 1g of garlic per kg of body weight to harm a cat (it's about 5 times as potent as onion, which is a problem past 5g per kg). Your cat's 1 lick shouldn't have been enough -- you didn't say how much your cat weighed, but to be safe, I've set your cat's weight to be 8 lbs (~3.6 kg) for this. Your cat would have needed to ingest .008 lb of garlic, about 1 supermarket clove's worth. While dips are often more concentrated than standard, 1 licks shouldn't be a problem. If your cat seems lethargic and gets white gums in a few days, however, I'd take it to the vet.