My cat ate figs!!

[Clro]

Highly sorry for not answering replies to my previous thread but im really anxious

This is my fault honestly, my mom was feeding my cats figs but she had no idea how bad they were for cats, neither did i. I didn't so any research and I absolutely regret it ... They haven't eaten anymore since that.. they usually eat lots (it was at 2pm, its 10pm) and they have been sleeping all day... Weird in them! Specially cleo!! We cant take them to the vet... Its closed+personal stuff i cannot talk about.... How long will it take for symptoms to appear in case theyre sick from food poisoning???? Im really worried rn..

 

[Furballsmom]

The other thread where you're wondering if your cat is tired of you? It's ok.

Back to this issue, have you seen any of these symptoms? I don't know how long it would take to show up.

• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Drooling
• Irritated skin and sores
• Head shaking

For the future maybe something here could be helpful;

No Money For Vet Care? How To Find Help And Save Your Cat’s Life – TheCatSite Articles

 

[Clro]

The other thread where you're wondering if your cat is tired of you? It's ok.

Back to this issue, have you seen any of these symptoms? I don't know how long it would take to show up.

• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Drooling
• Irritated skin and sores
• Head shaking

For the future maybe something here could be helpful;

No Money For Vet Care? How To Find Help And Save Your Cat’s Life – TheCatSite Articles

Okay tysm!! All they had was some shaking but nothing else so far.. hopefully theyre ok :'] and also tysm for the article!!

 

[Caspers Human]

Fig trees produce a substance called "ficain." It is similar to the substance produced by ficus trees which is also toxic to cats.
Therefore, if you understand how and why ficus are bad for cats, you'll understand why figs are toxic, too.

That's the bad news. The good news is that ripe figs have less of the ficain than unripe figs or the rest of the fig tree.

In the end, it all comes down to how much fig the cat ate. If it was a bite or two, the cat will probably throw up and get the runs. If the cat ate a whole fig, you're going to run into more problems. That brings up the question of how much fig the cats ate. You said "a lot." What do you mean by "a lot?"

If it was a whole fig, shared by two or more cats, they're going to get sick, throw up and, probably, get the screamin' s#its.
If it was as much as one fig per cat, you're likely to have more problems. If it was more than that, you need to get professional advice. The more the cats ate, the more serious this problem is.

I know that you said that you can't take the cats to a vet but you really need to get some professional advice. Can you call a poison control hotline? That way you can, at least, know what you're up against.

Right now, all you can do without a vet's advice is to give supportive care. Make sure that they have good food and water available at all times. I would say that water is probably most important. On top of that, make sure that they are using their litter box(es.) They are probably going to get the squirts. You're going to have to stay on top of that because a messy litter box will make the cats less willing to use the box.

Also, keep close watch on how much they urinate. If they drink a normal amount of water but don't urinate, that's an indication or renal shutdown. That's bad!

What you want is for the cats to drink water so that their liver and kidneys can work to remove the toxin. Simply put, you want to "wash the poison out." It's more complicated than that but that's the gist, anyhow. If they stop peeing, they can't get rid of the poison.

Don't force the cats to drink. Just make sure that they can drink as much as they need. Keep track of how frequently and how much they pee. If the water and urine are both flowing, that's good. If it slows down or stops, that's bad.

Also keep track of how much they eat and how much they poop. Watch how runny or solid their poop is. You should see diarrhea, at first, then, over time, you should see their poop go back to normal. This will probably take a couple-three days but, maybe, longer.

In both cases, "water vs. urine" or "food vs. feces," you want to be sure that "input = output." i.e. the amount of food and water they consume should be roughly equal to the amount of waste they leave in the litter box. If things stay in balance, you're okay. If they get out of balance, you've got problems that need a vet's attention, ASAP.

Watch out for the list of symptoms that have already been posted, above. The more of those symptoms you see or the more severe they are, the worse the cats' conditions are. They are probably going to be sleepy, barfy and poopy for a day or two.

What if you had a really bad hangover from drinking too much? Absent more information from you, that's how I would characterize your cats' experience, at this moment. Maybe like what happens when you eat a bad batch of egg salad.

Do you know how to check your cats' vital signs?
A cat's normal temperature should be around 100º-102º F. (37º-39º C.)
A cat's resting heart rate should be 120-150 BPM. (Count the heartbeat for fifteen seconds and multiply by four.)
A cat's resting respiration should be 15-30 breaths per minute.

Feel the cat's nose or paw pads. It should feel slightly cool to the touch and maybe a tad bit warm, depending or conditions. (You don't want to know how to take a cat's temperature with a thermometer! )
Feel your cat's chest (on the cat's own left side) just inside the front leg for the heartbeat.
Gently feel your cat's rib cage for the respiration.

If you have kids, you kinda'-sorta' know what their vitals should be. Maybe not perfectly but you should have an idea.
The same goes for cats. A good cat parent should have a rough idea of what's normal for their cat, just as a human parent should know what's right for their kids.

If the cats' vitals go off... Problem! Vet! ASAP!

If the cats' eating, drinking, pooping and peeing go off... Problem! Vet! ASAP!

If you notice physical symptoms like lethargy, shaking/trembling or stumbling... Problem! Vet! ASAP!

I really, really recommend that you, at least, call a vet and get their advice. If you can't do that, call a poison control hotline. If you can't or won't do that, the only thing you can do is pray.

Keep a close eye on your cats' condition. Be ready to act if you have to. Cross your fingers and pray. With a goodly amount of luck, maybe they'll sleep it off.

I don't think I have to tell you this but, for community's sake... Don't feed your cat any more figs!

Thoughts and prayers be with you!

Sending get-well vibes!

 

[Clro]

Fig trees produce a substance called "ficain." It is similar to the substance produced by ficus trees which is also toxic to cats.
Therefore, if you understand how and why ficus are bad for cats, you'll understand why figs are toxic, too.

That's the bad news. The good news is that ripe figs have less of the ficain than unripe figs or the rest of the fig tree.

In the end, it all comes down to how much fig the cat ate. If it was a bite or two, the cat will probably throw up and get the runs. If the cat ate a whole fig, you're going to run into more problems. That brings up the question of how much fig the cats ate. You said "a lot." What do you mean by "a lot?"

If it was a whole fig, shared by two or more cats, they're going to get sick, throw up and, probably, get the screamin' s#its.
If it was as much as one fig per cat, you're likely to have more problems. If it was more than that, you need to get professional advice. The more the cats ate, the more serious this problem is.

I know that you said that you can't take the cats to a vet but you really need to get some professional advice. Can you call a poison control hotline? That way you can, at least, know what you're up against.

Right now, all you can do without a vet's advice is to give supportive care. Make sure that they have good food and water available at all times. I would say that water is probably most important. On top of that, make sure that they are using their litter box(es.) They are probably going to get the squirts. You're going to have to stay on top of that because a messy litter box will make the cats less willing to use the box.

Also, keep close watch on how much they urinate. If they drink a normal amount of water but don't urinate, that's an indication or renal shutdown. That's bad!

What you want is for the cats to drink water so that their liver and kidneys can work to remove the toxin. Simply put, you want to "wash the poison out." It's more complicated than that but that's the gist, anyhow. If they stop peeing, they can't get rid of the poison.

Don't force the cats to drink. Just make sure that they can drink as much as they need. Keep track of how frequently and how much they pee. If the water and urine are both flowing, that's good. If it slows down or stops, that's bad.

Also keep track of how much they eat and how much they poop. Watch how runny or solid their poop is. You should see diarrhea, at first, then, over time, you should see their poop go back to normal. This will probably take a couple-three days but, maybe, longer.

In both cases, "water vs. urine" or "food vs. feces," you want to be sure that "input = output." i.e. the amount of food and water they consume should be roughly equal to the amount of waste they leave in the litter box. If things stay in balance, you're okay. If they get out of balance, you've got problems that need a vet's attention, ASAP.

Watch out for the list of symptoms that have already been posted, above. The more of those symptoms you see or the more severe they are, the worse the cats' conditions are. They are probably going to be sleepy, barfy and poopy for a day or two.

What if you had a really bad hangover from drinking too much? Absent more information from you, that's how I would characterize your cats' experience, at this moment. Maybe like what happens when you eat a bad batch of egg salad.

Do you know how to check your cats' vital signs?
A cat's normal temperature should be around 100º-102º F. (37º-39º C.)
A cat's resting heart rate should be 120-150 BPM. (Count the heartbeat for fifteen seconds and multiply by four.)
A cat's resting respiration should be 15-30 breaths per minute.

Feel the cat's nose or paw pads. It should feel slightly cool to the touch and maybe a tad bit warm, depending or conditions. (You don't want to know how to take a cat's temperature with a thermometer! )
Feel your cat's chest (on the cat's own left side) just inside the front leg for the heartbeat.
Gently feel your cat's rib cage for the respiration.

If you have kids, you kinda'-sorta' know what their vitals should be. Maybe not perfectly but you should have an idea.
The same goes for cats. A good cat parent should have a rough idea of what's normal for their cat, just as a human parent should know what's right for their kids.

If the cats' vitals go off... Problem! Vet! ASAP!

If the cats' eating, drinking, pooping and peeing go off... Problem! Vet! ASAP!

If you notice physical symptoms like lethargy, shaking/trembling or stumbling... Problem! Vet! ASAP!

I really, really recommend that you, at least, call a vet and get their advice. If you can't do that, call a poison control hotline. If you can't or won't do that, the only thing you can do is pray.

Keep a close eye on your cats' condition. Be ready to act if you have to. Cross your fingers and pray. With a goodly amount of luck, maybe they'll sleep it off.

I don't think I have to tell you this but, for community's sake... Don't feed your cat any more figs!

Thoughts and prayers be with you!

Sending get-well vibes!

ohh this information is gold!! Thank you so much.. i have two cats, one of them ate not even a quarter of a fig but my other girl seemed to love them so she ate nearly a whole fig. She shows no signs of disease/illnesses.... Shes just like usual, the only thing that worried me is that they (both) went 8hours without touching their food - they ate, finally.
Also it's a 'funny(not actually funny)' coincidence that my cats came from the vet right before they had figs (treatment for an opened wound). We cannot go to the vet as today its closed and we don't have the emergency number + my brother is moving tomorrow so my parents will be really busy, probably unable to assist me. This will probably sound horrible but when i told them they laughed and said 'they barely ate a fig, i see them very sick yeah (sarcastic tone)' and I can't really tell if they're drinking water, they get close go the bowl but i cant hear it... I DONT know If this changes anything but the figs were previously cooked by an oven.
I dont have kids, i am a teen right now and the best i can do is so some research but at that moment i was clueless and forgot to do research.. then i saw my father offer again and I searched it up and i told him.

Also yes! We visit the vet every inconvenience but this one caught us in a bad time. However if i see any vomit/diharrea ill make sure to get a moment from my parents, to see if we can go to any other vet.

Honestly im horrible at telling the temperature but id say they have an average temperature?? Unsure

However no more fruits for these girls unless i know theyre good

 

[Caspers Human]

Cats don't need to eat fruit. They can't taste it, anyhow.

Cats have a very weak sense of taste for sweetness. They don't have many receptors for sweetness in their tongues.
Cats are carnivores. They don't eat much starch and sugar. Mostly meat. They don't have much need to taste sweet things. And, so... cats never evolved a taste for sweetness.

If you think that your cat likes ice cream because of the sweetness, you're wrong. It's the taste of the milk fat that they like. Ice cream is often very high in fat.

There's almost no reason why cats should eat fruit, at all. They can live, perfectly well, without it.

Yes, cooked figs have less of ficain. Ficain is a protein-based enzyme. Most proteins break down under high heat.
Chances are that the baking "killed off" much of the ficain, so to speak.

If one cat ate part of a fig, it is my guess that she'll be okay. Just be sure she gets plenty of food and water. Keep an eye on her.

The other cat, if she seems none the worse for the wear, will probably be okay, too. Still keep an eye out. The longer they go without problems, the less of a chance that there will be problems. A couple-three days for both of them.

Some cats won't eat or drink when there are others around. They have to put their heads down in a way that they can't see what's in their surroundings. Cats will often wait until they are sure that nothing can sneak up from behind before they will eat or drink.

You might not see them drinking from their water bowls. You'll have to watch the water level and see how fast it goes down.

Yeah, they might not eat for while after having figs. It was probably hard on their stomachs. You wouldn't eat very much, either, if you felt sick to your stomach, would you?

No, figs aren't good for cats to eat. Don't let your parents and family BS you. They are minimizing.
Okay... so, a cat isn't going to drop over, dead, from eating just one bite of fig but, on the same token, figs can make cats sick. If they eat enough of them they can get sick and die. I don't know how many figs it would take to kill a cat and I'd rather not find out. The easy answer is just not letting them eat figs.

It's all dependent on the size of the cat, how much the cat eats and other factors like cooking. The more fig a cat eats, the sicker it will get. Larger cats won't get as sick as smaller ones. Cooked figs have less toxin than raw ones.

The problem is that there are dozens of factors that go into it and you can't account for every one, every time. Some things make the problem worse. Some things make the problem easier. You don't know which is which.

No, just one bite of a cooked fig probably won't kill a healthy, adult cat. It'll probably make her puke. She'll probably get the runs. It'll probably put her off her food for a day but it's unlikely to kill her.

However, if it was a little kitten that ate a whole fig, I'd be concerned enough to rush her to the vet.

It's all in the details and you can never account for every detail, all of the time.

I think your family would have been right to say, "Yes, figs aren't good for cats to eat but they aren't going to die because they ate a bite of one." But, to minimize and dismiss your concerns isn't fair.

I think it certainly IS fair for you to say, "Don't let the cats eat any more figs!"

 

[Clro]

Cats don't need to eat fruit. They can't taste it, anyhow.

Cats have a very weak sense of taste for sweetness. They don't have many receptors for sweetness in their tongues.
Cats are carnivores. They don't eat much starch and sugar. Mostly meat. They don't have much need to taste sweet things. And, so... cats never evolved a taste for sweetness.

If you think that your cat likes ice cream because of the sweetness, you're wrong. It's the taste of the milk fat that they like. Ice cream is often very high in fat.

There's almost no reason why cats should eat fruit, at all. They can live, perfectly well, without it.

Yes, cooked figs have less of ficain. Ficain is a protein-based enzyme. Most proteins break down under high heat.
Chances are that the baking "killed off" much of the ficain, so to speak.

If one cat ate part of a fig, it is my guess that she'll be okay. Just be sure she gets plenty of food and water. Keep an eye on her.

The other cat, if she seems none the worse for the wear, will probably be okay, too. Still keep an eye out. The longer they go without problems, the less of a chance that there will be problems. A couple-three days for both of them.

Some cats won't eat or drink when there are others around. They have to put their heads down in a way that they can't see what's in their surroundings. Cats will often wait until they are sure that nothing can sneak up from behind before they will eat or drink.

You might not see them drinking from their water bowls. You'll have to watch the water level and see how fast it goes down.

Yeah, they might not eat for while after having figs. It was probably hard on their stomachs. You wouldn't eat very much, either, if you felt sick to your stomach, would you?

No, figs aren't good for cats to eat. Don't let your parents and family BS you. They are minimizing.
Okay... so, a cat isn't going to drop over, dead, from eating just one bite of fig but, on the same token, figs can make cats sick. If they eat enough of them they can get sick and die. I don't know how many figs it would take to kill a cat and I'd rather not find out. The easy answer is just not letting them eat figs.

It's all dependent on the size of the cat, how much the cat eats and other factors like cooking. The more fig a cat eats, the sicker it will get. Larger cats won't get as sick as smaller ones. Cooked figs have less toxin than raw ones.

The problem is that there are dozens of factors that go into it and you can't account for every one, every time. Some things make the problem worse. Some things make the problem easier. You don't know which is which.

No, just one bite of a cooked fig probably won't kill a healthy, adult cat. It'll probably make her puke. She'll probably get the runs. It'll probably put her off her food for a day but it's unlikely to kill her.

However, if it was a little kitten that ate a whole fig, I'd be concerned enough to rush her to the vet.

It's all in the details and you can never account for every detail, all of the time.

I think your family would have been right to say, "Yes, figs aren't good for cats to eat but they aren't going to die because they ate a bite of one." But, to minimize and dismiss your concerns isn't fair.

I think it certainly IS fair for you to say, "Don't let the cats eat any more figs!"

We usually dont feed them any fruits nor vegetales, other than zucchini (cooked) and pumpkin (cooked as well) we did research on them and they love it ya.

My mom gave it to them because they kept getting on the table however i think letting them sniff and then take it away woukd have been much better, its usually what i do so they feel included and i can kill off their curiosity.

Its such a relief to hear that cooked figs have less of that substance.. again they haven't shown any signs of illness other than sleeping over 20hours.. im quite worried because thats how my first kitty died but he had a very bad illness (90% death rate;; hopefully they will be okay soon, they always have fresh water and i usually feed them fresh food whenever they ask for It but limiting it to the amount they should have per day.

Tbh they listened to me and gave no more figs but they keep joking about it and its highly annoying as i am the owner and i am quite traumatized from our last kitty! Every thing was fine with no subspects, after 5 days of hospitalizing came back home perfectly fine and that same night, he went to sleep forever and since that i worry to much about my cats but i think its necessary as their health can be in danger by any minor threat

However If i find them throwing up/diharrea ill find a way to rush to the vet. My parents really think those are the only ways to know if a cat is sick i kinda should have waited until I was older and moved to get a cat, those issues probably wouldn't exist but im too attached to them oops