Non Pet Safe Ice Melt Outside - Should I Worry About It?

[4theloveofcats]

My BF who knows full well to ONLY use Pet Safe ice melter, spread a ton of unsafe Ice Melter all over outside.
I only found out today when I noticed the nearly empty jar of it outside.
His Mother, who hates animals, refuses to buy pet safe brand and gave it to him.
He knows better and I'm very worried now.
I used to find poor dead ferals who either ingested antifreeze or the ice melter in previous Winters.
I currently have some little areas out back for them to keep warm during this insane cold snap.
But I am worried about two things.
Them and also if my BF tracked much of the ice melt inside last night!
I am worried that I walked through whatever he tracked in.
We have several cats inside.
How worried should I be?
After I found out, I already went outside and swept all the ice melt off the sidewalks and porch.
And what is crazy is that there was NOT any ice nor any forecast for preciptation soon.

TL;DR
Idiot boyfriend spread unsafe ice melt all over, didn't tell me. Should I worry about indoor and outdoor cats that it was tracked around?

 

[jpatootie]

Sounds like you did what you could for the kitties.

Beware the red flags. 'Idiot BF'. Bf mother 'who doesn't like animals'. And bf who evidently didn't care how YOU felt, and listened to mom. SMH

I don't trust people who don't like animals or care about them.

JMO

 

[4theloveofcats]

Sounds like you did what you could for the kitties.

Beware the red flags. 'Idiot BF'. Bf mother 'who doesn't like animals'. And bf who evidently didn't care how YOU felt, and listened to mom. SMH

I don't trust people who don't like animals or care about them.

JMO

Thank you for the advice, I agree.
He loves animals and he knows better.
So frustrating.

His Mother has a ton of wild life around her house and we have bought her Pet Safe melt in the past.
She is very educated, is very active and this is not a situation where she is old and infirm.

She simply doesn't care about animals and has mocked me over loving them so much.
In turn my boyfriend has backed me up saying he loves them too.


So yeah, I am shocked he used it KNOWING it was not pet safe.

I don't think this will happen again at least.
Also, but it does give me pause that she hates paws. I want a future MIL who LOVES animals.

I am lucky to live in a county where the roads are even treated organically with beet juice/animal safe mixture.

 

[jpatootie]

Good for you—sounds like eyes wide open. ;-)

 

[maggiedemi]

Do you know what the ingredients in it were? I just Googled it and it seems like some ingredients are safer than others. I know how frustrating it can be when other members of the household aren't as careful around pets as we are.

 

[4theloveofcats]

Do you know what the ingredients in it were? I just Googled it and it seems like some ingredients are safer than others. I know how frustrating it can be when other members of the household aren't as careful around pets as we are.

The ice melter in question had Calcium chloride and other bad stuff.
I've seen all the kittehs since then and they seem fine.
New battle is keeping them freezing in the impending deeper freeze.

 

[maggiedemi]

Okay, I asked my dad and he said that the Sodium Chloride one is the worst one.

 

[maggiedemi]

The pet safe ice melters have a lot of bad reviews too. Personally I think I would just use something natural like sand or non-clumping litter.

 

[4theloveofcats]

My current neighborhood is frustrating to live in. My county is great and very progressive with ONLY using pet safe beet slurry mix for roadways.
But the neighbors here are predominantly anti cat.
They are mainly foreign born and I think in their culture(s) taking care of outside animals is dumb. Ironically, their hatred of the cats has resulted in next to no cats, but now we have rats for first time ever.
They all keep their properties very uniform and pristine, but to the detriment of the cats. All the pesticides in the Summer and all the ice melt in the winter.
Impossible to educate them and also most won't talk to strange women.
So my hands are tied when it comes to educating them on the dangers of the ice melters. In fact, I think some would use them MORE because of the dislike of kittehs.
So I m hoping the 3 that are left stay safe!