Dangers of Second Hand Smoke
When I was at work one day my coworker asked me if I knew why his cat quit meowing. I asked him if he smoked in the house and his response was that he did. He was a heavy smoker at work so this was not a surprizing bit of news.
The truth of the matter was that he was killing his cat with second and third hand smoke. Our pets in the house suffer because of the smoking habit. The dangers of second and third smoke are the same for pets as the are for humans.
Would you smoke in the baby nursery at blow smoke in the kittens face? The fact is that this happens every day.
Second hand smoke is the fumes from smoking that we can all smell. Second hand smoke is a carcinogen. Cats and dogs can suffer from the same cancers that humans do.
Third hand smoke is the residual toxins that cling to clothes, carpets and virtually every thing in the house. Even the water bowls will become contaminated. Third hand smoke also resides on our cats fur. With cats being meticulous groomers they ingest all the chemical from smoking directly into their bodies. Cats are twice as likely to develop malignant lymphoma than kitties that live in a smoke free environment. The smoker even contributes to the problem by rubbing third hand smoke contaminants into their pets with their hands.
To prevent nicotine poisoning the best method is to quit. Ingestion of any tobacco products can be lethal. All tobacco products should be cleaned up or disposed of. This includes butts, gums, snuff and patches. Even vaping leaves contaminants. It would be beneficial to wash your hands after smoking.
Signs of nicotine poisoning in cats or dogs are vomiting or diarrhea. There can be a high heart rate, tremors, twitching, and possibly seizures. If you think you pet is suffering from nicotine poisoning see your vet.
In closing smoking and its related problems especially to our pets would be greatly reduced with consideration to those around us. Please clean up after yourself or consider quitting. Quitting is hard, I have seen tremendous struggles with those trying to quit. Your doctor can help. My friend with the sick cat quit after a battle with cancer. If you quit look at all the spare cash you will have.
That’s my story for today. If you have any questions email me at catinthecradles@gmail.com, or you can leave a comment below. Now hug a kitty and do something green for the environment.
Trevor