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My cat ate borax ant killer. Is it an emergency? What should I do?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 10 years and 6 months old | 11 lbs

my cat ate 1 teaspoon of borax mixed with 1 teaspoon of sugar which I had mixed to eliminate ants. It was in a small dish on the cupboard and I never thought she would eat something like that. I started giving her as much of her food as she would eat and then I mixed two capsules of activated charcoal in the food and she ate it all. No emergency vet is open now. This happened about 30 minutes ago. I'm scared. She is acting fine right now.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on October 6th, 2020

Borax is toxic to cats and you can see vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, and excessive thirst. This really does have to be checked out by a vet immediately, and emergency vets should be open all night. Please take Rocket Girl into an ER vet clinic; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website.
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