My cat ate slugs and is now hiding, clumsy, and afraid. What's wrong?

Slugs in themselves do not pose a significant problem to cat’s digestive system – insects and the like are a natural part of the feline diet. Though slugs are non-toxic, the mucous they produce may cause your cat to drool or vomit. I would be concerned, however, if there is slug deterrent used in your yard, as that is toxic to cats. Depending on the slug-deterrent used, one slug is unlikely to cause terrible results, but you can monitor Zoe for signs of agitation, excessive drooling, muscle tremors and seizures, and a racing heart rate. If you see any of those signs in her, take her to a vet right away.

Hello, thank you for your question about BooBoo. Based on the symptoms that you are describing it is possible that BooBoo may be experiencing some mild GI upset secondary to ingesting something outside or due to another underlying cause. Since BooBoo's signs are still fairly mild and he is eating some food you could continue to monitor him for the next 24-26 hours for signs of improvement. It would also be reasonable to offer him a bland diet to help settle his stomach such as a canned food or boiled chicken/hamburger and rice (if he will eat this). Alternatively you could have BooBoo seen by your veterinarian so that they can perform an examination to evaluate for any concerns. Depending on the results of their examine they may recommend additional diagnostics (such as bloodwork or x-rays) or may recommend supportive therapies. Hope this helps, good luck!

Poor Hanzel! This behavior is common when cats don't feel well. Just like people, there are many conditions that can make pets feel sick. This could range from bacterial over growth to intestinal blockage. Also like us, diseases are best addressed early and this may result in a better prognosis. I recommend to have him examined by the veterinarian today. The doctor will need to learn the underlying cause in order to give appropriate treatment. Bring in a stool sample in case the doctor needs to test it. I hope Hanzel starts feeling better quickly! Please feel free to post any additional questions!

I’m sorry to hear about Waffles! I hope by now she is improving. Toads are possible but in the future, I recommend just rinsing her mouth out with water for a few seconds. You don’t mention Waffles age but other possibilities include: trauma, clot/stroke type event, injury/pain, or seizures. If she hasn’t improved or is worsening in any way, it’s time to see the emergency vet. Best of luck to you and Waffles.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Frank. I would maybe advise trying to feed Frank a very small amount of food and see if that doesn't settle his stomach. The slug is probably causing the nausea and vomiting because I'm assuming Frank was fine before this exposure. If the vomiting doesn't resolve, I would advise that you call your local emergency vet hospital and discuss the case with them. I would hope that with a little food on his stomach, things would settle for him but only time will tell. Good luck with Frank.

Puss Puss needs to see the veterinarian today. You are describing signs that sound neurological and these are serious. They can indicate infections in the brain, cancer, hypoglycemia, liver disease or poisoning. Some of these infections (Toxoplasmosis) can be transmitted to humans so it's very important to know why this is happening so that he can receive appropriate treatment. Have him examined quickly. The doctor will need blood and urine samples. Other diagnostics may also be needed. Best of luck.

Poor Tosio! I'm sorry to hear that she's sick. If she isn't fully vaccinated, I would be concerned that she might have an illness called feline panleukopenia, which is a very serious infectious disease of kittens that causes lethargy, loss of appetite, vomiting, and often death if not treated promptly. It's also possible that she may have gotten into something toxic, or contracted some other type of infection. Since she sounds quite sick, I would recommend taking her to an emergency clinic this evening to be seen. If you're not sure where to go, try calling your regular vet's office - their voicemail message should have contact information for your nearest ER or an on-call doctor for emergencies.