amy55

Monday night I accidently locked one of my cats in the bathroom closet. She was in there all night. This is so hard for me to write, but I need to.

I keep the cleaners on the floor in that closet. Guess she got scared and she put her claws through one of them. I never heard her in the closet. I take valerian root to sleep, and I never heard her. It was a cleaning agent, that she got on her paws, and then licked it off. She has chemical burns on her foot and on her tongue. I took her to the vet, doesn't look like she ingested it, no burns on her throat.

I just feel so bad and so helpless as to what I can do for her. She is drinking water now, but won't eat. Hopefully she will do that by tomorrow.

I was looking online about this. Lots of things that I didn't really know or think about. If you wash your floor make sure the pets are safe and don't walk on it till it's dry. Many other things also.

Whatever gets on a cat or dog, they will lick it off to clean themselves. Could be poisonous. I poisoned my cat because I wasn't alert enough to know she was in that closet.

suki44883

Amy, it's not your fault. These things happen. Our cat used to run into the hall closet anytime one of us opened the door. Usually we caught her, but there were occasions where she hid (she was a black cat and hard to see in the dark closet) and ended up staying in there for several hours.

Stop blaming yourself. Cats do things like that and it is not your fault.

FeelingGreat

Hi Amy, YOU didn't poison your cat, it was an accident. Now if you'd laid out her food laced with cleaner, that would be different. Please rephrase your inner dialogue:

Amy - I poisoned my cat.

Rephrase: My cat went into the closet and I accidentally closed the door. It was not deliberate, and luckily she will recover. I love my cat and take good care of her.

Take some deep breaths, and try to be kind to yourself.

PS: I have a cat who I love more than my kids (lol) so I know it's hard when they're hurt, but don't turn it onto yourself.

ladyscribbler

Hugs Amy. I hope your kitty feels better.
When I clean houses with pets (and my own home), I like to use natural cleaners as much as possible. Plain white vinegar is good for lots of things, but I know the smell can be off-putting. Mrs. Meyers and Method are 2 brands I like. They are non-toxic for pets.
I once had a dog (Bob Barker) eat an entire set of plastic alphabet magnets off the bottom of the fridge after my son (then 2, now 13) was playing with them and I forgot to move them to the upper half of the fridge. He pooped colorful, educational turds for days, but was ultimately fine, is still alive today, in fact.

Carlotta

You know Amy55, you got to stop beating on my friend Amy!
You did nothing wrong and you are not a neglectful "human". Cat loves to hide and get themselves in trouble more often than not.
One time, my cat got stuck between the faux ceiling and the real ceiling in the basement. I could not find her and all I could hear was her crying. I had to pop one of panels and I never could figure out how she got there.
I am glad that kitty is ok.

:hugs:

Ps: oh yeah and instead of being properly remorseful for being stupid and grateful for me rescuing her, she spent the rest of the day sulking in her basket and giving me dirty looks!!

irisgardens

Amy--you did not do this to your cat...it happened. I liked what ladyscribbler talked about on the non-toxic cleaners...and know that Method is good.

You are a wonderful person and friend...and I love you. Sending gentle hugs and love.

Dee74

We're human and we make mistakes Amy.
Sounds like your cat will be fine

I'm sure she'll forgive you...how about you forgiving yourself?

D

Dee74

double post - my mistake
D

amy55

I just have to say, the power of SR is amazing. Right after I posted that my little Misty followed me into the bathroom. She wanted me to pet her. Then she followed me out and went to the water bowl. She planted herself there now.

I still have a long way to go here, but at least she is taking water on her own now. Prior to this I was following her around with a water bowl and a glass of water since she always liked to drink my water.

Oh, and I do think I will be going with natural products now. The green stuff. I already moved all of the chemicals out of the upstairs and put them down the basement.

She won't eat at all yet, and hates wet food, any suggestions? Was thinking maybe if I boiled some chicken for her with no gravy. It's about 4 days that she has not eaten.

Carlotta

A lot of cats love tuna. Most kitties while feeling they are entitled to fresh tuna (when no smoked Nova Scotia salmon is to be found of course!!!) will deign eat some caned tuna.

amy55

I can't accept that it's not my fault. Misty is like my little puppy, follows me everywhere, sleeps with me every night, perhaps one time a month she is not waiting for me at the door to go to sleep. If I go out I give the other cats wet food so I can take a head count. Misty doesn't eat wet food. She sits in her cat tree by the door so that she can give me a kiss goodbye, and then when I come home she is up there to give me a kiss hello.

I really do hate myself because I found her in the closet on Tuesday morning. I didn't notice she was feeling well. I have three other cats. I went out Tuesday night, was supposed to sleep over friends house. Saw Misty before I was leaving, felt her nose, it was warm, she was lethargic. Her tongue was sticking out. I didn't stay at friends house that night. All I was thinking about then was did she get into something poisonous. I shouldn't have went out to eat either. Should have turned around right then, but I didn't.

amy55

OK, going to check out the sodium level of canned tuna and boiled chicken. I was afraid of the salt on a chemical burn.

tigerlily1

My kitty also tends to dash into closets when they are open. Purely an accident Amy. So glad your kitty is starting to feel a little better. Years ago I had a cat that was very sick and did not eat for almost six weeks. Two things got him through. One you can buy a nutritional supplement that comes in a tube from the vet. It's a paste and you just put it on there paw to lick off. I just wiped it on the roof of my cats mouth but with the chemical burns not sure you could do that.I can't remember the name sorry. However your vet should know. It's like ensure or boost for humans. Secondly yogurt. The first thing he started to eat was yogurt. Of course guessing it depends on the cat if that would work. Hope your kitty starts eating soon.

auroraxborealis

One of my cats' favorite places in the whole world (ok, house) is the linen closet where we keep the bed sheets. If he hears the door open he'll come running. I've shut him in there a few times.

Once, my dad shut one of our then kittens in a nightstand drawer and left to pick me up from school. She was meowing when we came home and we couldn't find her for the longest time, because who would think to look in a drawer?

I think it's amazing you were able to post this. And I'm sending happy thoughts to you and your Misty.

Hawks

I'm sure the old saying about 9 lives didn't come up out of nowhere.

Cats have been getting into scrapes since the Egyptians domesticated them.

She'll be back to her old self very soon I'm sure.

theuncertainty

((((hugs)))) to you, Amy, and your little Misty. Please be gentle with yourself. When our cat is under the weather and won't eat much, he'll at least nibble on stinky food (but not the canned type). So I go out and get a few pouches of wet food. The pouches seem to be chunkier than most of the canned types, so with Sasuke it seems to be a smell and texture thing. Our vet said it probably registers more like 'food' than the (less-smelly) dry food.

Sasuke had a kennel-cough type illness when we adopted him, has managed to tangle with our neighbor's cat and a squirrel, found a cabinet corner by jumping head first into it, each earning him a wonderous car ride to the vet. I swear, he has an injury magnet in his head, or he sits around thinking up ways he can get another car ride.

happybeingme

I am so sorry that happened. My sister closed her kitten up in the fridge one time.

Try scrambling her an egg. I had a cat who loved eggs

Butterfly

((((((Hugs)))))) amy I am so sorry this has happened, it's really not your fault. It's good that's she's drinking and hopefully she will start eating soon. I hope she is back to her old self soon.

Duckygirl1

(((Hugs)))). Kitty loves you and knows it was an accident. If she could talk she'd tell you that. Be kind to yourself,she'd want it that way.

Fandy

I've locked many a cat in a closet by mistake too...thankfully no incidents, just an angry cat who continues to run in there, it a big walkin storage closet.
For cleaning i mostly use a floor steamer with just hot water, it dries quickly and a hand steamer for bathrooms....very little scrubbing...when i use clorox or comet, everything gets closed off for the animals.
Try sardines?