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My cat ate coins. How soon will heavy metal poisoning symptoms appear?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Maine Coon | Male | neutered | 8 months and 22 days old | 10 lbs

Hi, How long would it take heavy metal poisoning symptoms to appear in a cat after consuming it? I know that vomiting, abdominal pain etc would be the symptoms to look for only that i don't know how long shall I monitor my cat to be sure he is OK. I have 4 cats and tonight once again coins disappeared . Not sure wether they ate it or not but I just rather be careful . Thank you

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Mara Howard, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on December 4th, 2017

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I'm sorry to hear Leo may have eaten some loose change. If it was a penny after the early 1980s that he may have eaten, we would have concern for a possible zinc toxicity. Possible signs are vomiting, lethargy, and inappetence, among others. As coins easily show up on xrays, I would recommend taking Leo (and possibly his siblings) in for a screening xray to ensure that no one ate any coins, and if any did, which one and how many, so a treatment plan could be started. Good luck!

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    Answered By Kevin Sanada, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    It really depends on the type of coins consumed. One of the biggest concerns is zinc toxicosis, which is a component of pennies in the U.S. Signs of toxicity can be present on the first day of ingestion, or delayed by a few days depending on the form ingested. Either way, I don't recommend waiting for signs of toxicosis to appear before taking them to the vet. The coins can be easily scanned for at a veterinarian's office, so I recommend taking them to the vet as soon as possible. If they did eat any dangerous coins, then there are medications that can be given to prevent toxicosis. I hope that helps and all is well with the cats.

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