My cat won't eat after detergent spill. What should I feed her?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Cat | Bengal | Female | spayed | 2 years old | 9 lbs
We took our cat to an emergency vet because she had some laundry detergent spilled on her fur and we thought she might have been licking it. The vets said her vitals were good and sent us home with some medication. She's mostly acting normally, except she won't eat anything. She keeps going to her food bowl, but turning away once she gets near the food. She also seems to be trying to bite and rub her tongue on plastic as if she's trying to get a bad taste out of her mouth. What can we do?
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on April 20th, 2018
This sounds like she is suffering from nausea, this could be due to the detergent. there is not much you can do other than waiting for it to pass, in the meantime you can try giving her various treats or foods she may like better than her own, such as tuna, sardines and boiled chicken.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on June 23rd, 2018
This is very serious and could be fatal depending on how much she ate. I would call the pet poison helpline to see if they can give you any tips on the particular brand of detergent and its ingredients. She needs fluids to ensure she is flushing out her kidneys and liver and GI tract, but unfortunately, some animals are too sick to keep anything down. So you may need to find a way to get her to the vet sooner if at all possible. Below is the link for the pet poison helpline. They will be able to give you more specific information depending on what she ate. I hope this helps! www.petpoisonhelpline.com/
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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