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Poison ivy and bumble bee stings (hoping for speedy reply)

2K views 8 replies 5 participants last post by  drjean 
#1 ·
Hi all-

Well, we had the guys out for a beautiful walk this afternoon but poor Coco got stung by a bumble bee. Can cats be alergic to bee stings just like we can? If so, what should I be on the watch for? He is already not wanting to be held (so we could inspect his paw) and hissing and growling when his brother Little Guy comes near. Little is concerned because of all this and wants to sniff him carefully to make sure he is ok.

Also, while we were in the yard, I saw poison ivy a couple of places. Yippie. Can cats get poison ivy? Or can we get it from them, if they have brushed against it and the oil is on their coat? Just wondering.

Thanks.
 
#3 ·
UPDATE:
I have been watching him very carefully. It has been about an hour since he got stung. In that time he has eaten lunch, jumped on the counters and top of fridge (which he loves to do) and let his brother check him over. He is walking and running on it. I believe he has licked the stinger out, since we can't find it. His breathing is fine and he is acting otherwise normally.


Zalensia-
It was a bumble bee. It stung him on the bottom of his front left paw. It is slightly swollen, but he is eating, running, etc. Do you know anything about them getting poison ivy?

Thanks for your response.
 
#5 ·
Bryon, If coco or little guy rubbed up against the poison ivy, I believe you could get it. I am one of the lucky people who doesn't get it. However, I know that susceptible people cannot be around it safely. Don't burn it either. I understand some people can get it that way too. I really think it depends on the degree of susceptibility. Some people get only a little spot of rash, but others, with the same exposure, can't even open their eyes. I would get some kind of systemic spray and get rid of the plants that way. Do it in the hot sun. That will kill the weed faster. Good luck.

I'm sorry. I don't know whether or not cats are effected.
 
#6 ·
Poison ivy produces an oil called urushiol. The urushiol is what causes the reaction. You don't have to contact it directly from the plant. You can react to it even indirectly from something that has contacted the plant. Even the burning of the plant produces a smoke that causes risk not only to the skin, but to the lungs and breathing passages.

Pets are a common carrier of urushiol, and they should be bathed immediately after contact, for your own protection. According to the Johns Hopkins University Site, dogs and cats don't generally have a reaction to poison ivy.
 
#8 ·
Thanks for the info everyone.

We had to go to Kathy's niece's college graduation yesterday afternoon. It was quite a day. Sometimes I don't know why I am so neurotic about stuff like a bee stinging my cat's paw, but in my defense I generally do not have good luck, therefore I am always preparing for the worst. That would have been an alergic reaction and then an emergency trip to the vet. Thank goodness it was un-necessary!

After an hour and before we had to leave, Coco seemed to be breathing ok, he cleaned himself up and let Little come and check in on him, and he ate. I figured he would be ok till we got back. He was. This morning he is back to his tricks of jumping on the screen door and then back to the floor. He landed on his front feet, the left front got stung, and was ripping and racing around this morning. I just hope he learned about bumble bees. He may forget though, since they don't go outside very often.

Thanks Jeanie and Empath for the baking soda and Hopkins link. Right after we got him inside, I tried holding him so Kathy could have a look and he wasn't happy at all. I doubt that we would have been able to put anything on his paw. The poison ivy was just something I was curious about since I saw it in a flower bed where the cats were near. I will get it with Ortho Brush be gone.
 
#9 ·
Mostly the poison ivy risk is to you, from oils the cat can pick up on the coat.

Bee sting allergies usually "blow up" pretty fast so you're past the critical period for this incident. However, now that your kitty has been exposed, the chances for an allergic reaction actually go up. You might want to keep some Benadryl on hand for emergencies. The cat dose is 1 mg per 10 lb. of body weight (1 mg/kg). For a ten pound cat, that's just under half a tablet.

Cheers,
Dr. Jean
 
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