Cleaning & home · cat safety
Are mosquito coils and insect sprays safe for cats?
Moderate
Use with care: household insect sprays and vaporisers contain pyrethroids, which cats react to more readily than dogs — drooling, twitching and tremors. Take your cat and its bowls out before spraying and air the room.
Why moderate: Cats are prone to pyrethroid poisoning; household-strength data in cats are lacking.
- Name
- Insect sprays, coils and vaporisersalso Mosquito coil, Liquid vaporiser, Cockroach spray
- Hindi
- कीड़े मारने का स्प्रे / मच्छर कॉइल · keede maarne ka spray / machchhar coil
What's in it
Pyrethroids (e.g. transfluthrin in liquid vaporisers).
Where it hides
- Cockroach and mosquito aerosols
- Mosquito coils
- Plug-in liquid vaporisers
Symptoms to watch for
- Drooling
- Paw flicking, ear twitching
- Tremors
- Seizures (severe cases)
What to do
Drooling or twitching after a spray: see a vet.
- Take your cat and its food and water bowls out before spraying, and air the room.
- Keep your cat off wet, freshly sprayed surfaces.
Where Indian cats meet it
Cockroach and mosquito sprays, coils and plug-in vaporisers in most homes.
Sources
Facts last checked
General information for cat parents, not a diagnosis or a treatment plan. The facts come from ASPCA, Pet Poison Helpline, International Cat Care, the Merck Veterinary Manual and the other sources listed on every page — and we say so when the evidence comes from dogs or people. If your cat may have eaten something harmful, call your vet.