Pain & fever · cat safety
Can I give my cat paracetamol (पैरासिटामोल)?
Deadly
No — never give a cat paracetamol (Crocin, Dolo, Calpol). Cats lack the liver pathway that clears it, so even a small amount ruins their red blood cells and damages the liver. Signs start within hours: go to a vet now with the strip.
Why deadly: Cats can't break paracetamol down — even a small amount can wreck red blood cells and the liver.
- Name
- Paracetamolalso Crocin, Dolo, Calpol, Combiflam, Sinarest and Vicks Action 500 (cold tablets), Acetaminophen
- Hindi
- पैरासिटामोल
What counts
Every paracetamol product: tablets, syrups and drops, and combination pain, cold and flu tablets such as Combiflam, Sinarest and Vicks Action 500.
What's in it
Paracetamol. Cats have little of the liver enzyme (glucuronyl transferase) that clears it, so it is turned into a toxic by-product (NAPQI) that stops red blood cells carrying oxygen (methaemoglobinaemia) and injures the liver (Merck).
Brands it hides in
- Crocin, Dolo, Calpol — anything that says paracetamol
- Combiflam (paracetamol + ibuprofen)
- Cold and flu tablets such as Sinarest and Vicks Action 500
- Children's fever syrups and drops
Symptoms to watch for
- Brown or 'muddy' gums, a blue-grey tongue
- Swollen face or paws
- Fast, laboured breathing
- Vomiting, drooling, weakness
- Low body temperature
- Later: yellow eyes and gums (liver damage)
Within a few hours — the blood changes come first (Merck); liver signs follow, mostly after larger amounts.
What to do — now
Go to a vet now — this is an emergency. Vets have an antidote (N-acetylcysteine) that works best when given early (Merck).
- Take the strip or bottle.
- Don't make your cat vomit at home unless a vet tells you to.
- Never give any human fever or pain medicine to a cat — a feverish cat needs a vet.
Where Indian cats meet it
In practically every medicine box — and given by kind owners for 'bukhaar' (fever) or pain. A Madras Veterinary College case report describes a cat poisoned this way.
Myth or fact
Myth“Give the cat a Crocin for fever”
FactParacetamol is highly toxic to cats — 'even a small dose is enough to cause severe illness' (International Cat Care). A feverish cat needs a vet, never a human tablet.
Cat-safe swap: Ask your vet for cat-safe pain or fever relief.
Sources
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Toxicoses from human analgesics
- International Cat Care: Cats and poisons
- IJVASR 2014: paracetamol poisoning in a cat, Madras Veterinary College
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.