What should I watch out for with my cat in autumn?
Cats sail through most of autumn. There's one hazard that genuinely kills them, one that makes them miserable, and a lot of advice written for dogs that doesn't apply.
Antifreeze. That's the answer, and it's not close. Ethylene glycol kills cats every autumn and winter, a lick off a wet paw is enough, and signs can start within 30 minutes. Almost everything else written about autumn hazards is written for dogs and doesn't apply to a cat. Store it properly and clean up spills, and your cat's autumn is fine.
Why is antifreeze so dangerous to cats?
Because of how little it takes and how fast it works.
Ethylene glycol is the main component of most antifreeze, and Cats Protection describe it as colourless, odourless and sweet-tasting. Cats don't taste sweetness the way we do, but they'll still drink it, and a thirsty cat will drink something that looks exactly like water.
The route that catches people out isn't drinking, though. A cat walks through a spill, then grooms. Cats Protection are clear that a quick groom of a paw with a tiny amount on it is enough to poison them. Even the smallest amount can be fatal.
Once it's in, it damages the kidneys and nervous system very quickly.
It's not only car radiators. Screen wash and de-icers contain it too, which is why this becomes a problem the moment the mornings turn cold.
What are the signs of antifreeze poisoning in a cat?
Cats Protection put the first signs at anywhere from 30 minutes to 12 hours after ingestion. The RSPCA say signs can show from 30 minutes, and that it may be two or three days before you see kidney failure.
The early picture is a cat who looks drunk. Wobbly, uncoordinated, off balance. It can look almost comical, and it isn't.
Later, and this is the stage you're trying to avoid, comes stopping eating, lethargy and seizures. Cats Protection are blunt about the window: without urgent treatment inside the first 12 hours, a cat can go on to worsening kidney disease.
Don't wait to see how they get on. If there's any chance your cat has been near antifreeze, ring your vet immediately, even if they seem fine. This is the one thing on this page where hours change the outcome.
How do I keep it away from my cat?
Mostly it's storage habits rather than anything you buy.
- Keep containers sealed and off the floor, not on a garage shelf a cat can reach.
- Clean up spills straight away, and hose down where you tipped it.
- Check under the car for puddles. A slow radiator leak is the classic version of this.
- Cats Protection suggest switching to a propylene glycol based antifreeze. They're careful to say it isn't completely non-toxic, but it's much safer to have around animals.
- If you top up screen wash on the drive, do it away from where cats sit.
Worth knowing, and it comes up more than you'd think: deliberately poisoning a cat is a criminal offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. The RSPCA give the maximum penalty as up to six months' imprisonment and a fine of up to £20,000. If you suspect it, that's a police and RSPCA matter, not just a vet one.
Are conkers and acorns a problem for cats?
Not really, and this is where most autumn advice goes wrong.
Conkers and acorns are a genuine autumn worry for dogs, because dogs pick things up and chew them. Cats don't. A cat may bat a conker across the patio and then lose interest.
Same with toadstools and with leaf piles. These are dog problems that get repeated in articles about pets, and they don't transfer.
If you have a dog as well, our autumn dangers for dogs article covers all of that properly.
Why is my cat suddenly scratching?
Harvest mites, most likely, if it's started in the last few weeks.
They're tiny bright orange mites that live in soil and long grass. PDSA put their active season at July to November, which is exactly when this starts turning up. They cluster on the parts of an animal closest to the ground, so look at feet, legs, tummy and inside the ears. They look like orange dust, or paprika sprinkled on the skin.
Cats pick them up sunbathing in long grass and dozing on warm bare earth, which is a very September thing to be doing.
The itching is out of all proportion to the size of the culprit. Some cats barely react, others scratch themselves raw.
Worth knowing before you buy anything: PDSA say ordinary spot-on flea and tick treatments don't appear to shift harvest mites. This is a vet appointment rather than something to sort off the shelf.
What about the darker evenings?
This is the change that actually affects cats most, and it isn't a poison.
The evenings shorten fast through October. A cat who was coming and going in daylight is now crossing roads in the dark, and drivers who could see them last month can't.
There's no clever fix. What helps is boring and it works:
- Bring them in before dusk and feed them then, so the meal does the calling rather than you standing on the step.
- Check the microchip details are current. Free, takes five minutes online, and it's the single most useful thing you can do for a cat who goes out.
- A reflective quick-release collar, if your cat will wear one. Quick-release matters more than reflective, because a collar that doesn't snap open is a strangulation risk on fences and branches.
Quick reference
| What | How bad | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Antifreeze, screen wash, de-icer | Can kill, and fast | Vet immediately on any suspicion. Don't wait for signs |
| Harvest mites | Common, miserable, not dangerous | Vet appointment. Spot-ons don't work on them |
| Darker evenings and traffic | Real, and the main seasonal change | In before dusk, microchip details current |
| Conkers, acorns, toadstools | Barely relevant to cats | Nothing. This is a dog problem |
| Leaf piles | Not a cat problem | Nothing |
When should I ring the vet?
Immediately, without waiting for symptoms, if there's any chance your cat has been near antifreeze, screen wash or de-icer. That includes walking through a puddle of it.
Immediately if your cat is wobbly, uncoordinated or looks drunk, whether or not you know about a spill.
Same day if they've stopped eating, gone quiet and flat, are drinking or weeing noticeably more, or are being sick repeatedly.
Book an appointment if the scratching started recently and won't settle.
If you can't reach your vet and you think your cat has eaten something poisonous, Animal PoisonLine is a 24-hour service for pet owners. There's a charge, and it will tell you whether you need to go in.
What should I actually do this autumn?
Very little, and that's genuinely the answer.
Move the antifreeze somewhere a cat can't reach, and clean up anything you spill. Get in the habit of a quick look under the car. That's the whole of it, and it costs nothing.
Then bring them in earlier as the evenings draw in, and spend five minutes checking your microchip details are up to date. Most cats go through autumn without noticing it happened.
If you're buying anything at all this season, make it a quick-release collar rather than a supplement. Nothing you can buy protects a cat from antifreeze except keeping it off the floor.