Anti-freeze is extremely sweet to the taste for cats and is one of the few poisons that cats drink. Once ingested this will cause rapid kidney failure and treatment is often ineffective as the damage is so extensive and fast.
Anti-freeze is used to stop engines freezing in winter. Fortunately there is not much of this used in Hawke’s Bay, but some people still do use this additive in their car engines.
If you do use anti-freeze, please ensure bottles are not stored where they can be accessed by pets. The main source of poisoning we have seen at VetsOne is when anti-freeze is drained from radiators and allowed to lie on the ground. Care should be taken to collect drained fluids and dispose of it appropriately.
