Blog the Change—Cats and Secondhand Smoke

http://BtC4animals.com/

TW has always been leery of smokers and secondhand smoke and that heightened even more when her Mother died of lung cancer even though she never smoked a cigarette in her life. Her only crime was working for more than 20 years in a small space with 3 heavy smokers. At the time she worked, smoking was legal in workplaces. They could blow smoke in your face all day and you had to take it or quit and work some place else where everyone smoked. Gramma stayed, despite the fact that she had at least one horrible bronchitis attack every year.

Since the laws are different now, TW hadn't thought much about it until our new neighbors moved in. At least one of them smokes and it keep leeching into our apartment. Specifically, the part of the apartment where my food is. The kitchen. She decided to research and find out if animals were harmed by secondhand smoke the same way humans are. She found out—DUH—yes, they are. Seems like a no-brainer to this little ghetto kitteh.

"The correlation is similar to what is seen in children: Smaller lungs have less reserve and are more likely to be affected," says Laura Sullvan, DVM, in an article in Your Daily Cat. A Swedish study found that six out of seven cats had pathological changes in their lungs. This next par, which outlines the diseases that your cat runs the risk of developing if regularly exposed to secondhand smoke is quoted from their article, which you can read at the above link:

• Malignant lymphoma This aggressive type of cancer occurs in the lymph nodes and can be fatal. In fact, “Three out of four cats with this disease are dead within a year of diagnosis,” says Dr. Dickie. Cats living with smokers are twice as likely to get this disease, and the risk elevates with increased exposure.
• Squamous cell carcinoma This type of cancer plagues a cat’s mouth. A study conducted at Tufts College of Veterinary Medicine found there is a higher incidence of this illness among cats living with smokers for more than five years.
• Nicotine poisoning Feline explorers drawn to unknown objects, like a forgotten cigarette butt, are especially threatened by nicotine poisoning. The affliction occurs when a cat ingests tobacco. Cigarette butts contain much harmful nicotine -- about 25 percent of the nicotine of a whole cigarette -- so even a small cigarette butt can lead to the death of a cat.
• Asthma Cats exposed to secondhand smoke are not only more susceptible to asthma, but they also “tend to heal slower from respiratory diseases, such as viral infections and pneumonia,” notes Dr. Sullivan. Increased coughing and breathing difficulty is a possible sign that your kitty suffers around secondhand smoke.

Furthermore, a study done by the Tufts College of Veterinary Medicine showed that secondhand smoke has been associated with oral cancer and lymphoma in cats, and lung and nasal cancer in dogs, as well as lung cancer in birds. The reason we [cats] are so susceptible to secondhand smoke is because of our grooming habits. When we wash ourselves, we lick up the cancer-causing carcinogens that accumulate on our fur, which exposes our mucous membranes of our mouth to the cancer-causing carcinogens. You can read more at the LiveScience website.

An article in Petfinder.com quotes a study in Veterinary Medicine found that cats exposed to smoke from one to 19 cigarettes a day are four times more likely to be diagnosed with Squamous cell cancinoma—the most common and an aggressive type of oral cancer.

Another good article on the subject is on the Natural Cat Care Blog, which gives the alarming statistic that cancer is afflicting about 50% of cats over age 10 now. Can you believe half of all cats over 10 have cancer?!?! Plus, it's been affecting younger cats also. Cats are actually MORE vulnerable to toxins than humans. This article gives 3 ways to help prevent cancer in cats. I'll briefly list them and you can read the details in the original article.

• Properly introduce fish oil. Fish oil is actually as good for us felines as it is for peeps to maintain good health.
• Provide cat grass, which contain chlorophyli and B17, which contain anti-cancer properties.
• Be overly protective against common toxins—in smoke, insecticides, cleaning products, and yard sprays. That includes saying NO to flea chemicals that warn against contact with humans' skin.

On their website Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights summarizes how exposure to tobacco and smoking affects pets and what the health consequences are for pets so exposed:

How:

• By ingestion of cigarette or cigar butts which contain toxins.
• By drinking water that contains cigar or cigarette butts (which can have high concentrations of nicotine).
• By breathing secondhand smoke.
• By ingestion of nicotine replacement gum and patches.

Health Effects:

• Breathing problems in dogs and asthmatic-like symptoms in cats
• Salivation
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Cardiac abnormalities
• Respiratory difficulties and respiratory paralysis
• Feline lymphoma in cats
• Lung cancer in dogs
• Nasal cancer in dogs
• Death: from 1-5 cigarettes and from 1/3-1 cigar can be fatal if ingested.

I'd imagine that much of this applies to smoke and the odor that comes under our door almost every day. Air-borne particles could wind up in my food and water, as well as on my toys that I bite on. I could become addicted or worse! Smoking in our halls and common areas are against the condo rules; however, there's nobody here who actually enforces any of the rules. We've complained to our impotent condo association and we're waiting for them to act. I hope they do before I become just another grim statistic of secondhand smoke from selfish people who feel it is their right to kill others.

Didn't realize that I'm addicted to that tar and nicotine in my food.

If you have any animals in your home, please consider kicking the habit or it'll lead to your beloved pet prematurely kicking the proverbial bucket.