Our little felines are very curious, playful beings with a great hunting instinct. It is not uncommon to see them following some insect and even knocking them down and ingesting them. This may not be a problem with harmless insects, but there are others, such as bees, whose stings can be fatal, especially in allergic cats, who will suffer anaphylactic shock that can endanger their lives.
In this article on our site we talk about the bee sting in cats, the symptoms it causes and what we can do to help our feline. Keep reading!
Are bees dangerous to my cat?
In the hottest months of the year insects abound, including bees. They are great pollinators, but also a risk for our little cats. This risk lies in their stings or their ingestion, both situations favored by the innate curiosity of our cats.
We can suspect that our cat has been stung by a bee if we detect the stinger, which remains in the skin at the site of the sting. If the cat has swallowed the insect or it has stung it in the facial region, some susceptible cats may present a local inflammation that sometimes extends to the respiratory tract, compromising their lives. To avoid scares it is essential to take special care with this type of insect.
Bee venom is called apitoxina and is secreted in greater quantities by females from glands next to the base of the stinger. They use it when they are threatened. Once the bee releases this poison on its victim, it dies.
Bee sting symptoms in cats
If you have seen how your cat has been stung by a bee, you should go quickly to a veterinary center. If you haven't seen it, the following clinical signs may make you suspect a sting:
- Pale mucous membranes.
- Bluetongue.
- Slow or fast heart rate.
- Fainting.
- Fast breathing or Respiratory distress.
- Swelling of the face or mouth.
- Vomiting.
- Diarrhea.
- Anorexy.
- Irritation, pain and swelling in the area of the sting.
- Blocked airway due to allergic reaction.
- Fever.
- Shock.
What to do if my cat has been stung by a bee?
My cat was stung by a bee! What to do is the most frequent question in these situations and the most important, because the life of our little feline may depend on our actions. So, these are the steps to follow:
- Observe the cat for clinical signs such as those mentioned above.
- Search for the stinger to extract it, as the stinger can continue to release venom for several minutes after the sting. This stinger is visualized as a small black splinter.
- The extraction must be done carefully, scratching it with a fingernail or similar. On the contrary, you don't have to extract it with tweezers or with your fingers, because what we would do would be to squeeze the poison out of the area.
- Then you should apply a cold compress to the area to reduce inflammation, and thus swelling, at intervals of 5 minutes and another 5 minutes of rest for at least one hour after the sting.
- To reduce pain and relieve the cat you can use a mixture of water and baking soda, specifically three parts baking soda in one of water. It allows to neutralize the acidic nature of the bee venom, but as long as we are sure that it was a bee that stung our cat, since it can be confused with a wasp, although it does not leave a stinger. In the event of a wasp sting, apple cider vinegar should be used, as its poison is alkaline.
This care is only for when the general condition of our cat is good and only has lesions in the bite area. In cases of stings on the face or around the neck in which there is a large swelling and it is anticipated or observed that it is advancing towards the respiratory system as a result of an allergic reaction, go to Urgently to the veterinary center This is an emergency and we must act as quickly as possible. Only your vet can decide on the most appropriate treatment, which usually includes antihistamines.
It should be noted that you should not medicate your cat on your own with anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen, paracetamol or any NSAID commonly used in human medicine, as they are toxic to cats and would only worsen the condition. Likewise, essential oils should not be used, given their toxicity in cats.
What to do if my cat eats a bee
If a cat ingests a bee, two things can happen: it can swell its mouth and throat from a sting, which prevents a correct passage of air to the lower respiratory system, or the occurrence of an anaphylactic shock.
This last case would be more serious and would make breathing more severely difficult by acting on the respiratory system and producing facial edema, an exaggerated swelling of the throat area, which greatly endangers the animal life. In both cases, you should go to the veterinary center to start urgent treatment.
Tips to prevent your cat from getting stung by a bee
To prevent your cat from being stung by a bee, you must try to keep it outside and, if it does, make sure it is controlled all the time and in a place protected from falls. In addition, you can put mosquito nets and other barriers on the windows to prevent insects from entering the house and biting our little feline. You can also use insect repellents in the form of a spray, diffuser or similar.
