Borax (sodium borate, disodium tetraborate or sodium tetraborate) is one of the salts of boric acid whose appearance is either colorless crystals or as a white powder.
Some application of its includes making household and laundry cleaning and agents such as 20 Mule Team Borax and Boraxo (soap), making enamel glazers, flubber, flux, preservative as well as being used as an antifungal and a safer pesticide, as a water softener, agricultural fertilizer, among many other uses.
Both boric acid and borax work as safer pesticides for killing insects including cockroaches, ants, and fleas including cats fleas states Canidae. However, although they have similar applications, these two products are not the same thing and these two terms should not be used interchangeably.
Is borax toxic to cats or is it safe?
Borax is safe for cats, dogs, and other small pets, i.e., it is not toxic or harmful if it is used as indicated by manufacturers and approved by the United States Environmental Protection Agency for that specific use.
Although it is not acutely toxic, if your pet ingests a large amount of this product, it may be toxic especially to smaller animals including your dogs, cats or hamsters as compared to human beings. As little as 5 grams can kill your cats or kitten. However, if ingested in very small amounts, it is safe
Similarly, inhaling sodium borate powders can irritate or inflame the respiratory system mucous membrane.
It is uncommon for canines or felines to lick sodium borate. However, if it stuck on their paws, they may ingest it while cleaning their paws.
Therefore, the use of this product for killing insects or in various household detergents including the 20 Mule Team Borax, Boraxo, Citrus Magic Carpet & Room Odor Eliminator, Tooth bleaching formulas, and so on is ok if used only as directed by manufacturers. We hope to answer the question of whether 20 mule team borax safe for cats or not.
Symptoms of borax poisoning
If your dog or cat ate borax to its toxicity level some of the symptoms you may not include vomiting, nausea, drooling, and diarrhea. Also, skin redness and irritation are possible if exposed to their skin.
Severe cases of intoxification may be accompanied by more severe symptoms such as weakness, convulsions, coma or even death, notes Reference. com (1)
Treating borax treating
The best treatment is dialysis to help get rid of sodium borate from your feline friend’s body as quickly as possible as well as supportive care including IV fluids administration to minimize the effect of this product.
Activated charcoal will not be effective and forced vomiting may worsen things.
Finally, wash it off if it gets stuck on your cat’s fur, paws or anywhere on their body.
Using borax on cat fleas
We have already stated that borax is not bad for cats and other pets if used as intended. Always go for brands that are registered by EPA for your intended use to avoid toxicity.
If you want to use it in controlling fleas in your feline friend, you need to fill it in cracks and crevices, work it into your carpet and leave it there for a day or two before vacuuming it.
The EPA warns you not to put it directly on their fur and remove any excess that may spillover.
While it causes abrasion to exoskeletons in some insects, to others such as cockroaches, ants, and termites, it poisons their stomach.
In fleas, kills their larvae after they ingest it while looking for food. Unfortunately, this means that it cannot kill adult fleas because they feed on only blood.
Therefore, it can only be an integral part of a flea treatment program and might not effectively get rid of these insects on its own.
The bottom line on borax and cats
The issue of borax and its safety for pets elicits different reactions. There are those who believe that it is dangerous, and it will hurt cats while others consider it safe if used correctly.
If your intention is killing cat fleas using this product, you should first consider other less expensive and quite effective means too.
Always store it well in places out of reach of both your children and pets since they may accidentally ingest it. Also, get rid of any spillages.
References
- https://www.reference.com/pets-animals/borax-toxic-cats-bf2e0af18603d227