Cat Drank Soapy Water or Ate Soap! Here're 7 Helpful Facts

Having a cat is a full-time job because these curious little pets often get into things that aren’t good for them. Sometimes they get stuck, sometimes they get hurt, and occasionally they ingest unhealthy things, like soap, soapy water, detergent, shampoo, etc.

If your cat consumed any of these things, here’re some helpful facts that will help you to understand that situation in a better way so that you don’t get stressed out for your beloved one’s health.

let’s check ’em out!

Table of Contents

Why Do Cats Drink Soapy Water?

There could be many reasons why cats drink soap water accidentally! Yes’ accidentally because cats don’t drink soap water for a real reason. They drink that because they don’t anymore want to drink their water from their regular water bowl.

So in search of a new fresh running and moving water source, they usually get end up ingesting water from locations like the kitchen sink, bathtub, and even from a nasty toilet (which is gross, right!).

And we all know, it is not strange, that all these places are often filled with soapy water.

Can Soapy Water Hurt Cats?

It completely depends on the situation, which means how much soapy water does she actually ingested. If your cat consumes a very little amount of soapy water, then there is nothing to worry about – she will be fine!

If she drank quite higher than that, there could be great chances that your feline would get a little upset tummy, which usually they can handle on their own. But in case she drank a significant amount of soapy water, then it’s time to call & ask the vet! Because that much amount of soapy water can cause some serious trouble.

What Will Happen If The Cat Drinks Soapy Water

As long as there isn’t anything toxic in the water except little soap, then your cat will only have some gastrointestinal irritation.

But if your cat drank too much soapy water or there are tons of bleach and ammonia-based products mixed in the water. Then your cat’s tummy might get upset very poorly, which can cause nausea, drooling, vomiting, or diarrhea, but that normally will go away in a day or so (typically 12-24 hours).

If she still begins vomiting or has diarrhea, then it’s time to take her to the veterinarian.

Will Cats Drink Soapy Water Again? How To Stop It!

If your cat gets ill after drinking soapy water, then the possibilities are less almost zero for her to drink that soapy water again. Because now she probably knows that soapy water going in her mouth and coming back out doesn’t taste good, so she will likely not drink that again.

But if your cat tries to drink soapy water again, here’re the 5-excellent ways to stop it.

Replace the water bowl with the cat water fountain.
Place multiple water bowls in different areas (favorite places).
Cover the sink with a dish rack.
Keep sink and bathtub clean and standing water-free.
Always keep the toilet lid down.

Kitten Drank Soapy Water! Is It Safe?

Yes, your kitten will be safe; it will do her no harm if she just licked or drank the very little amount of soapy water.

But kittens are fragile, so why take chances? Because any yucky bacteria getting into your kitten’s system can make her sick, so, it’s always better to ask your local vet whenever a kitten eats something unhealthy like soap or soapy water!

Is Dish Soap Poisonous To Cats

It depends on what kind of dish soap it was because some dish soaps are non-toxic, however, some do have toxic compounds. So it’s better to check the label carefully to see if it contain any hazardous ingredients such as triclosan, essential oils, phosphates, or bleach.

If these ingredients aren’t heavily mixed in the dish soap, then they wouldn’t do much harm to your cat than an upset tummy such as vomiting or diarrhea.

However, if these symptoms worsen, bringing him to the vet may be best.

Can Dish Soap Kill A Cat?

No dish soap wouldn’t kill your cat, but Yes,’ it can cause her sick for a day or so if ingested too much of it. But in a kitten’s case, things might be pretty different here!

That’s why veterinarians always said to keep things like soap, detergent, shampoo, and other harmful substances away from your kitten’s reach in a close cabinet.

What Happens If A Cat Drinks Dish Soap

Usually, if a feline drinks any dish soap directly, she will probably throw up right away because of the dish soap toxic compounds. But if somehow she didn’t throw up, flush her mouth with cool water (not cold) and closely monitor her for any sign of stomach upset like loss of appetite, lethargy, vomiting, or diarrhea.

Sometimes these signs of stomach upset take an hour or so to show up because some dish soap has high toxic compounds while some don’t actually have any harmful chemicals in it, so wait patiently.

Can Cats Die From Eating Soap Bar?

These soap bars are specially made for skin use that doesn’t contain any highly toxic compounds that can be hazardous to anyone.

So No’ your cat wouldn’t die from eating a chunk of bar soap because soap bars are not truly toxic and don’t do much harm than upset tummy for a day or two.

What Happens If Your Cat Eats Soap Bar

If a cat eats soap, the possible trouble she will face is stomach upset for a day, but only if she eats a tiny chunk of bar soap.

Because if she took a large piece out of bar soap, it could stick all over to his gums that wouldn’t taste good (for hours) if not get cleaned. As well as if she digests that large chunk, then she will surely be going to have gastrointestinal irritation (vomiting and diarrhea) for a couple of days or maybe for a full week.

So make sure you check the soap bar whether your cats took a tiny chunk or a large one. Anyhow your cat ingested the large piece, then it would require to be checked by your local veterinarian.

Can Soap Kill A Kitten?

Soap usually can’t kill a kitten if licked or swallowed in a small amount. But it can cause gastrointestinal upset, commonly vomiting and diarrhea. However, it can be deadly in some cases if left untreated.

So if your kitten ingested any kind of soap such as bar soap, soft soap detergent, shampoo, or any other type of soapy product, make sure the first thing you do is clean his mouth and observe for any sign of gastrointestinal upset. If the kitten has any cues of stomach upset, the second thing is you should take her to your local vet rather than treating her yourself.

What Happens If A Kitten Eats Soap?

Kittens are very curious about their surroundings! So to explore everything, they often chew upon things that aren’t edible, like soap, plastic bags, even photographs, just to find out what they taste like.

And after eating things like soaps, they usually end up making themselves sick. The most common symptoms you’ll see in kittens after eating soap when they’re not feeling well are typically known as drooling, vomiting, or diarrhea. But in some cases, when vomiting continues for days, symptoms can get worst such as lethargy, refusal to eat, pale gums/tongue.

So, if a kitten eats soap, it’s better to take her to the vet rather than wait for those symptoms to occur!

Is It OK For Cats To Lick Soap?

Neither it’s good nor it’s harmful because soaps or bar soaps aren’t hazardous if licked or swallowed, but no doubt it can make your cat sick.

There are two common reasons why your cats lick a soft soap or bar soap, either because of the pheromones in the soap or maybe your cat exhibit pica.

When cats have pica, they usually chew anything (non-food items) they can get their teeth around. If they only lick soap, then it is just because of fat and pheromones in the soap. In that case, it’s best to keep soap in a safe place.

Cat Ate Soap Bubbles! Are Soap Bubbles Safe For Cats?

If your cat also loves playing with bubbles and eating or nipping on them, then let her have some fun because soap bubbles will not cause any harm to her.

Most soap bubbles liquid available in the market are safe to use because they are made especially “keeping pets in mind” with nontoxic compounds.

But if you are using DIY soap bubbles liquid, make sure it contains safe soap. If the soap you are using contains any toxic ingredients, it can cause stomach upset when your cat eats too many soapy bubbles.

Why Does My Cat Eat Soap Bubbles?

If a cat eats soap bubbles, there could be some genuine reasons why she does that, maybe she likes the smell after the bubbles popped, or maybe cats see them as prey, so to hunt those bubbles down, they often eat them, and maybe some other reason.

But mostly, these soap bubbles are nothing more than a moving toy for them like a teaser wand, Laser pointer, ping-pong balls, and so on.

However, not all cats are the same — some cats don’t even like playing, nipping, or eating those soap bubbles. They usually prefer avoiding them whenever they see them around just because they don’t want that soapy bubble pop on their nose.