Himalayan salt lamps can create an atmosphere in your home that you find calming, but what about your pets? Is it safe to keep salt lamps with a cat in the house? What happens if your cat eats one?
Salt lamps hold the potential to cause salt toxicity in cats if they lick or eat it. Cats can jump onto high surfaces where salt lamps tend to be located. This means they can come into contact with a salt lamp and subsequently develop salt toxicity.
Whether your cat is at risk depends on how much of the salt lamp they consumed.
Why Are Salt Lamps Dangerous for Pets?
Overconsumption of salt is toxic to cats. Salt poisoning causes side effects like vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, seizures, neurological dysfunction, and death.
Cats need moderate amounts of salt in their diet to keep the cells in their body functioning properly. The maximum recommended daily intake of salt for a healthy adult cat is 16.7mg.
How Do Himalayan Salt Lamps Work?
A salt lamp is a light source and piece of décor in many homes, but it can also be therapeutic. Himalayan salt lamps are promoted as a natural way of inducing calm and improving wellbeing. They are supposed to release negatively charged sodium (salt) ions when heated to provide salt therapy. Salt therapy is supposed to help increase levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter involved in calming and relaxation. These lamps are also claimed to act as air purifiers and improve air quality. The scientific evidence for any of these claims is lacking, however.
How to Prevent Your Salt Lamp From Harming Your Cat
The issue with salt lamps and cats is access. They’re toxic to dogs too, but keeping a dog from accessing the lamp can be as simple as placing it up high and out of reach. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always work for cats.
Your cat can easily jump and climb up to high ledges and shelves to lick a salt lamp. This makes it possible for them to overdose on salt and develop salt poisoning.
There is no way to prevent your cat from getting to a salt lamp unless it is kept in a room that your cat is not permitted to access.
Conclusion
Salt lamps can be toxic for cats because they can cause cats to overdose on sodium. This can be fatal for your pet, so it’s important not to let them have access to any type of salt lamp. The best way to keep your cat safe is to avoid keeping salt lamps in your house where your cat may be able to access them.
Featured Image Credit: Pixabay
