We had 2 cats, Ziggy and Lexie. Ziggy, was 14 1/2 yrs old and perfectly healthy with complete lab evaluation 8/28/08 and all quite normal.  Lexie, 12 yrs old, had hyperthyroidism and mild kidney failure for approx 2 years, but normal liver tests. 

Our carpet was cleaned on 12/12/08.  We were assured all the products were safe and nontoxic. I had some nausea, abdominal pain, headache, and dizziness the night of the cleaning and had to leave our home for a few hours while the fans aired the house out.  Our cats were locked in a room that had not been cleaned. Once the carpet was dried, they were let out onto the cleaned carpet. The cats showed no ill effects initially, and we soon forgot all about the carpet cleaning.

 
In retrospect, Ziggy's appetite had declined somewhat approx 2 weeks later.  Her coat didn't look quite as good by 3weeks later. We did not notice any significant change in  her activity level until a sudden decline  1/6/09.  Labs showed severe liver damage and kidney failure as well. She was weak, vomiting profusely, and had diarrhea. She suffered terrribly and died a horrible death on January 9, 2009.  The veterinarian asked me a few times if she had been exposed to any toxins/chemicals, which I initially denied since I was told all the products on my carpet were said to be safe and nontoxic and we followed all the instructions on keeping cats off carpet until dry. The vet said she went downhill much too fast for typical illnesses. 

Also noticed about the same time, Lexie was losing weight but her appetite had increased--typical signs of hyperthyroidism.  Her labs showed her thyroid levels were very high even though she was getting her medicine. Of special note, her liver enzymes were elevated, but not nearly as high as Ziggy's (Ziggy's were 10 x higher).  At this point Lexie has been kept off the carpet for 11 days and lab results from yesterday show her liver enzymes are heading back toward normal.  She also is responding better to her medicine and her thyroid levels have come back down to normal. ( Likely, the toxins made her medicine get cleared from her body faster so her thyroid levels were allowed to rise.) 

 
We are convinced that it was indeed the toxins in the carpet cleaner or the stain resistant product (also supposed to be nontoxic) that is reponsible for Ziggy's death and liver effects in Lexie. I think Ziggy was more affected because she was more active so getting more exposure to the carpet. Additionally she had longer hair and large hairy paws that she groomed constantly.  I think she was poisoned bit by bit as she ingested more everyday.  Today I have found a website for a veterinary school that specializes in post mortem analysis/toxicology and I hope they can help to build a very strong case.

 
 We are hoping a number of people will come forward with their accounts/ suspicions of carpet cleaning product causing illnesses/fatalities in cats.  Otherwise, it will be said that very few cats seem to be sensitive and warning labels etc are not really necessary.  Veterinarians in general seem to be unaware of these toxins in carpet cleaning products and consequently do not ask people for history of these products when a pet presents with sudden kidney/liver failure. So this issue is likely MUCH more widespread than it seems.  The more cases collected,  more likely change in policy/labelling/warnings will occur. Can you please provide an account of what happened with your cat ? and would you be willing to participate in a class action suit or testify if it comes to that ?  I really don't know what will be asked of the group of petowners.  If you know anyone else who has a similar experience, please ask them to come forward.

Thank you,
Angela