It’s no surprise that cigarette smoking is damaging to one’s health and is a chief cause of lung cancer, emphysema and heart disease in humans. Even second-hand smoke – the exposure to environmental tobacco smoke – has been known to cause a variety of diseases in people. But what about your pets? Are they affected by second-hand smoke? It may frighten you to know this, but secondhand smoke contains in excess of 40 mutagens and carcinogens, the former of which can damage your DNA and the latter of which can cause cancer. These can lead to any number of chronic and often incurable diseases in humans. Unfortunately, those suffering from such diseases brought on by passive tobaccos smoke exposure are innocent victims of someone else’s choice to participate in such a high-risk and addictive behavior. Fair warning: This secondhand smoke alarm extends to our pets, as well, as they share our homes and breathe the same air as we do. Because they are typically in the home most of their lives, this increases the intensity of the exposure, as well as the duration of it, compared to their human counterparts in the household.
Cotinine, the product formed after nicotine enters the body, can be readily detected in the urine of both dogs and cats that are exposed to secondhand smoke. Small pets who spend appreciable tine in the laps of their smoking owners are at even greater risk and may have levels of cotinine similar to that of the smoker. Remember! Pets breathe what we breathe!
How does secondhand smoke affect cats? It is known that exposure to secondhand smoke increases the risk of lymphoma, the most common tumor in pet cats, and, just as oral cancer is quite prevalent in those who use tobacco daily, the exposure to environmental smoke has been linked to an increased risk of oral squamous cell carcinoma in cats whose owners smoke. Those cats with more than five years of exposure to secondhand smoke had oral tumor biopsies that suggested the presence of a gene mutation most notably associated with the carcinogenic effects of smoking in humans.
It is vitally important to consider this information when it comes to your cat. If you are a smoker, think about what you can do to reduce or eliminate your pet’s exposure to secondhand smoke. After all, it is not of her choosing to breathe in those carcinogens.
Some ideas to consider with respect to your smoking habit or even your desire to quit include cleaning your carpets, curtains and upholstery, which will remove the accumulated smoke from your home. You can also bathe your cat to remove any residue that might be taking up residence in her fur. Once you have cleaned up your home, take the smoking outdoors and away you’re your cat to prevent the re-accumulation of the smoke in your home and on your pet. Also, if you ever drive with your cat in the car or enjoy those long snuggles at home with your cat in your lap, ditch the cigarette. Having a cat means bearing a responsibility, and part of the responsibility means putting her good health in your hands.
Source: vetstreet.com
Written by Ann Butenas
An internationally-recognized author and writer, Ann began her professional writing career at age 12 and began speaking while in college. She has been published thousands of times over the past three decades in all media forms, was former editor and publisher of KC Metro Woman magazine, and has also hosted three talk radio shows in the Kansas City area.
