? Is Neosporin harmful for cats?

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Butterball

Member Since 2018
I was reading that some people put some Neosporin on their cat's ears at the end of the day. Which I'd most certainly like to do with how many times I've had to poke my mow mow to get the hang of testing

But I've read articles warning of using Neosporin because it contains Polymyxin B, which is apparently toxic to cats and can cause shock or death

Is it that a serious concern or just a necessary precaution?
 
I read those warnings as well when I first started, and I refused to use it for awhile. I eventually found Lou's ears really needed some relief (where he had been perfectly docile before, he started ducking and/or trying to run away from me during testing). I finally caved and bought some Neosporin ointment (not cream) with pain relief, and I could see him visibly relax after I put it on. I researched further and it seemed to me that the warnings were more for kitties ingesting a lot of it. I don't put a lot on his ears, just a thin layer over the testing area. My civvie Bella doesn't bathe Lou, so I don't worry about her ingesting any. He doesn't seem to notice it and overtly try to rub it off himself, so I'm assuming he's not really ingesting much, if any. Others can chime in if they've found other information, but I don't worry about it since I use such a small amount. Needs must, I figure. :cat:
 
Butterball said:
Is there a difference between the ointment and the cream? I only have the cream on hand at the moment
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Unfortunately, yes. The ointment will sit atop the ear and actually help the blood drop bead up when testing. The cream goes into the ear more and the blood just smears everywhere instead and makes getting a viable sample for testing difficult. I've never used the cream, so I'm not sure if you could try to wash it off prior to testing.
 
Ah okay, I thought there was a chemical difference or something like that

I'll be using it for relief and healing, I'm getting pretty lucky with blood beading so far. Knock on wood
 
considering my regular vet, that i do actually trust, told me i could use Neosporin on a cat bite the sick feral cat we rescued had, am going to have to say it is safe to use overall in the tiny amounts we use..he did say to only use the non-pain version though.

since other cats don't lick our tux and he doesn't try to wipe it off his ear with his paw, i do use a tiny amount of the pain version on him everynight or so anyways since that is what big tube my hubby bought, we haven't had any issues doing so.
 
I did some research on this in the past, and what I found was that regular Neosporin ointment is okay when you use a small amount for external use. The cream should be avoided since it has extra additives. The 'pain relief' should be avoided since the pain reliever in it can be dangerous for cats. I have seen several people here mention using the pain relief kind, and I guess they have been fortunate not to have any issues, but I have read several sources that say it is not safe, so I do not chance it.
 
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