08/28/2026
Dear TFH Clients and Friends,
It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to Rajah, one of Dr. Ternes' grandkitties. He passed this morning after a 5 day battle in intensive care after getting into and ingesting his canine housemate's medication.
Our hearts are with Dr. Ternes' daughter and her family. Even in the midst of their grief, Rajah's family doesn't want anyone else to have to go through such an awful ordeal, so we are spreading awareness about this issue. Please share this post with your friends who have dogs.
Cats are not usually attracted to medication, even when medication is specifically compounded to taste good for a cat. In fact, most of us cat owners know that the challenge is GETTING your cat to take the pills, not stopping them from taking them! When I think about toxic substances in my house that my cats could get into, medication isn't even near the top of the list because the bottle is closed and what would a cat want with meds anyway?
But Apoquel Chewable, a commonly used medication for dogs with allergies, is apparently so delicious-smelling to cats that the FDA put out a warning about it:
https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/preventing-accidental-apoquel-chewable-overdoses
But many dog parents are not being appropriately warned about just how irresistible this medication (and many other dog chewable meds) is to cats. No one would think to put dog meds behind lock and key to keep them away from cats--most people put them up on the counter or in a cabinet with their other medications, and no one expects a cat to open up a bottle! This was a tragic, unforeseen, and frightening situation, and what is so frightening is that it could happen to anyone with these meds in the house.
If you have a dog on this medication and have cats in the household, we recommend keeping the Apoquel LOCKED up in a secure location, and keeping the dog completely separate from the cat until you are sure the dog has ingested the medication and kept it down. Do not put it in a bowl of food or a treat and then just put it on the floor if the cat has access to the area. If you have a dog on chewable medication and a cat in your household, please save the links for the Pet Poison Helpline in the link above from the FDA just so you have it on hand.
Rajah was a wonderful cat, such a ham and a friendly boy always looking for cuddles and pats. He will be missed greatly.
