Some pesticides can harm cats in particular
UNLUCKY DRAW: A weakness in cat metabolisms makes them more vulnerable to a certain component in pesticides that negatively affects dogs or humans less strongly
By Yang Yuan-ting and Esme Yeh / Staff reporter, with staff writer
Insect repellent or pesticides containing pyrethrins or pyrethroids will be required to include a cat warning label, the Ministry of Environment’s Chemicals Administration said yesterday.
Some commercially available insect repellents or pesticides containing pyrethrins — a mixture of natural chemicals extracted from pyrethrum daisy — and artificial pyrethroids are labeled with the statement “low toxicity to mammals,” it said.
However, pyrethrins have a higher toxicity to cats and such statements might mislead pet owners, it said.
Cats lie on a couch in an undated photograph.
Photo: Su Chin-feng, Taipei Times
Pyrethrins are widely used in the control of public health pests, it said, adding that it is less toxic to humans and most other mammals, as they have higher capacity for toxic metabolism than cats, allowing them to rapidly eliminate pyrethrins.
Cats have slower metabolism of pyrethrins than most other mammals due to congenital deficiency in glucuronidation metabolic capacity, it said.
As a result, pyrethrins are more toxic to cats than other mammals, and they are prone to adverse neurological reactions following exposure, it said.
The agency said it has convened a meeting to consult environmental toxicologists and suppliers of products containing pyrethrins.
The meeting established that a cat warning must be added to the product labels of all products containing pyrethrins, it said.
The warning should read, “Harmful to cats. Read label before use,” it said, adding the font size must be at least 5mm with the warning text colored differently.
Pyrethrin-containing products already circulating on the market would not be recalled, it said.
Sales channel operators are advised to add the warning to the retail area of such products, it added.
People should keep cats away from areas where products that contain pyrethrins or pyrethroids are being used until the treated space is dry and well ventilated, it said, adding that areas where cats frequently visit should be cleaned to reduce exposure risk.
Separetely, a newly built animal protection education park in Tainan’s Syuejia District (學甲) officially opened on Sunday.
Covering nearly two hectares, the park was constructed by the Tainan City Government in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture on a NT$403 million budget.
It is expected to help reduce free-roaming animals with an accommodation capacity of 400 dogs and 40 cats, and is Taiwan’s first animal protection zone built as a park, the city government said, adding the park would follow strict standards for sanitation, epidemic prevention and environmental maintenance.
The open park space accessible to the public is expected to help reduce the “not in my backyard” effect, it said.
The goal is to enhance citizens’ animal protection awareness and build Tainan into an animal-friendly city, it added.
Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) said the park would prioritize taking in free-roaming dogs from the district.
Tainan Animal Health Inspection and Protection Office Director Fang Chuan-ho (方川和) said the park has four core facilities, including the animal shelter, an education center, a dog park, and leisure trails.
It is different from traditional animal shelters’ enclosed environment, using landscape greening, the dog park and an ecological basin to create a comfortable environment, he said.
The animal shelter is well-ventilated and well-lit with an advanced drainage system to ensure good living quality for sheltered animals, he added.
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