Keep Mothballs Out of the Garden

If an animal ingests a mothball, it could develop an array of painful symptoms.
Keep Mothballs Out of the Garden
Mothballs don't belong in a garden where a pet, child, or wild animal could ingest them. Gerain0812/Shutterstock
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Q: Bradley, our young indoor-outdoor cat, recently experienced a bout of vomiting, lethargy, and seizures. By the time we got him to the veterinarian, he seemed normal and the vet could find nothing wrong. Two days later, however, Bradley suffered a repeat episode.

I just now remembered that our neighbor had scattered mothballs in her garden to deter skunks and groundhogs. Bradley eats everything, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he munched on a mothball. Can mothballs cause the problems he’s been having?

Lee Pickett
Lee Pickett
Author
Lee Pickett, VMD, practices companion animal medicine in North Carolina. Contact her at AskTheVet.pet. Copyright 2024 Lee Pickett, VMD. Distributed by Creators.com