Salt lamp shock: Vet's warning after Kiwi woman's cat nearly dies

Sodium poisoning in pets can cause tremors, seizures, vomiting, diarrhea and coma. Photo / Getty Images

A veterinarian has issued an urgent warning after a cat was found to have "neurological problems" after being left unattended with an everyday household item.

Cat owner Maddie Smith first noticed her cat Ruby was behaving unusually on a Wednesday, holding her head in a "strange position as she walked".

Smith, originally from New Zealand and now living in Australia, initially thought her cat was acting strange because it was so cold, and they rugged her up and went to work. But when they came home that afternoon, they found she had deteriorated dramatically, saying over a 12 hour period "her basic senses and abilities were gone".

The cat had been ingesting salt by licking a Himalayan salt lamp in the home. Photo / Getty Images

"The vets were extremely concerned for her and could see she definitely had neurological problems because she simply could not walk properly, could not hear or see, couldn't even eat or drink properly because she couldn't function her tongue the best," Smith said.

After immediate blood tests came back showing nothing, the veterinarians were baffled.

Further testing revealed Ruby had "extremely high" levels of sodium, and the cat had been ingesting salt by licking a Himalayan salt lamp in the home.

Sodium poisoning in cats and dogs in extreme cases is life threatening and can cause loss of coordination, excessive thirst, tremors, coma, seizures, vomiting and diarrhea.

"This is usually more common in dogs so this was a huge shock, and their first case they have seen with a cat," Smith said in her Facebook post.

She advised pet owners to take extra care, as the lamps are attractive to animals and can cause death.

Smith's warning about salt lamps was shared as a warning for pet owners, into a Facebook community group, by the Rose Avenue Vet Hospital in Coffs Harbour in New South Wales.