Deoxynivalenol Poisoning in Cats: What to Do About Suspected Contaminated Food

By Dr Duncan Houston

If your cat starts vomiting or refuses a newly opened food, stop and check the situation. Contamination is one possibility, but those signs also occur with many illnesses unrelated to the food.

Deoxynivalenol, often shortened to DON or called vomitoxin, is one specific fungal toxin. The priority is to care for the cat while preserving useful evidence about the food.

Quick Answer

DON is a toxin produced by certain Fusarium moulds that can contaminate cereal ingredients. Experimental research shows that sufficient dietary exposure can reduce food intake and cause vomiting in cats, but symptoms alone cannot identify DON. Stop feeding the suspect batch, retain its packaging and contact your vet promptly; repeated vomiting, weakness or inability to keep water down need urgent care.

What is known about DON in cats?

A controlled feeding study in dogs and cats documented reduced food intake and vomiting with DON exposure. These experimental findings do not tell us how often naturally occurring feline poisoning happens, or provide an owner-safe threshold for a particular bag of food.

Contamination can originate in crops before food manufacturing. Poor storage can create other food-safety problems, but a bag's price, grain content or appearance cannot establish whether it contains DON. Food may contain a toxin without obvious visible mould, and not every mould produces the same toxin.

How worried should you be?

What else could cause these signs?

Sudden diet change, spoiled food, infection, pancreatitis, kidney disease, an intestinal blockage and other poisons can look similar. Tremors or seizures after eating mouldy material can indicate different mycotoxins and require immediate care rather than an assumption of DON. A cat refusing food may also have dental pain or nausea from another disease.

How is suspected contamination investigated?

Your vet assesses hydration and other signs, reviews the feeding timeline and may recommend blood and urine tests or imaging. Those tests identify complications and competing explanations; routine bloodwork does not directly confirm DON poisoning. Food analysis through an appropriate laboratory may be useful, arranged with veterinary, manufacturer or regulatory guidance.

Take photos of the product, batch or lot number and expiry date. Record when it was opened, how it was stored and which animals ate it. Keep a sealed sample away from people and animals, following any sampling instructions. Do not throw away all the evidence or send an opened sample without checking handling requirements.

When is this an emergency?

Seek emergency help for collapse, difficulty breathing, severe weakness, persistent vomiting, marked abdominal pain or neurological signs. Kittens and cats with diabetes or other illness can deteriorate quickly. A cat eating little or nothing should be discussed with a vet the same day; prolonged fasting is not an appropriate treatment.

What should you do next?

1. Stop the suspect food and prevent every animal from accessing it.
2. Call your vet with the symptoms, food details and approximate exposure.
3. Offer an alternative suitable complete diet if your cat is comfortable and your vet advises feeding. Do not force-feed a vomiting cat.
4. Follow the examination and monitoring plan. Treatment may include fluids, nausea control and nutritional support.
5. Report a suspected product problem through the manufacturer and relevant local food-safety channel when advised.

There is no household antidote for DON. Recovery depends on exposure, dehydration, nutritional effects and whether another illness is present; improvement after changing food alone does not prove the diagnosis.

Common mistakes

• Inducing vomiting or giving charcoal without veterinary direction.
• Blaming all vomiting on the latest meal.
• Mixing suspect food into a fresh bag.
• Trying to make contaminated food safe by cooking it.

Reducing future risk

Keep dry food in its original labelled bag within a clean, dry container, follow storage directions and avoid buying more than you can use appropriately. Keep batches separate and check official product recalls when a specific concern arises. No diet label guarantees freedom from contamination.

Frequently asked questions

Can I identify DON by smell?

No. Appearance and smell cannot reliably identify a specific mycotoxin.

Does grain-free food prevent all poisoning?

No. Food safety involves many possible contaminants and handling risks.

Will blood tests confirm DON?

Routine tests assess the cat and rule out other problems; targeted food testing may be needed.

Should I fast my cat?

Do not impose prolonged fasting. Ask your vet for a feeding plan, especially if your cat is already refusing food.

Remove the possible exposure, keep the batch details and get the cat assessed. That approach protects health without jumping to an unproven diagnosis.

For help understanding your cat's health and preparing questions for your veterinary team, visit ASK A VET™. If your cat has emergency signs, contact an emergency clinic directly.