Avoiding Issues With Minoxidil & Your Cat Roommates

[MissingPixels]

I’ve been using minoxidil for two months now (Rogaine 5% foam). I have two cats and I would like to share how I’ve been dealing with the toxicity of minoxidil in cats.

There seems to be a fair bit of concern about this issue. Some people are even avoiding minoxidil because they have cats. However in my experience there is no reason to worry about harming your cats if you use an appropriate amount of care preventing them from coming in contact with the product.

Here is my short guide for using minoxidil foam twice daily while living with cats:

DO NOT allow your cat in the bathroom while applying minoxidil.
DO NOT touch your cat (or their food bowl) for at least a half hour after applying the foam.
ALWAYS thoroughly wash your hands after applying.
ALWAYS store your minoxidil in a place your cat can’t get to.
DO NOT allow your cat to touch your pillow/pillowcase.
AVOID touching your head where minoxidil has been applied even after it has dried.
BE CONSCIOUS of what your head might be rubbing against throughout the day. (Hats, headphones, etc.)​

If you’re extra paranoid, two additional steps you can take are:

• Prevent your cat from drinking out of the sink. If your cat is in the habit of doing this, you can cover your sink with something (chopping board maybe?) until their habit is broken.
• Do not allow your cat in your bedroom at night (or at all). This is the only way to ensure your cat is nowhere near your head while you’re sleeping. It also has the added benefit of keeping it away from your pillow.

I’ve come to the conclusion that cat owners shouldn't worry about “traces” of minoxidil poisoning their cats. Just make sure they don’t come in direct contact with minoxidil, and prevent them from touching objects that are likely to have frequently come in contact with the dried product (pillow, your head, etc).

Anyways I just wanted to make a post to help offset the paranoia about the danger minoxidil poses to cats.

 

[Jimm]

This has actually been the biggest factor in preventing me from starting the foam. (Along with the whole 30% efficacy rate that gets thrown around.)

 

[yetti]

this is a good post. there should be regular reminders here about this topic, not least to warn new users about the risk to cats. ive posted about it before but not for a while.

i dont see a problem with touching a cat within 30 min after application if your hands are very thoroughly washed.

i can do you one better on your bathroom advice: dont use the bathroom at all. i used to, but stuff spills, drips, gets flicked around, even without noticing it. if your cat goes in the bathroom and thats where the minoxidil gets applied i see that as a problem. what i do now is apply minoxidil in place where my cat basically never goes. I dont use a mirror, after all i know where im balding already... this takes practice but is very doable. and then afterward i just wash my hands.

 

[yetti]

@rclark had a post here, now it is gone. it was a great post.

we need to take care of our feline friends.

 

[MissingPixels]

It has been a full year since I introduced minoxidil into my household and my cats have remained perfectly happy and healthy.

I've stuck to my guide and I haven't experienced any issues or scares. I've become more relaxed about touching/feeding my cats after applying minoxidil, but I still wash my hands thoroughly, banish cats from the bathroom while I'm applying, and prevent them from touching my pillow case.

I think the key to avoiding scares is preventing your cats from being in the bathroom while you apply your foam. I've applied minoxidil over 700 times in the last year. Twice the foam fell off my fingers. This means the application went without incident over 99.7% of the time (literally). It just goes to show that it only takes one mistake to put your cats at risk. Thankfully I hadn't broken my bathroom rule and my cats were never in danger.

I stand by my conclusion that inspired me to write the initial post: cat owners shouldn't worry about “traces” of minoxidil poisoning their cats. As long as you're careful there is nothing to worry about.

Sorry if this is grave digging a post, I just thought this update could be informative to any cat lovers who have anxiety over minoxidil.

 

[MissingPixels]

I recently received an inquiry asking for a follow up on this topic so I thought I'd publicly share it here.

To date, my cats are still perfectly healthy. In the 3+ years I have been using minoxidil there haven't been any scares or incidents. I stand by everything I said in the original post and still believe cat owners can use minoxidil without worry as long as they apply the precautions I outlined.

 

[Mbrew88]

Hi. Just wanted to say I’ve been using minoxidil liquid for 20 years and wasn’t aware of the dangers to cats. I’ve had one cat who was 10 and one who was 2 when I first stared using minoxidil. I’ve never had any issues with there health and I didn’t know to avoid all the things you’ve mentioned. They slept on my pillow and I’m sure I pet them after applying although I do wash my hands thoroughly. I guess I got lucky. They both lived to be 18 and 19. I now have two more rescue cats ages 5, I will definitely be more careful now that I’m aware. Thank you for this thread.

 

[MissingPixels]

Almost 4 Year Update

I've been asked via private message for another update. My cats are still fine and there has not once been a "scare" or incident. Party on cat lovers.