‘Excruciating pain’: Cat’s horror death from popular pet product

A Melbourne woman has issued a warning after she claims her cat suffered an “excruciating” death from a popular pet product.

WARNING: DISTRESSING

A woman has opened up about the horrific moment she claims her cat suffered an “excruciatingly painful” death from a popular pet product.

Bayli Jaid will always remember her cat Milo as a “happy and sweet” companion, who was the most “confident and playful” kitten.

Picking him up from the shelter, she said he adapted to his new life right away, and she was looking forward to seeing him enjoy a long and happy life by her side.

But the 22-year-old had no idea that her beloved “baby boy” would suffer an untimely and painful death from one of the most innocent of household items.

She claims her pet Milo was killed by the globally popular CatGenie, a litter box system that cleans up feline waste automatically, retailing for $480.

Bayli alleges her two other cats, Max and Luna, were also “poisoned” by the device, but recovered.

A CatGenie spokesperson said the company was saddened to hear about Milo’s death and was conducting a full investigation into what happened.

“The CatGenie is arguably one of the cleanest and safest cat waste solutions available, which an estimated 1 million cats have used since 2007,” the spokesperson said.

“The unit and the associated products continue to surpass all necessary standards and certifications for use in Australia.”

Want to stream your news? Flash lets you stream 25+ news channels in 1 place. New to Flash? Try 1 month free. Offer available for a limited time only >

Bayli said her cat Milo was always a happy and sweet cat. Picture: Supplied

Bayli was devastated when Milo passed away. Picture: Supplied

Bayli is now sharing her story for the first time, with the intent to “warn other cat parents” about the alleged dangers of the device.

“I absolutely adored Milo, he was my little baby,” Bayli told news.com.au.

“When he was a kitten and I picked him up from the shelter, he was very confident and I fell in love with him straight away.

“He could never sit still and was such a happy, sweet cat. When he died, the house was so quiet.

“I purchased the CatGenie after reading all the reviews and they seemed fine. At the time I was fostering two other cats, so we needed some help with the kitty litter situation.
“It seemed like a perfect solution, but two months later, it poisoned my cats.”

She alleges that her cat Milo ended up with the product’s SaniSolution – the liquid that is added to the water that washes the granules in the litter box – all over his body and in his mouth, which she claims caused chemical burns that led to his death.

However, on the CatGenie website under the FAQs, the company asserts that their SaniSolution has been “tested and is safe for cats”.

“In the morning, I was getting ready to go to work when I saw Milo under the kitchen table licking his paws,” she said.

Bayli had Milo since he was a kitten. Picture: Supplied

She says they were best friends and would always be spending time together. Picture: Supplied

“He was shaking his head a bit while he was licking them, so I just assumed he was grooming and got hair stuck on his tongue.

“After 10 minutes I went back to check on him, and he was drooling and open mouth breathing. I immediately rang the vet and told them I was coming down with him.

“About 30 minutes later I noticed my two other cats drooling and looking lethargic. I rushed them both to the vet too.

“I didn’t think it was too serious, so I went to work while they stayed for monitoring. After work I went to pick them up and Milo had gotten much worse.”

Bayli says Milo had suffered burns all over his tongue and throat, and his condition continued to deteriorate.

“His mouth couldn’t even close because it was so sore, and his tongue was so fat with ulcers and burns,” she explained.

Milo suffered severe chemical burns and is pictured here before he died. Picture: Supplied

“It looked like his tongue was sliding off. He couldn’t swallow, and had drool coming down his mouth and all over him.

“The vet had to put a feeding tube so he could eat.

“He couldn’t eat, drink or breathe properly. He was so uncomfortable and in pain.

“All he did was lay next to his water bowl with his tongue dipped in it for some relief, he couldn’t even drink it. It was heartbreaking.

“Every time I went near him, he would turn away. He felt so horrible and sore he didn’t even want to be touched.”

Bayli and her partner kept a close eye on Milo, and kept him comfortable with the hope that some rest combined with the medicines would help him recover.

But tragically, when she kissed him goodnight, it would be the last time she would see him alive.

Bayli stayed up all night monitoring him, but Milo’s condition only got worse.

She said she saw him vomit and pass out, and drove him to the vet straight away.

The product is very popular in Australia. Picture: CatGenie

“I called the vet, and she asked if I could hear any breathing, but I couldn’t,” she said.

“She suggested I try to give him mouth to mouth and chest compressions on the way to emergency 24/7 vet.

“They said he had a very weak heartbeat when he arrived, but unfortunately he died and they couldn’t bring him back.

“I’ll never forget the taste of his vomit in my mouth, and feeling him so limp. It was awful.”

Bayli was heartbroken at the horrific loss, but was thankful that her other cats Luna and Max had survived.

“It took about five days for them to stop drooling and get back to being able to run around,” she recalled.

She said Milo had painful chemical burns on his tongue. Picture: Supplied

Milo could not close his mouth due to the pain he was in. Picture; Supplied

“It was so sad, they didn’t know where Milo was and kept searching everywhere looking for him.

Bayli says she has been reimbursed for the cost of the product and the vet bills for Milo, but says nothing the company does will be enough to ease the pain of losing her pet.

She also claims she is not alone in her experience.

“All I want is for Milo to be back with me,” she said.

“I miss him so much. Milo did not deserve to die like that and neither does any other cat.

“Since losing him, I have posted on local cat groups and four other people have reached out to me saying their cats have had chemical burns from the product as well.”

A spokesperson from that company that invented the product told news.com.au that they were saddened to hear about the death of Milo, and added that they take any complaints seriously.

Bayli claims her other cats were poisoned too, with this one drooling from the pain. Picture: Supplied

After posting about what happened on Facebook, Bayli claims others had reached out with similar stories. Picture: Facebook / Bayli Jaid

“When we were informed of this event in Australia, the entire PetNovations family was incredibly saddened to hear about Ms. Jaid’s cat, and it was our priority to discover exactly what had occurred,” A spokesperson from PetNovations LTD, the inventors, engineers and manufacturer of the CatGenie Self-Washing Cat Litter Box, said.

“As with any issue we encounter, no matter how big or small, we take it extremely seriously and try to gather as much information as possible to assist with our investigation.

“We also retrieve the individual unit to put it through rigorous testing to find out the potential cause of the issue and, if needed, make improvements.

“Our team are also pet parents and always strive to maintain the highest safety standards for cats and their owners alike.”

Originally published as ‘Excruciating pain’: Cat’s horror death from popular pet product