During the past few decades, people have become more concerned about the effects of second-hand smoke on others. Studies have shown that living in a house with a smoker can be just as hazardous to the people in the dwelling who never smoke. This, of course, begs the question of what effects does smoking have on the pets living in those same households.

When one searches for scientific evidence of the effect of tobacco smoke on cats, it is easy to find. Studies show that there is a strong link between cats living in a smoking household and those in a smoke-free environment. The cats of people who smoke have double the rate of feline lymphoma than those living with non-smokers.

This is a major find since vets have long thought that a virus was the cause of lymphoma in a cat. Now, they are aware of the importance of environmental factors acting as carcinogens with repeated exposure.  Tobacco smoke may be just one of many factors in a cat’s environment which needs to be controlled to keep our pets healthy.

Because of a cat’s small size, exposure to environmental contaminants may actually be more harmful that they are for humans. Also, indoor cats probably get a high level of the toxic smokes than the people of the household because people rarely stay home all day. An indoor cat, though, experiences constant exposure without any relief from the smoke.

The cat exposure to the toxins in tobacco may not always come from inhaling the smoke.
Some scientists think that they might also be ingesting these harmful substances when they groom themselves by licking their coats. Scientists also found that the more smokers present in the home, the greater the odds of a cat developing feline lymphoma.