Efudex
I’m a newbie on this site and have been told to use efudex on most of my face twice a day for three weeks.
We have an indoor cat who licks my face during the night. If we close the door to our bedroom, he bangs and scratches on the door thus damaging It. We live in a new apartment, so this would be most unwelcome.
Does anyone have any tips on how to manage this treatment without poisoning their pet inadvertently ?
For example, if the cream is applied six or seven hours before bedtime, would the cream still be poisonous to the cat?
I am most interested on how pet owners in this community have managed this treatment safely for their furry friends?
Many thanks,
Mary from Canada
It sounds like you already know that the drug is unsafe for animals, but to reinforce it, the FDA states, "the Pet Poison Helpline states that the prognosis for cats that ingest the medicine is grave. If you apply fluorouracil cream or solution to your skin and you touch your cat or your cat touches you, she may accidentally get some of the medicine on her fur. When she grooms herself, she could ingest the medicine and potentially become sick and die." I don't think you could pick a time after which it's safe for your cat to lick your face with the medicine on it, because there are too many variables. I'm a dog owner so I only know what I would do regarding my dog in a situation like this, but maybe it would apply to cats. I would ask my vet to give me tips for stopping the behavior and maybe do a little training. By the way here is the link to the FDA article: https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/animal-health-literacy/dont-expose-pets-prescription-topical-fluorouracil-medicine-people
I found a lot of stories about why cats lick humans and how to make the stop. Some suggestions wouldn't apply to your face (like put on long sleeved clothes) but others do, so if you take a look, hopefully you can get some ideas. https://www.petmd.com/cat/behavior/evr_ct_why-does-my-cat-lick-me
Good luck and don't be deterred and stop using the Efudex. It could save you more trouble down the line. Sincerely, Ronni (Skincancer.net Team MemberI use EFUDEX regularly - to protect our small dog, 4 hours after applying at 5pm, I wash off so any possibility of the cream hurting our small dog....plus it helps with pillow smear... I also wash 4 hours in the morning but for those that work outside the house isn't as important GOOD LUCK !
I was recently treating my scalp in June 2023 and in early July I broke out in shingles on the opposite side of scalp... coincidence or is it possible the Efudex started things going ?
I guess one would never know unless tested and the doctor prescribed the anti-viral.. I only wondered if any one on here has had a similar event.
