How 3 kg multiplies the danger
Your cat's body is roughly one-tenth the size of a large dog's—oven cleaner spreads across her paw pads at nearly ten times the concentration. Cats also have proportionally more skin surface area per pound than dogs, so chemicals absorb faster into her bloodstream. That thin feline skin burns more easily too; where a dog might get mild irritation, she gets blisters.
Watch between her toes especially. Cleaner trapped in paw fur keeps burning until thoroughly rinsed. She'll try to lick it off, transferring alkali to her tongue and cheeks—a double exposure you wouldn't see in a less flexible animal. Her grooming instinct turns a paw problem into a mouth crisis.
The sink sprayer advantage
Pressure matters more than volume. A gentle stream from a sink sprayer cleans deeper between her pads than soaking in a bowl, where residual cleaner floats back onto her skin. Hold her sideways under your arm like a football to stabilize her, and angle the spray sideways across her paws—not upward, which could splash her face.
Use cool—not cold—water for exactly five minutes per paw. Cold causes pain receptors to clamp down, potentially trapping cleaner against skin. After rinsing, dab (don't rub) with a paper towel to check for whitish discoloration—this signals deeper tissue damage needing vet-grade wound care.
Why cats hide symptoms better—and worse
A dog might drool obviously; your cat will swallow repeatedly to hide mouth pain until she can't anymore. Watch for subtle chin-wetting or an unusual number of tongue-flicks. Cats also rarely paw at their faces like dogs—instead, they may shake their heads frequently or scratch at one ear repeatedly, as throat pain radiates oddly in felines.
Check her litter box tonight. Alkali ingestion often causes cats to strain unproductively, mimicking urinary blockage. The squatting posture relieves their throat discomfort temporarily, creating false alarms. Any actual vomiting or diarrhea means systemic absorption is occurring—a critical shift for a 3 kg cat.
The grooming risk you can't see yet
Even after rinsing, microscopic cleaner residue lingers in her fur. Over the next six hours, as she grooms, she'll ingest small amounts repeatedly—a slow poison drip. Wrap her in a damp towel for 10 minutes post-rinse to lift remaining particles, then brush her thoroughly with a fine-toothed comb.
Offer wet food exclusively for 48 hours. Dry kibble scrapes burned throat tissues as she swallows, while pâté-style food slides down gently. If she turns her head sideways to eat or drops food from her mouth, the pain is severe enough to risk starvation—another reason tiny cats need faster intervention than larger pets.
The step-by-step response, from the first minute to the vet visit, is in our Oven Cleaner Poisoning in Dogs and Cats emergency guide.