Lead poisoning in a cat.

Lead poisoning was suspected in a 3-year old Persian cat with depression, anorexia and sporadic vomiting. Laboratory tests disclosed an increased urinary delta aminolevulinic acid (δ-ALA) concentration but normoblastaemia or basophilic stippling of erythrocytes. Treatment for lead poisoning with calcium ethylenediamine tetraacetate for 5 days brought clinical improvement and reduction of urinary δ-ALA concentration but signs of toxicosis recurred in the next week. Repeated chelation therapy brought prompt improvement. A dog and another cat in the household had increased urinary δ-ALA concentrations, indicating metabolic effects of lead exposure, but were clinically well and were not treated. The source of lead was believed to be old paint.