A&D ointment is not considered safe for cats, primarily because cats groom themselves and will almost certainly lick it off their skin. The ingredients that make this ointment soothing for human skin can cause gastrointestinal upset and, in larger amounts, more serious toxicity in cats. Even if applied topically with the best intentions, the real danger is ingestion.
What’s in A&D Ointment
The two active ingredients in A&D ointment are petrolatum (about 53%) and lanolin (about 15.5%). The inactive ingredients include cod liver oil (which is the actual source of vitamins A and D), light mineral oil, microcrystalline wax, paraffin, and fragrance. None of these were formulated with animal safety in mind, and several pose specific risks to cats.
Why Ingestion Is the Real Problem
Cats are fastidious groomers. If you apply anything to their skin, they will lick it. This is the central issue with A&D ointment: what might be relatively harmless sitting on the surface of the skin becomes a problem once it’s swallowed.
Petrolatum and lanolin can irritate a cat’s digestive tract. Even small amounts of petroleum-based products can cause vomiting, drooling, and diarrhea. The cod liver oil in the formula introduces vitamins A and D, both of which are fat-soluble, meaning they accumulate in the body rather than being flushed out. Cats are particularly sensitive to both.
A single lick of A&D ointment is unlikely to cause a medical emergency. But repeated exposure, or a cat that gets into a tube and ingests a larger quantity, raises the stakes considerably.
Vitamin A Risks for Cats
Cats handle vitamin A differently than humans do. They can’t regulate excess vitamin A efficiently, so it builds up in their system over time. Chronic exposure causes a condition called hypervitaminosis A, which damages bones and the liver.
Research on cats fed diets high in vitamin A found skeletal changes and liver damage even at levels once considered the safe upper limit. Cats in the study showed subtle bone abnormalities and signs of liver pathology within 18 months, even without obvious outward symptoms like limping or signs of organ failure. The researchers concluded that the previously established safe upper limit for vitamin A in cats may actually be too high. This means cats are more vulnerable to vitamin A accumulation than previously thought.
A&D ointment contains cod liver oil as its vitamin A source. While a tiny lick delivers a small dose, repeated licking over days or weeks adds up, especially for an animal weighing only 8 to 12 pounds.
Vitamin D Risks for Cats
Vitamin D toxicity is even more acutely dangerous. Once ingested, vitamin D is processed by the liver and kidneys into its active form, which disrupts the body’s ability to regulate calcium and phosphorus. Calcium levels rise, and the excess calcium deposits into soft tissues, particularly the kidneys.
Clinical signs of vitamin D toxicity in cats can appear within 12 to 48 hours of ingestion. They include weakness, loss of appetite, vomiting, excessive thirst and urination, and dehydration. If calcium levels stay elevated, the mineral deposits in the kidneys can cause lasting kidney damage or failure, sometimes requiring long-term management.
The amount of vitamin D in a tube of A&D ointment is far less concentrated than, say, a rodenticide containing cholecalciferol (a common source of vitamin D poisoning in pets). But cats are small, and repeated exposure through grooming still poses a real risk.
What About Topical Use Only?
In theory, if a cat never licked the treated area, topical application would be less concerning. Petrolatum and lanolin sit on the skin’s surface and are unlikely to cause significant irritation on their own. But in practice, preventing a cat from grooming a treated area is extremely difficult. Elizabethan collars (the “cone of shame”) can help, but most owners applying A&D ointment for a minor scrape or dry patch aren’t planning to cone their cat for the duration.
VCA Animal Hospitals advises that any topical product applied to a cat should be treated as a potential ingestion risk, noting that external preparations “may contain ingredients that could be harmful if swallowed.” The fragrance in A&D ointment is an additional unknown. Fragrance compounds are not individually listed, and cats are notoriously sensitive to chemicals that other species tolerate without issue.
If Your Cat Already Licked Some
A single small lick of A&D ointment will most likely cause nothing more than mild stomach upset, if anything at all. Watch for vomiting, drooling, diarrhea, or loss of appetite over the next 12 to 24 hours. These symptoms are usually self-limiting.
If your cat got into an open tube and ingested a larger amount, the concern shifts to vitamin D toxicity and gastrointestinal distress. Signs to watch for include repeated vomiting, excessive drinking and urination, lethargy, and weakness. These warrant a call to your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435. Dehydration from persistent vomiting may need to be treated with fluids.
Safer Options for Cat Skin Issues
The impulse to reach for A&D ointment usually comes from seeing a minor wound, dry patch, or irritated spot on your cat’s skin. VCA Animal Hospitals actually recommends against applying any over-the-counter ointments, creams, or disinfectants to cat wounds unless your veterinarian specifically directs it. These products can interfere with healing and introduce ingredients that are unsafe for cats to ingest.
For minor wounds, keeping the area clean with plain warm water is the safest first step. If the wound needs more than basic cleaning, your vet can prescribe a cat-safe antibiotic cream or recommend a product formulated for animals. Veterinary wound sprays designed for pets avoid the ingredients that make human products risky, and they’re formulated to be less harmful if licked in small amounts. For dry or flaky skin, the underlying cause (diet, allergies, parasites) matters more than any topical fix, and a vet visit will get you further than any ointment from your medicine cabinet.