Sali Hughes’s article (Sali Hughes on beauty: worried about hair loss? Here’s a treatment that actually works, 14 October) is accurate on the benefits of minoxidil for hair loss, but it needs to be emphasised that minoxidil is incredibly toxic to cats and dogs, and anyone with a pet should not use it topically if they don’t want to risk killing their animal companion. Anyone taking it orally should also be cautious.
There is no antidote, and 98% of affected pets need hospitalisation, with 15% of cats dying as a result of even a tiny dose – from things like licking your hand, or lying on your pillow then grooming themselves. As soon as I found this out, I stopped using it, threw it away, and washed everything it could have touched, because I’d rather be bald than accidentally kill Maia, my cat.
Amy Goodwill
Milton Keynes
