Pet Safety / Compounds / Tetramethrin

Is Tetramethrin safe for dogs and cats?

Low risk for pets

Dogs metabolize tetramethrin efficiently via esterases; consumer aerosol spray use is not expected to cause significant toxicity in dogs at typical use concentrations. Direct spraying onto a dog or large-scale indoor fogging in a small, unventilated space may cause mild tremors or hypersalivation; standard guidance is to remove pets before room spraying and ventilate before re-entry.

What is tetramethrin?

The IUPAC name is (1,3-dioxo-4,5,6,7-tetrahydroisoindol-2-yl)methyl 2,2-dimethyl-3-(2-methylprop-1-enyl)cyclopropane-1-carboxylate.

Also known as: (1,3-dioxo-4,5,6,7-tetrahydroisoindol-2-yl)methyl 2,2-dimethyl-3-(2-methylprop-1-enyl)cyclopropane-1-carboxylate, Phthalthrin, Neo-pynamin, Bioneopynamin.

IUPAC name
(1,3-dioxo-4,5,6,7-tetrahydroisoindol-2-yl)methyl 2,2-dimethyl-3-(2-methylprop-1-enyl)cyclopropane-1-carboxylate
CAS number
7696-12-0
Molecular formula
C19H25NO4
Molecular weight
331.4 g/mol
SMILES
CC(=CC1C(C1(C)C)C(=O)OCN2C(=O)C3=C(C2=O)CCCC3)C
PubChem CID
83975

Risk for dogs

Low risk

Dogs metabolize tetramethrin efficiently via esterases; consumer aerosol spray use is not expected to cause significant toxicity in dogs at typical use concentrations. Direct spraying onto a dog or large-scale indoor fogging in a small, unventilated space may cause mild tremors or hypersalivation; standard guidance is to remove pets before room spraying and ventilate before re-entry.

Risk for cats

High risk

Tetramethrin is a type I pyrethroid — cats are sensitive but the toxicity profile is less severe than type II alpha-cyano pyrethroids; T-syndrome (tremors, ataxia) rather than CS-syndrome. The primary exposure hazard is household aerosol spray use in rooms occupied by cats — repeated or direct-spray exposure creates risk; cats grooming tetramethrin residue from coat after room spraying is a common exposure route. Consumer aerosol products typically contain 0.1–0.4% tetramethrin, often combined with other pyrethroids that may compound feline toxicity. Treatment: bathing, methocarbamol if tremors develop, supportive thermoregulation.

Regulatory consensus

1 regulatory bodyhas classified Tetramethrin.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
EPA CTX / EPA OPP—Group C Possible Human Carcinogen

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where pets encounter tetramethrin

  • Industrial Facilities — Manufacturing plants, Chemical storage areas, Waste treatment sites
  • Occupational Environments — Factories, Warehouses, Transportation vehicles

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Tetramethrin:

  • Physical/mechanical pest control (IPM)
    Trade-offs: More labor-intensive. May not be sufficient for severe infestations.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions

Is tetramethrin safe for pets?

Dogs metabolize tetramethrin efficiently via esterases; consumer aerosol spray use is not expected to cause significant toxicity in dogs at typical use concentrations. Direct spraying onto a dog or large-scale indoor fogging in a small, unventilated space may cause mild tremors or hypersalivation; standard guidance is to remove pets before room spraying and ventilate before re-entry.

What products contain tetramethrin?

Tetramethrin appears in: Manufacturing plants (Industrial facilities); Chemical storage areas (Industrial facilities); Factories (Occupational environments); Warehouses (Occupational environments).

See Tetramethrin in the pets app

Look up products containing tetramethrin, compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

Open in pets View raw API data

Sources (2)
  1. US EPA Pyrethroid Reregistration Eligibility Decision — cypermethrin/deltamethrin/lambda-cyhalothrin/bifenthrin/cyfluthrin/fenvalerate/tau-fluvalinate/fenpropathrin; type I/II classification; aquatic toxicity; cat sensitivity; sodium channel mechanism; human paresthesia; buffer zones (2011) (2011) — regulatory
  2. ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center: Pyrethroid Toxicosis in Cats and Dogs — type I vs type II CS/T syndromes; extreme cat sensitivity (sodium channel/UGT deficiency); bathing decontamination; methocarbamol tremor control; cyproheptadine; lipid emulsion severe cases (2023) (2023) — veterinary

Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for veterinary, medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →