Man exposes his 2-year-old cat to minoxidil. Then he tragically passes away: ‘it doesn’t have a warning label’

There are few things more anguishing than the unexpected death of a pet. This is especially true when the cause turns out to be something ordinary that was in the house all along.

One man says he found out the hard way that a common hair-loss treatment can be deadly.

‘I Had No Warning. He Had No Warning'

Content creator Justin Sutherland (@notjustinsutherland) shares a warning for other pet owners after the death of his cat, Halo. His video has since accumulated more than 8.6 million views.

“Minoxidil will kill your pets,” Sutherland says. “About three days ago, I had to put down my two-year-old cat, Halo … He was just a baby … Within 24 hours of being exposed to minoxidil, he died of congestive heart failure.”

Minoxidil is a topical medicine often used to combat hair loss.

“Unknowing to me, minoxidil is extremely toxic to cats and dogs, even in micro amounts,” Sutherland continues. “If you have it on your fingertips and you pet them, that could be enough to kill them. There is no warning on the labels. There is no warning on the boxes. I had no warning. He had no warning.”

Sutherland describes how quickly Halo declined, saying the cat “very fast became lethargic.”

“He stopped eating and stopped drinking,” Sutherland says. “He stopped using the restroom. He began laying in weird places … I called the vet within a few hours of noticing all of this, and it still wasn't fast enough.”

Sutherland urges viewers who use minoxidil to “keep it as far away from [their] pets as [they] can,” advising them to wash their hands and pillowcases after applying it topically.

“I wanted to make some sort of PSA because I had no idea,” Sutherland says. “So, love you, Halo. Hopefully this can save somebody's pet. Please just be careful.”

Is Minoxidil Really That Toxic to Cats?

Dr. Renee Schmid, a senior veterinary toxicologist at Pet Poison Helpline, says that cats are particularly sensitive to minoxidil.

“Minoxidil can be very dangerous to animals,” Schmid says. “Cats are particularly sensitive to this medication, and any exposure can result in severe poisoning and potentially death. Dogs can develop clinical signs after being exposed to very small amounts of the medication as well, and often, the signs are not easily seen by owners.”

Danger signs in cats include loss of appetite, vomiting, lethargy, difficulty breathing, and fluid in the lungs and chest, according to the helpline. The Merck Veterinary Manual also notes that stomach upset often appears within hours of exposure, while cardiac signs may not be noticeable until the 12- to 24-hour mark.

A 2025 scoping review in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology pooled six published studies covering 68 cats and 26 dogs that experienced minoxidil exposure. 10 cats (14.7%) died, while no dogs did. The authors wrote that there is an “urgent need” to reevaluate how pet-specific warning information about minoxidil reaches the public.

@notjustinsutherland

Subplot News reached out to Sutherland via TikTok comment.

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