When your kitty is begging to taste your food in the kitchen, it can be tempting to share a small bite of what you’re cooking. However, many foods that people love to eat are poisonous foods for cats.
According to a report freed from the Pet Poison Helplinethree of the top five pet poisons for cats in 2023 were common ingredients found in most homes – chocolate, onions and garlic!
To protect your feline friend from poisonous foods hidden in your own home, here’s what you need to know about foods that are harmful to cats. In addition, we will share useful tips on how to prevent accidental ingestion.
Dangerous Foods for Cats
The best thing pet parents can do to prevent cat poisoning is to prevent cats from ingesting poisonous food in the first place.
This requires understanding what foods are toxic to cats and adopting tactics to limit your cat’s access to these foods.
Here are 16 foods you should keep away from your cat:
Alcohol
In addition to vomiting and diarrhea, even small amounts of alcohol can cause neurological symptoms in cats. These include stumbling, trouble breathing, tremors, coma and even death.
Caffeinated drinks and foods
This stimulant can cause vomiting and diarrheahyperactivity, abnormal heart rhythm, tremors, seizures, and possibly death.
Cannabis-containing items
Not only is biting the cannabis plant a no-no for cats, but they should also avoid consuming any items that contain cannabis. This includes baked goods, gummies and even second-hand smoke. In cats, cannabis often causes dribbling of urine, nausea and sensitivity to noise and light. It can also trigger a decrease in heart rate, shallow breathing, impaired consciousness and death.
Chocolate
When it comes to leading causes of toxicity in cats, chocolate is one of the most common culprits. Chocolate contains a double dose of stimulants – theobromine, which stimulates the heart, and caffeine, which stimulates the brain and central nervous system. The higher the percentage of cocoa in the chocolate, the greater the risk for your cat. Felines are generally more sensitive to chocolate poisoning than dogs Symptoms of chocolate toxicity in cats include vomiting, diarrhea, restlessness and hyperactivity. More severe cases can cause tremors, frequent urination and seizures. Severe or untreated cases can end in coma or death.
Citrus
Eating small amounts of citrus fruits, such as lemon slices or orange segments, could cause your cat to have a mild stomach upset. However, the stems, leaves, peels and seeds of citrus fruits pose a greater danger to your cat because they contain concentrated amounts of citric acid. In large amounts, citric acid can irritate your cat’s stomach and affect your cat’s behavior and awareness.
Coconut
The flesh and milk of a fresh coconut contain oils that can cause stomach upset and diarrhea in cats. While coconut water is rich in potassium, a mineral essential to your cat’s health, drinking it could lead to a dangerous potassium imbalance (hyperkalemia) that can cause a low heart rate (bradycardia) and irregular heart rate (arrhythmia).
Garlic and onions
Garlic and onions (along with leeks, shallots and chives) are members of the Allium genus of plants that are toxic to cats. These foods all contain a compound that gives them their signature strong aroma. But the compound can also damage red blood cells in cats that eat these ingredients (in any form – raw, cooked, and even powdered spices). This can be life-threatening anemia. Symptoms of toxicity in cats that eat onions or garlic include pale gums, discolored urine, vomiting and weakness.
Grapes and raisins
In both fresh and dried forms, these sweet, little treats may seem like a healthy choice. But even in small amounts, grapes and raisins can be fatal to cats. Eating them can cause vomiting, lethargy and diarrhea…or, worse, kidney damage and even kidney failure in cats. It is difficult to predict how severe any cat’s reaction will be. So it is best to prevent your cat from eating grapes or raisins.
Milk and dairy products
What could be healthier than the image of a cat contentedly lapping a plate full of milk? Unfortunately, this common misconception could be dangerous to your cat’s health. Once they are weaned from their mother’s milk, cats do not produce much lactase, the enzyme needed to break down lactose in milk. So consuming milk and other dairy products can cause stomach upset and diarrhea.
Moldy foods
While the idea of eating moldy food might seem repulsive to us, there’s no telling what a curious cat will consume if given the chance. Moldy or spoiled food can contain mycotoxins, which can cause harmful chemical reactions in your cat’s body. In mild cases, symptoms may include vomiting and indigestion. In severe cases, your cat may act almost drunk – staggering, flexing muscles and even convulsing.
nuts
In general, nuts are not a good choice for cats because of their high fat content, which makes them difficult to digest and can cause pancreatitis. They can also be a choking hazard for your cat. However, some nuts pose an even greater risk, such as macadamia nuts, which are highly toxic to pets, causing lethargy, loss of coordination and even paralysis. Nuts that are prone to mold, such as walnuts, peanuts and pecans, should also be avoided at all costs.
Raw eggs
raw eggs may contain dangerous bacteria, incl salmonella and E. coliwhich can cause vomiting, bloody diarrhea, dehydration and weakness in cats. Although the effect is not as immediate, raw egg whites contain an enzyme called avidin, which could cause a vitamin deficiency over time.
Raw meat and fish
salmonella and E. coli can also thrive in uncooked raw meat and fish. In addition to toxicity risks, these foods may also contain bones that could splinter and puncture your cat’s esophagus or intestines.
Salt
Trace amounts of salt in your cat’s diet are not a problem. But if your cat eats too much salt, it could be toxic. This includes salt from high-sodium human foods, such as meat salt, table salt, as well as road salt used to melt ice. Signs of salt poisoning in cats include increased thirst, frequent urination, vomiting, diarrhea and loss of consciousness. If your cat’s kidneys can’t get rid of the excess sodium fast enough, it could cause an electrolyte imbalance called hypernatremia. In extreme cases, salt toxicity in cats can lead to tremors, increased body temperature, seizures and death.
Yeast dough
Uncooked pasta expands from body heat and can cause gas to build up in your cat’s stomach. This is very painful and can cause swelling, which can lead to life-threatening consequences. In addition, yeast produces ethanol as a byproduct and can cause alcohol poisoning, as well.
Protecting Cats from Harmful Foods
Awareness plays a big role in helping to keep your cat safe from toxic foods. However, even knowing what toxic and dangerous foods to avoid feeding your cat may not be enough to protect them.
Cats have a reputation for agility and resourcefulness. So, you will have to go the extra mile to ensure hazardous foods are off limits. Here are some pointers on how best to keep your cat out of harm’s way:
- If possible, keep your cat out of the kitchen while you cook. It’s all too easy to drop dangerous ingredients on the floor or turn your back and risk your cat swallowing something they shouldn’t.
- Store off-limits ingredients in cat-proof containers or behind closed doors. Cats can easily jump on counters, remove lids, chew through bags and even open some plastic containers.
- Make sure guests know it’s not okay to share food and drinks with your cat. Friends and family may mean well, but you know what’s best for your cat!
- Use covered cups for your drinks and don’t leave them unattended…especially alcoholic beverages. This will not only keep your cat safe from dangerous ingredients, but also prevent them from sticking a paw in there or spilling it everywhere!
- Consider pet locks for your kitchen and pantry. Some cats can open cupboards and even get into the fridge. If you have a feline Houdini in the home, locks that limit access to toxic foods could be a lifesaver!
Even with these precautions, it is difficult to completely eliminate the risk of food poisoning for cats. If you suspect that your cat has ingested something dangerous, or if you recognize signs of toxicity in your cat, seek emergency veterinary care immediately. Acting quickly could mean the difference between a mild reaction and a severe – or even fatal – outcome.
When it comes to your cat and toxic foods, it’s always better to be safe than sorry!