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It’s natural to want to share a snack with your cat, but before you do. You should know what foods are harmful for cats, as many common human foods are poisonous to our feline companions.
Cats are full-fledged family members, and as such, it often seems natural to share everything with them, including meals. Sharing your plate, however, can be harmful to your cat’s health depending on the meal. Before you share that snack, be sure you understand the difference between harmful and safe foods for cats.
Should you feed human food to a cat?
It’s vital to remember that, despite your cat’s complaining. Sweets and snacks designed for humans aren’t a necessary element of his diet. We collaborated with the University of Missouri Small Animal Clinical Nutrition Service in Columbia, Missouri, to determine what your cat requires to be healthy. As it turns out, hardly much (apart from their regular cat chow).
“Cats have specific nutrient requirements that must be met by their diet,” according to the Clinical Nutrition Service. “The simplest and most convenient way to meet a cat’s nutrient requirements is to provide them with a complete and balanced commercial diet formulated by a board-certified veterinary nutritionist or an individual with a PhD in animal nutrition.”
This means that any vitamins and minerals offered by treats—even items like fruits and vegetables that we humans consider healthy snacks—would exceed what a cat eating a comprehensive and balanced diet requires. And when it comes to nutrients, more isn’t always better. In rare situations, it might even be hazardous.
What Human Foods Are Safe for Cats to Eat?
If you still want to treat your cat, the Clinical Nutrition Service notes there are numerous human meals that are generally regarded acceptable for cats. As long as they don’t account for more than 10% of a cat’s daily consumption. “For example,” the Clinical Nutrition Service notes, “if a cat is consuming 250 calories per day. No more than 25 of those calories should come from any unbalanced food sources.”
However, the Clinical Nutrition Service emphasizes that cats must be addressed for their individual needs. As one cat may ingest a specific food item without trouble while another cat consumes the same item and develops vomiting, diarrhea, or other undesirable symptoms. With this in mind, it’s always a good idea to consult your veterinarian before introducing any new human foods to your pet’s diet, even if they’re generally thought to be safe.
Which Human Foods are Dangerous to Cats?
“There are certain human foods that are dangerous and should never be fed to cats,” according to the Clinical Nutrition Service. The ASPCA offers a long list of human foods to avoid feeding your cat. But it’s unlikely to be an entire list because many food products have not been subjected to peer-reviewed studies to assess how dangerous they are.
The ASPCA’s list of human foods that cats should avoid includes the following:
Alcohol
Alcoholic beverages and meals can cause major complications in pets, such as vomiting, diarrhea, breathing difficulties, unconsciousness, and death.
Bread dough that contains yeast
Yeast dough can rise, causing gas to accumulate in your cat’s digestive system. This might result in stomach bloating and even twisting, which can be catastrophic. Furthermore, yeast creates alcohol as a byproduct, which presents its own set of issues (see above). However, baked bread is deemed safe for healthy cats.
Chocolate
Chocolate includes methylxanthines (theobromine and caffeine), which are poisonous to pets and can cause vomiting, diarrhea, tremors, seizures, and death. The concentration of methylxanthines in various varieties of chocolate varies. White chocolate is the least harmful, while cocoa powder is the most dangerous.
Coffee
Coffee, like chocolate, contains the methylxanthine caffeine and hence has the same effects as described above.
Fruits with citrus peels
Citrus fruits, such as lemons, limes, oranges, clementines, and grapefruits, contain citric acid and essential oils that can be harmful to cats. Avoid eating the stems, leaves, peels, fruit, and seeds. While modest amounts are likely to induce simply a stomach ache. High amounts can cause diarrhea, vomiting, and central nervous system depression.
Coconut flesh as well as coconut water
Fresh coconut milk and flesh can cause intestinal problems in pets, while little amounts are unlikely to be fatal. Coconut water is too high in potassium to be suitable for dogs. However coconut oil may assist with some cat skin problems. Consult your veterinarian before using this as a natural cure or including it into your cat’s diet.
Dairy
Feeding your cat dairy items might create digestive issues because many cats are lactose intolerant and cannot properly absorb dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt). It is best to avoid them entirely. But you can ask your vet if a lactose-free option is an appropriate reward.
Raisins and grapes
While the exact reason why these are hazardous to pets is unknown. There is evidence that feeding grapes and raisins to cats (and dogs!) can result in kidney failure.
Macadamia nuts
are harmful to pets, and the exact mechanism of toxicity, like grapes, is unknown. Other nuts, like as almonds, pecans, and walnuts, are high in oils and fats. Which can cause digestive discomfort and even pancreatitis in cats.
Eggs that are raw
Salmonella bacteria can be found in raw eggs. Infection symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, and fever. Avidin, an enzyme that prevents cats from absorbing biotin, a vitamin essential for skin and fur health, is also found in raw eggs.
Meat that is raw or undercooked
Raw or undercooked meat, like raw eggs, can be contaminated with Salmonella and E. coli bacteria. According to the Clinical Nutrition Service, gastrointestinal symptoms (usually diarrhea) are common in pets fed raw meat-based diets.
Fresh fish
Raw fish, like raw meat and eggs, can carry bacteria that cause food poisoning.
Some herbs and veggies
Though cats can eat some vegetables, onions, garlic, leeks, scallions, shallots, and chives are very dangerous to cats. Causing gastrointestinal difficulties and even red blood cell destruction. Foods that contain these vegetables and herbs, such as garlic bread, should also be avoided.