8 Human Foods Poisonous to Cats

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Cats are experts at looking cute and begging for a nibble of our food! But just because cats beg for our food does not mean it’s good for them.

In fact, certain human foods could be poisonous to them.

They might be tempted to try some of your food because they don’t know any better. Cats need our protection and guidance to help them live a long and healthy live.

Keep reading to learn about 8 human foods that are poisonous to cats if ingested.

Chocolate

Chocolate is deadly for cats. In fact, chocolate is more dangerous to cats than dogs.

Chocolate contains caffeine and theobromine, 2 compounds that are very toxic to cats. While theobromine is harmless for humans, it is very dangerous for cats. It can cause:

• diarrhea
• vomitting
• heart problems
• elevated temperature
• seizures
• muscle tremors
• coma
• death

The real danger of chocolate is that it’s very accessible. Children, especially, are tempted to give pets chocolate because they believe chocolate is delicious and don’t understand how dangerous chocolate is for cats.

To prevent this misunderstanding, make sure all members of your family know chocolate is a big no for cats.

Caffeine

This includes tea, coffee, or energy drinks. Chocolate also has caffeine. Just because it is bad for them doesn’t mean your kitty won’t be tempted to try it.

Cats need to drink water and water alone. Caffeine makes cats restless and elevates their heart rate to an unhealthy level. It also can also cause vomitting, seizures, muscle tremors, and death.

Milk

Milk is not toxic to cats, but it certainly isn’t healthy either. This is true for all dairy products.

A cat lapping milk from a saucer is a classic picture. It’s in movies and cartoons! But why would a cat drink a cow’s milk? It’s pretty silly when you think about it.

Like all baby animals, cats are born with enzymes that allow them to digest milk. But as they get older, those enzymes start to disappear.

This causes the milk to ferment in stomach, leaving your cat with an upset tummy and diarrhea.

Alcohol

If alcohol isn’t that good for humans, then it’s definitely not good for cats. Humans can drink a reasonable amount of alcohol and recover, but this is not true for cats.

Cats can get drunk too, but they don’t process alcohol nearly as well as humans do. Even a little bit of alcohol can cause severe brain and liver damage.

If you know someone who thinks it’s funny to give their cats a sip of their beer, make them aware of the consequences. Assuming cats want to participate in alcohol and drug consumption is cruel and ignorant.

Grapes & Raisins

The good news is that cats don’t naturally find fruit tasty. They like meaty, fatty foods. However, it is worth knowing that eating grapes and raisins could potentially cause kidney failure in cats.

This has only been documented in dogs, but it’s best to be safe and keep them away from cats too.

Artificial Sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners are in almost everything humans eat. Artificial sweeteners are hardly digestible for humans, much less cats!

Cats shouldn’t be eating processed human foods with artifice sweeteners. It has been documented to cause liver failure in dogs, therefore cats should avoid it too.

Raw Meat & Eggs

Contrary to popular belief, cats are not well equipped to digest raw meat. Just like us, cats risk getting salmonella or E. coli  from eating raw meat. This can cause diahrrea, vomitting, and an upset stomach.

Also, raw fish often contains tiny bones that a cat can choke on. Keep in mind that cat food that has been made with meat is safe and nutritious. A veterinary committee determines the best way to include protein in a cat’s diet.

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Unknown Seasoning

Think twice before you give your cat your leftovers. You don’t know what it has been seasoned with and there is no guarantee it is safe.

Human foods have a large variety of preservatives and seasonings that can be potentially harmful to cats. Many of these seasonings haven’t been properly researched to determine their safety.

A Good Rule To Remember: A good rule of thumb to use is to think about what a wild cat would naturally eat. You wouldn’t see a cat in the wild drinking Diet Coke and munching on a blueberry muffin made with Splenda. As long as cats stick to eating cat food, they’ll be okay.

Prevention

Make sure everyone in your family knows which foods are harmful to cats. Warn family members, especially children, not to give cats human food no matter how much the kitty might beg.

In conclusion, it is best to stick with cat food. Scientists and veterinary experts have developed cat food to be nutritious and safe to consume.

You may be tempted to reward your cat with human treat, but there are potentially harmful consequences to this.

Cats love routines. They’re okay with eating the same thing every day for the rest of their lives. Think twice before you give your cat human food. Instead, spoil your fur baby with nutritious kitty treats!

SUMMARY: 8 Common Human Foods Poisonous To Cats

1. Chocolate
2. Caffeine
3. Alcohol
4. Grapes & Raisins
5. Artificial Sweeteners
6. Raw Meat & Eggs
7. Unidentifiable Seasonings
8. Milk

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