What are cats not allowed to eat?
As a loving cat owner, you only want the best for your four-legged friend. That is understandable. However, it does not mean that you should share your food with the cat. After all, some foods are toxic to animals or at least not well tolerated by them. Learn in this article what cats must not eat and what consequences eating the wrong foods can have for the four-legged friends.
What cats must not eat at a glance
- Some foods that are harmless to humans, such as chocolate and grapes, are very toxic to cats.
- Cats are not allowed to eat some foods because they cannot tolerate them well and can develop digestive problems.
- If a cat develops symptoms of poisoning after eating it, it must go to the vet immediately.
- In addition to food, there are also a number of poisonous plants that cats must not eat.
- With our grain-free cat snacks, you reward your cat in a healthy and species-appropriate way.
Caution: Chocolate is toxic for cats
Cats should never eat chocolate and other foods containing cocoa. This is not so much because of their sugar content. Sugar is anything but healthy for cats. The far bigger problem, however, is the alkaloid theobromine, which is contained in cocoa beans. Theobromine has a similar effect to caffeine.
In humans, special enzymes ensure that theobromine is broken down promptly. Cats lack these enzymes. As a result, the consumption of chocolate leads to theobromine poisoning. From a dose of about 200 mg per kilo of body weight, theobromine poisoning can even be fatal for cats.
Only healthy for humans: Cats must not eat avocado
Avocados are considered healthy. Among other things, they are rich in vitamins and healthy fatty acids. Nevertheless, they should not end up in your cat's food bowl. Avocados contain persin. This toxin is considered completely harmless for humans. For cats, however, it is very toxic. Depending on the dose, it can even be fatal for cats.
Raw potatoes do not belong in the food bowl
Potatoes contain solanine. The alkaloid is toxic to both humans and cats. Eating them can cause nausea and vomiting, among other things. However, only raw potatoes prove to be problematic. This is because most of the solanine passes into the cooking water when cooked. This means that cooked potatoes are also digestible for cats.
Grapes can cause kidney damage in cats
Grapes are another food that cats must not eat. Grapes are very poisonous for cats. Eating them can cause diarrhoea and vomiting and even lead to potentially fatal kidney failure in some cats.
The cause of this is still unclear. Apart from that, some cats seem to tolerate grapes a little better. Nevertheless, you should not feed them to your four-legged friend in order to avoid unnecessary health risks. Of course, this also applies to sultanas, which can be dangerous even in very small quantities due to their lower moisture content.
Leek plants: Garlic and onions are unsuitable for cats
Garlic, onions and other allium plants are not suitable for feeding your cat. Eating them can cause diarrhoea, vomiting and irritation of the mucous membranes. In addition, garlic and onions contain certain sulphur compounds. These can attack and destroy the red blood cells. This can cause anaemia in cats if they eat too much of it.
Raw pork can contain dangerous viruses
Cats are carnivores. However, not every type of meat is suitable for cats. Pork, for example, should at least not be on your cat's menu raw.
- Pigs can carry the Aujeszky virus. An infection with the virus causes symptoms similar to rabies in cats and is fatal for infected four-legged friends.
- The Aujeszky virus is considered to have been eradicated from German domestic pigs. However, this does not apply to all countries. With pork from abroad, there can therefore be a significantly higher risk of your cat contracting Aujeszky's disease.
- If the meat has been thoroughly cooked before consumption, there is virtually no risk of infection. Nevertheless, we have made a conscious decision not to use pork in our cat food.
Non-toxic foods that cats must not eat
Not everything that cats are not allowed to eat is necessarily poisonous. Some foods are simply not tolerated well by our four-legged friends. This applies for example to:
- Milk and dairy products,
- Broccoli and other cabbage vegetables,
- gluten-containing cereals
- liver.
Milk and dairy products
Milk and milk products such as yoghurt are not toxic to cats. Nevertheless, eating them usually causes discomfort. This is because cats become lactose intolerant after they have been weaned from their mother's milk. In order to break down the milk sugar (lactose) contained in milk and milk products in the intestine, the enzyme lactase is necessary.
Baby cats still produce lactase because they need it to digest their mother's milk. With increasing age, however, the production of the enzyme decreases. This then inevitably results in milk and other milk products containing lactose causing unpleasant digestive problems in cats.
Broccoli and other cabbage vegetables
Cabbage vegetables such as broccoli are known for their high micronutrient content. However, eating them can cause unpleasant flatulence in cats. Therefore, it is better not to feed your four-legged friend cabbage.
Cereals containing gluten
Cereals containing gluten, such as wheat, are also foods that cats should avoid. Gluten, also known as gluten, causes diarrhoea and other digestive problems in many cats. Cereal products are not part of a species-appropriate diet anyway. It is therefore best not to feed your cat any cereals at all. Your cat's digestive system will thank you.
Liver
Offal is known to contain many valuable nutrients. In principle, this also applies to liver. However, it is an important detoxification organ. For this reason, many harmful substances accumulate in it. Liver is also very rich in vitamin A and phosphorus. If your cat consumes too much of these two nutrients, it can cause serious health problems. To avoid this, liver and liver sausage should only be given to your cat in small amounts from time to time.
Alcohol, coffee and tea are not an alternative to water
It goes without saying that cats should not drink alcohol. Even small amounts of alcoholic beverages can cause permanent damage. Besides alcohol, coffee and tea also pose a risk to your cat's health. One of the reasons for this is the caffeine they contain, which your cat's body cannot break down properly. In addition, tea leaves and coffee also contain theobromine, which further increases the harmful effect for cats.
Symptoms of poisoning in cats
Unfortunately, despite all precautions, it can happen that a cat eats something that it should rather not have eaten. If this happens, you should contact a vet immediately. This is especially true if your cat is already showing symptoms of poisoning.
Possible symptoms of poisoning in cats are, for example:
- Vomiting and diarrhoea
- Excessive salivation
- Shaking and muscle cramps
- Apathy and unconsciousness
- Heart palpitations
- Shortness of breath
Please note that poisoning in cats is always a medical emergency. Therefore, do not try to help your four-legged friend with first aid measures. Instead, go directly to the vet so that he can treat the poisoning professionally.
Be careful with poisonous plants in the cat household
In addition to food, there are also a number of plants that are poisonous to cats. These include azalea, yucca and ivy. As a cat owner, you should make sure that only harmless plants are in your home and garden. This way you are on the safe side if your cat nibbles on the leaves or flowers of the plants out of curiosity.
Can cats eat dog food?
If you have a dog as well as a cat, you may wonder whether cats are allowed to eat dog food. In principle, high-quality dog food is not harmful to cats. However, dog food is not suitable as a substitute for cat food.
This is because the nutritional needs of the two animal species differ quite significantly in some respects. Feeding dog food on a permanent basis would therefore cause dangerous deficiency symptoms in your cat.
Healthy rewards for cats: Snacks from I love my cat
Of course, small rewards should not be missing in your cat's everyday life. Don't just avoid foods that cats are not allowed to eat, but also other foods that are actually intended for humans.
Instead, go for the healthy cat snacks from I love my cat. The grain-free treats have been developed with great care by our experts. High-quality ingredients and gentle processing ensure irresistible taste and excellent digestibility.
What cats should not eat: a conclusion
As you can see, the list of foods unsuitable for cats is long. Some foods are very toxic for the four-legged friends, while others are simply not well tolerated by them. If you are unsure whether your cat is allowed to eat a certain food, be sure to find out in advance. If you want to be absolutely sure, limit your cat's diet to high-quality cat food such as the products from I love my cat.