There’s no need to hide that you’re a cat person. If it were up to
you, your cat would most likely get any and everything they wanted, right? Sure, pampering your kitty is
only about as harmless as you decide to make it, but there comes a point where some things should be off
limits, specifically when it comes to certain foods. Did you know that there are a lot of foods that are
harmful to cats? Yup! We all know about chocolate and cooked bones and medicine meant for humans, so we
don’t need to cover those again, but there’s a lot left. Here’s just a small taste of some foods your cat
should avoid.
Tuna:
While there’s nothing wrong with letting your cat lick your tuna can clean after you’ve
already made yourself a sandwich, hinging your cat’s entire diet on cans of tuna can result in one sick
cat. A lot of this comes from malnutrition as tuna doesn’t contain everything a cat needs to stay
healthy, but mercury poisoning is another downside, so keep the tuna as a treat, not a meal.
Onions:
Oddly enough, onions are incredibly bad for cats as it breaks down red blood cells inside
feline bodies, leading them to become anemic. This isn’t just considering large onions either. Onion
powder, small diced onions, even onions mixed with other foods whether they be cooked or raw can be
devastating to a cat’s internal health. Avoid them at all cost, including garlic and chives.
Dairy Products:
It’s strange to think, but kittens can deal with milk just fine, whereas adult cats
typically have problems digesting dairy products. While nowhere near as bad as some food products, milk
can cause diarrhea in adult felines frequently, so you may want to keep milk consumption down to a
minimum.
Alcohol:
Why you’d want to get your cat wasted is beyond reason, but a harmless joke it is not.
Cats, unlike humans, don’t tolerate their liquor well at all. Humans can deal with the effects of alcohol
on their liver and brain fairly well, but cats, no, they get hit harder and can even fall into a coma or
experience near instant death with as little as two teaspoons of whiskey. Then again, most cats aren’t
even 21, so just keep them off the hooch.
Grapes:
Letting your kitties eat grapes and raisins is, surprisingly, very bad for their kidneys.
How bad? Bad enough that their kidneys can shut down. Not every cat will be affected negatively, but
excessive vomiting or hyperactivity are early signs that something’s wrong.
Caffeine:
Just like alcohol, your cat’s tolerance for stimulants and depressants is far lower than
your own. A cat who gets into an exceptionally strong cup of coffee may become so jumpy that their heart
just stops. Again, a little goes a long way, and with caffeine, cats have no way of slowing their hearts
down. There’s no antidote to this, so keep cats away from coffee, tea, energy drinks, and even coffee
beans.
Foods with Xylitol:
Xylitol is a type of sweetening agent in many candies, toothpaste, and foods, and it can
cause a spike in insulin circulating through your cat’s body, making their blood sugar plummet. Worst
case scenario ends with liver failure or seizures, so don’t hand out food to your cat
willy-nilly.
Liver:
Cats enjoy a nibble of liver here and there, much like tuna, but too much of it and they
suffer from vitamin A toxicity. Yes, vitamins can be toxic in high enough doses. It can lead to deformed
bones, strange growths from the bones, and osteoporosis. Oh, and death. Keep the liver to a
minimum.
Yeast Dough:
It may not be common, but it’s important to note as dough made with yeast will need to
rise and rise it will after your cat’s swallowed it. The expanding dough can cause bad abdominal pains,
and worse, if the yeast ferments it can produce alcohol, thus getting you in even deeper trouble. Keep
the yeast away from your cats!
There are many more foods you should keep out of reach, but most of those are common sense
at this point. Basically, if you’re not sure your cat should be eating it, don’t let them. Thankfully
they have food engineered specifically for their diet, so you should never have to worry in the first
place. Just keep your kitty safe and healthy!
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