Your cat may be an important member of your family. However, that does not mean that you should share your own food with your four-legged friend. After all, some foods that we humans regularly end up on our plates are intolerable for cats and sometimes even poisonous.
Key facts at a glance
- Foods that are not well tolerated by cats include milk, grain products and collards.
- Feeding raw pork poses a risk of fatal Aujeszky virus infection.
- Certain foods such as chocolate, grapes and leeks contain substances that are toxic to cats.
- Because of its high levels of phosphorus and vitamin A, eating large amounts of liver can cause permanent health damage.
- If symptoms of poisoning occur, the cat should be taken to a veterinarian immediately.
Milk and dairy products containing lactose
Milk is not toxic to cats. However, the four-legged friends develop a lactose intolerance after weaning them from their mother’s milk. Consuming milk or milk products containing lactose can therefore cause unpleasant digestive problems such as diarrhea and flatulence in cats.
Raw Pork
Raw pork is also one of the things that cats are not allowed to eat. Pigs can be carriers of Aujeszky virus. In the event of an infection, cats develop what is known as pseudo-rage. For affected four-legged friends, the disease ends fatally. Although the risk of infection is low, at least with the meat of German domestic pigs, we therefore recommend that you refrain from feeding raw pork.
Chocolate
Chocolate is generally taboo for cats. The theobromine it contains is highly toxic to animals. This is because, unlike humans, cats lack the enzymes needed to break down the alkaloid. Depending on the amount consumed, the consumption of chocolate can even be fatal in the worst case. Basically, you can assume that the darker the chocolate, the more theobromine it contains.
Raw potatoes
Just like humans, cats are not allowed to eat raw potatoes. The solanine it contains can lead to symptoms of poisoning such as diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal cramps. When cooking, most of the solanine ends up in the cooking water. This basically makes the potatoes edible for cats. Note that solanine is not only found in potatoes, but also in other nightshade plants, such as unripe tomatoes.
avocado
Avocados have a reputation for being very healthy. In humans, that may well be the case. However, this does not apply to your cat. The acetogenin persin contained in the fruit has a toxic effect. Depending on the amount ingested, eating avocados can be deadly for cats.
cabbage
Although collard greens are not toxic to cats, foods like broccoli should not end up in your four-legged friend’s food bowl. Their consumption can cause severe flatulence in cats, which is of course extremely uncomfortable for the animals.
Onions and other leeks
Leek plants such as onions and garlic are also unsuitable for cats. Their consumption can, among other things, cause irritation of the mucous membranes as well as vomiting and diarrhea. In addition, the sulfur compounds in onions and garlic can destroy erythrocytes (red blood cells), causing anemia (low blood count) in cats. Please note that chives are also part of the leek family. It is therefore a very bad idea to have this freely accessible in the kitchen of a cat household.
grapes
Just like dogs, grapes are poisonous to cats. What makes them intolerable for the four-legged friends has not yet been finally clarified. Also, some four-legged friends seem to tolerate grapes better than others. Nevertheless, their consumption poses significant risks for cats. The possible consequences of grape poisoning range from vomiting and diarrhea to salivation and life-threatening kidney failure. This applies not only to fresh grapes, but also to raisins. With these, even significantly smaller amounts can be problematic due to the lower moisture content.
liver
In fact, offal is generally considered to be extremely nutritious and healthy. However, this only applies to a limited extent to liver. It does contain a whole range of important nutrients. However, as is well known, their task is also to detoxify the body. As a result, all sorts of harmful substances, such as lead and other heavy metals, can be deposited in it.
In addition, liver has a relatively high content of phosphorus and vitamin A. The long-term oversupply of the fat-soluble vitamin A and the mineral phosphorus can seriously damage your cat’s health. The occasional small piece of liver or some liver sausage is usually not a problem for cats. However, neither is suitable as a fixed part of the daily diet.
The possible consequences of oversupply include:
- inflammation
- disorders of growth
- Pathological joint changes
- Pains
- Bone changes
- kidney damage
grain products
Although grain products such as bread or cakes are not toxic to cats, they are not suitable for feeding your four-legged friend. Apart from unhealthy ingredients such as sugar, which is present in excess at least in sweet pastries, this is primarily due to gluten. Gluten is also known as glue protein. The protein mixture can trigger massive digestive problems in cats and lead to severe diarrhea, among other things. In order to avoid this, you should generally refrain from offering your four-legged friend appropriate food and, ideally, give preference to grain-free cat food.
What to do in case of poisoning?
It goes without saying, of course, that food poisonous to cats should always be kept out of the reach of their four-legged friends. If, despite all precautionary measures, your cat has eaten something poisonous for it, you should consult a veterinarian immediately.
Possible symptoms that can indicate poisoning include:
- Diarrhea
- Vomit
- Tremble
- cramps
- apathy
- shortness of breath
- unconsciousness
Please note that poisoning is not something you can control with simple first aid measures.
Conclusion
There are many foods that your cat should not eat, even though they are perfectly safe for you. When feeding, it is therefore best to limit yourself to products that are intended for cat nutrition. If you want to make your four-legged friend happy with an unusual treat, it is better to find out beforehand whether cats are allowed to eat the food in question.