7 Foods You Should Avoid Feeding Your Cat
- by Chris Irwin
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7 Foods You Should Avoid Feeding Your Cat
We all know that in the wild, cats are targeted, dangerous little hunters that can take down any small rodent or bird in the blink of an eye. But the fact is, when in the confines of our home, a cat’s diet is incredibly important to their overall health.
Human food, like it does for dogs, can cause several health issues for cats. Whether it be simply diarrhea and vomiting, or long-term health issues, most vets highly recommend staying away from feeding your cat scraps off your plate and sharing your evening meal with them.
It is rather highly recommended that you stick to scientifically formulated cat food that is specially created for a cats diet. The Hills range of dry cat food and wet cat food, for example, provides your cat with all the nutrients and proteins it needs to be healthy and develop properly from kitten to adult and eventually to live a fulfilling life as a senior cat. With this in mind, we took a look at the food that you should be absolutely avoiding for your cat, and what you could possibly pop into their bowls every blue moon.
Chocolate
This really shouldn’t come as a surprise, as we are all familiar with how dangerous chocolate and even coffee can be for dogs. The same can be said for cats. The two ingredients in chocolate, theobromine and caffeine can increase the heart rate, cause vomiting, diarrhea, and even seizures in cats. If they have consumed a lot of chocolate, you might even find that they can have heart seizures and could slip into a coma.
So stay away from sneaking them an after dinner treat, and try and make sure that they cannot get into your stash of delicious delicacies.
Grapes and Raisins
As with chocolate, this is something to definitely keep away from your cat. Even the smallest amounts of grapes and raisins can lead to your cat becoming seriously ill. Grapes and raisins can cause very rapid kidney failure in cats, and although it is not determined why just yet, even a small amount can have catastrophic impacts on your cat.
If you cat has eaten either one of these, you will notice repeated vomiting, lethargy, diarrhea, reduced appetite, abdominal pain, decreased urination and abdominal pain. These may grow worse over time, but the threat of long-term kidney problems is incredibly high.
Milk, Cream, Cheese and Other Dairy Products
We know, this might come as a surprise as we are completely used to seeing kittens lapping up fresh milk from a saucer in the kitchen. The only problem is, that this can actually be detrimental to their health.
Cats are actually mostly lactose intolerant, and can actually face the same effects it has on humans. It is preferable to keep kittens on their mothers milk while they are still young. If that is not a possibility, there are specifically designed substitutes that you can purchase for the little one. But rule of thumb, keep your cat away from cows milk products.
Tuna
This might also come as a surprise, as we all know how much our kitties like the tasty fishy treat. But in fact, you should try and avoid an overly tuna heavy diet for your cat. Tuna actually lacks tons of nutrients and vitamins that your cat needs, and you will start noticing a difference in their coats and development.
But apart from the high levels of protein that you are pumping into your cat, you can actually potentially give them mercury poisoning. So, rather keep the tuna to occasional treats, and rather balance it out with dry food.
Onions and Garlic
As the basis for most dishes, this should serve as a heads-up that most of your delicious dinners are in fact, not ideal for your cats and kittens. Whatever state they are in, whether fresh or dehydrated etc, these two ingredients can actually damage your cats red blood cells.
So, keep whole onions out of sight of curious eyes and make sure that they cannot get into your spices. It is also important to keep in mind that these, together with milk products make up your normal dinners, so keep leftovers and scraps off your counters when you have finished eating.
Raw Meat and Poultry
We know, in the wild it is totally normal for cats to hunt and catch their own prey, and eat it raw. When it comes to the human equivalent though, you need to keep in mind that our raw food comes with a lot of additives and added ingredients that are not totally healthy for a cat.
This aside, raw food may also contain E.coli as well as salmonella, which can cause sickness and even death in cats. So, if you are wanting to add a tasty treat to the bowl, rather get it cooked up first with no additional spices and seasoning and make sure that it is cooked through.
Alcohol and Dough Products
As a pet owner, you should never even consider feeding your fur-baby alcohol. Whether a cat or a dog, alcohol can have severe impacts on their health. In cats you can expect vomiting, diarrhea, tremors, disorientation, trouble breathing, coma, and even death if they drink any alcohol.
Dough products are also incredibly toxic to cats. Not only can it cause bloating and severe indigestion, but raw dough and yeast can swell up in the stomach and become incredibly dangerous to your cat. It can even have the same impacts as alcohol and could be fatal to your little one, so try and keep it away from them at all costs.
Last Thoughts
As mentioned previously, it is more in your best interests to feed your cat the recommended dry and wet cat food in order to keep them healthy and happy. We all know that they are curious little creatures with a tendency to stick their nose into everything. But a stable, healthy diet of branded cat food will absolutely do the trick in keeping them full and healthy at all times.
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