Feline Health and Diet
CAT FOOD & TREAT RECALLS CLICK HERE
KITTY LITTER DANGERS | VACCINE DANGERS
TOXIC TOYS | HOME & YARD HAZARDS
BEWARE THE CONVENIA ANTIBIOTIC INJECTION!
Don't feed your cat 'moist packet' or commercial dry foods. Dry foods are great if a top grade brand. We do not recommend Iams or Science diet (see why under our WHAT TO FEED page) and supermarket/superstore pet foods. See our food pages for dogs for a list of the best quality foods.
TOXIC FOODS FOR CATS
Items to avoid | Reasons to avoid |
| Alcoholic beverages | Can cause intoxication, coma, and death. |
| Baby food | Can contain onion powder, which can be toxic to cats. (Please see onion below.) Can also result in nutritional deficiencies, if fed in large amounts. |
| Bones from fish, poultry, or other meat sources | Can cause obstruction or laceration of the digestive system. |
| Canned tuna (for human consumption) | Large amounts can cause malnutrition, since it lacks proper levels of vitamins and minerals. |
| Chocolate, coffee, tea, and other caffeine | Contain caffeine, theobromine, or theophylline, which can be toxic and affect the heart and nervous system. |
| Citrus oil extracts | Can cause vomiting. |
| Dog food | If accidental ingestion, will not cause a problem; if fed repeatedly, may result in malnutrition and diseases affecting the heart. |
| Fat trimmings | Can cause pancreatitis. |
| Grapes and raisins | Contain an unknown toxin, which can damage the kidneys. |
| Human vitamin supplements containing iron | Can damage the lining of the digestive system and be toxic to the other organs including the liver and kidneys. |
| Large amounts of liver | Can cause Vitamin A toxicity, which affects muscles and bones. |
| Macadamia nuts | Contain an unknown toxin, which can affect the digestive and nervous systems and muscle. |
| Marijuana | Can depress the nervous system, cause vomiting, and changes in the heart rate. |
| Milk and other dairy products | Some adult cats and dogs do not have sufficient amounts of the enzyme lactase, which breaks down the lactose in milk. This can result in diarrhea. Lactose-free milk products are available for cats. |
| Moldy or spoiled food, garbage | Can contain multiple toxins causing vomiting and diarrhea and can also affect other organs. |
| Mushrooms | Can contain toxins, which may affect multiple systems in the body, cause shock, and result in death. |
| Onions and garlic (raw, cooked, or powder) | Contain sulfoxides and disulfides, which can damage red blood cells and cause anemia. Cats are more susceptible than dogs. Garlic is less toxic than onions. |
| Persimmons | Seeds can cause intestinal obstruction and enteritis. |
| Potato, rhubarb, and tomato leaves; potato and tomato stems | Contain oxalates, which can affect the digestive, nervous, and urinary systems. This is more of a problem in livestock. |
| Raw eggs | Contain an enzyme called avidin, which decreases the absorption of biotin (a B vitamin). This can lead to skin and hair coat problems. Raw eggs may also contain Salmanella. |
| Raw fish | Can result in a thiamine (a B vitamin) deficiency leading to loss of appetite, seizures, and in severe cases, death. More common if raw fish is fed regularly. |
| Salt | If eaten in large quantities it may lead to electrolyte imbalances. |
| String | Can become trapped in the digestive system; called a "string foreign body." |
| Sugary foods | Can lead to obesity, dental problems, and possibly diabetes mellitus. |
| Table scraps (in large amounts) | Table scraps are not nutritionally balanced. They should never be more than 10% of the diet. Fat should be trimmed from meat; bones should not be fed. |
| Tobacco | Contains nicotine, which affects the digestive and nervous systems. Can result in rapid heart beat, collapse, coma, and death. |
| Yeast dough | Can expand and produce gas in the digestive system, causing pain and possible rupture of the stomach or intestines |