6 Human Food Your Cat Should Never Eat
As cat parents, I’m sure you’ve experienced that inner conflict when you’re enjoying your meal and suddenly hear a sad mew from under your feet. You look down and see your kitty looking at you with big, wide eyes. And you find yourself faced with that million-dollar question: Should you indulge her for the moment, or consider potential health effects?
While it doesn’t mean that cats should never partake in human food, some of the most innocent ingredients can actually be lethal to them. In fact, here are six popular human food your cat should never eat:
1. Raw Fish
In the field of cat nutrition, raw fish might seem like a ridiculous item to be on a cat’s “should never eat” list - but it can actually put them at risk for thiamine deficiency. While humans may enjoy and frequently indulge in the smooth texture and rich taste of sashimi, feeding raw fish to cats is never a good idea.
An enzyme found in raw fish destroys thiamine (Vitamin B1), which is an essential vitamin for your cat’s overall health and well-being. As our felines require high levels of thiamine in their daily diet to ensure normal body function, thiamine deficiency can be a potentially life-threatening condition for them - with serious impact on their vascular and neurological system.
Did You Know? Fish is actually not part of our felines’ natural diet in the wild.
2. Chocolate
It’s hard to say no to chocolate - especially when you’re feeling the blues - but this “happy food” has absolutely no place in your kitty's diet. Chocolate contains a bitter-tasting stimulant known as theobromine, which can be lethal for cats.
An accidental ingestion of chocolate can result in abnormal heart rhythm, tremors, seizures and even death, so heed the preach and keep those yummy M&Ms and Kit Kat bars out of kitty reach.
3. Grapes & Raisins
Small and perfectly harmless - you might think. But these are two human food you really should be hiding away from your cat. Grapes and raisins are capable of inducing kidney failure in felines, and even a small amount can make your cat ill.
On that note, frozen grapes make the most delicious snacks for us humans, so you might want to consider keeping them somewhere chilly (where your kitty can’t access).
4. Milk
A cat drinking milk may be a popular icon in feline culture, but many cats are actually lactose-intolerant. While milk from your fridge is not toxic to them, it may have adverse effects like painful stomach cramps and diarrhoea.
Adult cats that are on nutritionally-complete diets do not need milk - which is considered to be a high-calorie treat instead of an everyday food. If you are bottle-feeding a kitten and want to feed her milk, we suggest you get a milk replacer or lactose-free milk from your local pet store instead. Ultimately, as boring as it may sound, water is really the best alternative to milk for your cat.
5. Onions & Garlic
Here’s another classic example of everyday human food that our cats should avoid - and they are found as powders in some baby food too. For cat parents feeding baby food as a supplement to your elderly or sick cat, do take note of the ingredient list to ensure you’re not putting your kitty's health at risk.
While these bulb-shaped ingredients may make frequent appearances on our dining table, they are definitely not cat-friendly. Onions, for example, contain compounds called disulfides and thiosulphates which are toxic to kitties. When ingested in significant amounts, it causes a condition called hemolytic anemia which destroys red blood cells and might potentially lead to anemia.
6. Caffeine
One or two quick licks of coffee, tea or soda is unlikely to cause caffeine poisoning in most cats, but the ingestion of moderate amounts of coffee grounds or beans and even tea bags can be fatal.
With their so-much-smaller size, cats are even more sensitive to the effects of caffeine than we humans, and most of the symptoms of clinical toxicity (i.e. hyperactivity, elevated heart rate, hypertension, etc.) are related to the amplified stimulant effects of caffeine.
All in all, cats are naturally curious animals that are easily intrigued by what we eat at the ‘big human’ table. Perhaps they agree with the proverb that “the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence”. And while we can’t do anything about their inquisitive nature, it’s our responsibility as cat parents to keep them safe - even if it means turning away from those sad kitty eyes and flatly refusing them table scraps.
If you’re keen on feeding your kitty homemade recipes, find out more about human food that can actually boost your cat’s health here.