Save Your Cat From These 15 Toxic Foods

Cats are picky eaters, many a times giving the impression they know what their best meal is. But, it doesn’t mean that they’ll bypass all the foods that are dangerous for them. Some foods which are edible for humans, and even other animals like dogs, can be hazardous for cats because of their dissimilar metabolism. Some of these foods cause only mild digestive upsets, whereas, others can cause vomiting, severe illness, and even death. In this article, I have listed 15 foods which you must not feed (intentionally or unintentionally) to your cats.

Onions – Can destroy the red blood cells which results in Heinz body anemia. Both cooked and raw onions are toxic to cats

Garlic –  Although less toxic than onions, garlic can also damage red blood cells, and thus destroy the ability of cat to carry oxygen

Chocolate – It contains a substance called theobromine, which can cause heart attack in cats. It can also cause vomiting and diarrhea. Even its small quantity can be deadly to cat.

Raw Fish-  Contains enzyme thiaminase, which destroys the body’s thiamine (a B vitamin) that can leads to seizures and even death.

Raisins– It can cause acute kidney failure.

Raw Eggs– Egg white contains avidin, which is an enzyme that causes a decreased ability to absorb biotin (a B vitamin). It also contains harmful bacteria leading to Salmonella.

Tuna- Its strong taste and smell can cause an addiction, which can result in your cat refusing to eat any other food. In large quantity, it can also cause mercury poisoning. Further, oil-packed tuna can lead to a painful condition called steatitis.

Dog food –  If fed repeatedly, may result in malnutrition and diseases affecting the heart of your cat. In small quantity, it does not affect your cat.

Fat trimmings   – It can cause pancreatitis.

Macadamia nuts- It contains an unknown toxin, which can affect the nervous, and digestive systems and muscle.

Alcoholic beverages– It causes intoxication, coma, and death.

Bones of meat sources– It can cause laceration or obstruction the digestive system.

Tobacco– It contains nicotine, which affects the nervous and digestive systems of cats; which can result in rapid heartbeat, coma, and even death.

Yeast dough– It can expand and produce excessive gas in the digestive system of cat, which cause pain and possible rupture of the stomach or intestines of the cat.

Sugary foods– It can lead to dental problems, obesity, and possibly diabetes mellitus.

In addition to above mentioned 15 foods, you should also avoid table scraps (in large amounts). Many cat owners have habit of giving their feline friend table scraps, but these are not nutritionally balanced. The table scraps should never be more than the 10% of the diet of your feline friend.