Top 10 Foods to Avoid When You own a Cat

Curious soul the cat; his nose can lead them him trouble and cause you an emergency vet bill if you aren’t careful. The following foods are some foods your cat should not eat because they are toxic or harmful to your cat.

1. Chocolate- I am sure you love chocolate and it tastes so good and sweet when you indulge. But chocolate is a no-no for cats (and dogs too). Some chocolates are worse than others so rather than second guess yourself; leave all chocolates tucked away safely from probing noses.Chocolate contains theobromine which is chemically attractive to cats. Eating chocolate can lead to the central nervous system to fail, blood vessels will block, heart rate increases and death occurs soon after the cat eats chocolate.
2. Tomato PLANTS- not the tomato are toxic to cats. If you have indoor plants, they should be out of reach of your cat (good luck with that challenge!)  You will find some cat foods that list tomatoes as one of the ingredients. If you have unripe tomatoes- those can be poisonous to your cat as well.
3. Cow’s Milk- although you often see photos of kittens drinking cow’s milk, the kitten doesn’t have the ability to absorb the lactose and are lactose intolerant. Drinking cow’s milk your cat or kitten can suffer from constipation and /or diarrhea which can lead to dehydration and other health issues.
4. Onions- The onion contains chemicals that damage the cat’s red blood cells. This can lead to anemia and breathing issues. So if you want to offer your cat a slice of pizza be sure they held the onions.
5. Raw meat- Are you into tartare? Chances are your cat might also want a taste but please refrain from indulging his carnivorous state. Raw meat can draw in bacteria and other harmful parasites leading to major health issues like toxoplasmosis. If your cat is an outdoor kitty and you have a compost pile going, be sure your cat can’t gain access to the compost.
6. Cooked or raw bones- Make no bones about it. Any bones cooked or otherwise can be harmful for cats. Cooked bones can splinter in the mouth causing obstruction and blockage. Raw bones draw in airborne bacteria and under the cat’s sharp canine teeth the raw bones can also splinter and break.
7. Raw eggs- The yolk is fine to give a cat every now and again, but not the white of the egg. The white contains an enzyme called aviden that impedes the absorption of biotin in the intestines. Biotin regulates the health of the skin and the coat and eating egg whites can cause skin diseases in both cats and kittens.
8. Alcohol- Like a nip after work? Keep your drinking glass away from your cat’s sensitive nose. Many alcohol based drinks are attractive to cats, but liver damage can result if kitty goes on a drinking binge.
9. Field mice- The outdoor cat’s prey consists of rodents and lizards for the most part. Rodents might have ingested toxic materials. It takes time for mice that have been poisoned to die and if kitty finds this snack before the mice perishes, this may be the cat’s last supper. Keep kitty indoors and safe.
10. Tuna- tuna should be a splurge food and not one to offer all the time. Mercury in the oceans is catching up to our food chain and tuna as well as other fish have been affected.

Keep kitty a carnivore and don’t go vegan on him. When cats are outside in a garden, they are either sunning themselves or hunting for live prey. I have yet to see a cat stalk and eat a carrot, broccoli or head of lettuce in a garden when it is harvest time.