Our feline friends are indeed a curious lot. The age old fable claims that cats have nine lives, but the origin of this myth is somewhat unclear. One theory is that cats are more tenacious and perhaps even “luckier” than many other animals. Whatever the reason, we can certainly do our part to ensure they live long, healthy lives.
Most of us know that there are some human foods our pets shouldn’t eat. Keeping our cats away from alcohol, for example, is a no-brainer. But did you know that onion powder can cause anemia in cats and dogs? Because of their different metabolisms, many common foods that are safe for human consumption are not safe for your cat. Reactions can range from upset stomachs to severe illness or death.
Some cats will beg you for food while you’re trying to eat. It becomes very tempting to give our feline friends some of our human food. We have good intentions. We want our cats to taste what we’re eating. We want our cats to be happy.
Sometimes, not very often, we give our cats a tidbit of chicken or turkey from our plates. But, it’s a practice we don’t encourage doing on a regular basis. Why? Because cats need the nutrients specifically provided for them in good premium cat foods. Any “extras” that they consume will take away their appetites for their regular meals. A sliver of turkey or chicken from your dinner plate certainly won’t kill your cat, but you’re helping him or her develop bad habits.
The main reason we discourage feeding cats “people food” is that there are a number of foods that are toxic, or poisonous to cats. In other words, there are foods that can cause your cat serious injury or death. So be very careful when feeding your cat human food and table scraps. For example, the gravy or stuffing that you poured over your Thanksgiving turkey may have onions in it, among other things. For humans, that gravy or stuffing might taste great and it’s harmless. But, did you know that onions are very toxic to cats.
And without further ado, we recommend that your cat(s) never eat any of these 9 common people foods:
[clickToTweet tweet=”9 People Foods Your Cat Should NEVER Eat!” quote=”9 People Foods Your Cat Should NEVER Eat!”]
Food #1: Chocolate
Did you know that even a small amount of chocolate can be deadly to a cat? The reason is that chocolate contains an alkaloid called Theobromine which is highly toxic to cats and can cause heart attacks.
Cats with chocolate toxicity can experience vomiting, diarrhea, rapid or irregular heart rate, muscle tremors and even seizures.
Here’s the good news – you can keep the chocolates for yourself!
Some of these I knew about, thank you for sharing. But what I have been looking for are poisonous indoor plants. I don’t have plants in the house and would love to have some, however I don’t know which ones are safe for my kitty. If you can tell me I would be greatful. Thank you.
Lilies are poisonous for cats…My daughter nearly lost her cat after he feasted on some of these dangerous flowers.
You forgot an important one….cinnamon!
My name is Krista Hiller from Hillsboro iL I have a 9 year old cat named lulu can cats eat gravy ?
everytime i ate something that has chocolate on/in it when my cat was not around i always said, “no, you cant have chocolate” to my cat if he BEGS for a piece
NO people gravy. I was just reading about this.
Just cat gravy that is made fir cats.