Bad food for cats is a real serious topic for you as a cat owner, current or would-be. Although cats are known to be very picky when it comes to eating, they don’t necessarily know what is best or worst for them.
Some widely known favorite cat foods are actually bad or even harmful for them. They certainly don’t know what is really best for them. So, to help your cat to be safe from unwanted health problems, here is a list of foods you should avoid feeding him/her. Some of them will cause illness, some may be downright poisonous.
10 bad foods for cats at a glance:
| Food | Problem |
| Tuna | Addiction, mercury poisoning |
| Garlic and Onions | Damaged red blood cells, anemia, stomach problems |
| Milk and dairy | Diarrhea, digestive upset, loss of furs |
| Grapes and Raisins | Kidney damage, digestive upset, vomiting, death |
| Caffeine and Chocolate | Vomiting, restlessness, elevated heart rate, high body temperature |
| Raw Eggs, Raw Meat & Bones | Diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain |
| Alcohol and Raw Dough | Vomiting, diarrhea, kidney damage |
| Liver | Vitamin A toxicity |
| Uncooked Potatoes & Tomatoes | Lethargic, vomit, difficulty breathing |
| Dog Food | Malnourished |
If you want to know more details, please read on:
Table of Contents
1. Tuna
Yes, cats love fish. Their craving for fish is widely known. However, not all fishes are good for your cat’s health. One particular fish bad for your cat’s health is the tuna fish. Especially the tuna fish items that are prepared for humans could be harmful for your fuzzy little pet.
Whether it is packed for humans or cats, your cat can become addicted to this fish. While feeding your cat with tuna once in a while may not cause any harm, regularly feeding it with ‘prepared for human’ tuna diets may lead to a deficiency disease. The tuna diets prepared for humans don’t have the proper nutrients a cat needs.
Too much tuna meals might lead to mercury poisoning, therefore, keep the amount small even if you feed your cat with tuna prepared for cats. Remember, how much smart it seems to you, after all, it’s an animal, and it won’t know how much is too much.
2. Garlic and Onions
You may occasionally share food with your cat from your plate, but don’t share anything with garlic or onions in it, be it raw, cooked, powdered, or dehydrated. Foods with garlic or onion can do serious damage to your cat’s health.
These good-for-humans ingredients break down red blood cells of cats, which leads to anemia. Not having enough blood cells will make your cat weak or even put its life in jeopardy.
Regularly feeding your cat with onion can lead to onion poisoning, eating a large measure at once can cause the same problem. Apart from garlic and onion, chives may upset a cat’s stomach. So, avoid feeding your cat with these ingredients at all costs.
3. Milk and dairy products
Everyone knows how much cats love milk – however, it’s actually a bad food for cats. It can do some significant harm to a cat’s health. Kittens drink their mother’s milk right after taking birth, but the mother starts weaning her children when they are about a month old.
They start living on solid food by two months of age. While some kittens keep drinking their mother’s milk for eight to ten weeks, they lose the ability to process it when they are completely weaned.
According to Jan Dempsey, a senior nutritionist at Purina, adult cats lose their ability to process the sugar mixed in the milk after they are ablactated as solid foods take the place and the ability to digest milk becomes unnecessary. While some adult cats may remain with the ability to process milk, most cats can’t do it. Therefore, not feeding your cat with milk is the safest choice. Drinking milk could lead your cat to suffer from diarrhea or digestive upset.
You may ask if its that bad, why most of the adult cats crave milk? – Well, it triggers happy memories. The flavor and scent remind them of their kittenhood when they were adorned by their mother. It comforts their mind, so they run for it without thinking twice.
You should also avoid cheese, butter, and butteroil along with milk. Cheese and butter can lead to GI problems, and butteroil may cause your cat to lose furs. It won’t be a cute thing to watch – right?
4. Grapes and Raisins
Many cat owners tend to feed their beloved fuzzy pets with human food – even fruits. If you have this bad habit, you should know that fruits, especially grapes and raisins are particularly harmful for a cat’s health. Grapes and raisins can be downright deadly for your cat. They can cause diarrhea, abdominal pain, decreased urination, lethargy, and, possible death if it consumes excessive quantity.
Eating grapes can cause sudden kidney failure. These fruits may be great for our health, but it can be downright lethal for your cat. So, keep your cat away from such fruits.
5. Caffeine and Chocolate
Caffeine may be refreshing and good for humans, it’s a poison for cats, and there’s no antidote for it.
According to Pet Poison Helpline, drinking caffeine-included products such as tea, coffee, energy drinks, soda, etc. can lead your cat to serious toxicity. Chocolates contain theobromine along with caffeine, which causes vomiting, hyperactivity (restlessness), elevated heart rate, increased body temperature.
If the amount of consumption is too high, your pet can die. Therefore, don’t give your cat chocolate or any food that contains caffeine.
6. Raw Eggs, Raw Meat & Bones
Raw eggs and meat can be a big problem for a cat. These items are known to be dangerous for your furry friend and can create some serious health problems.
Raw eggs contain salmonella, which can cause a number of symptoms including diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. It may also cause internal bleeding, and if your cat eats some, it may lead to the development of a life-threatening condition called Salmonella Enteritis. Raw meat can cause serious food poisoning for your cat.
As for raw bone, it can cause a bone infection called osteomyelitis.
7. Alcohol and Raw Dough
This should be a no-surprise to everyone! Alcohol is not for cats. It’s even not good for humans. However, if you’re wondering why you should avoid feeding your cat alcohol, here’s why. Alcohol can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and even lead to death. While you may think it’s harmless, alcohol can cause kidney damage.
According to the Pet Poison Helpline, your cat may consume up to two teaspoons of alcohol. If it’s a small amount, it may not cause any harm. However, if your cat has consumed more than that, then it can lead to sickness.
If you are wondering, ‘how do I know when my cat is drinking alcohol?’
Look for these signs:
Your cat may start to act strangely after drinking alcohol. This may include sickness, weakness, excessive drooling. Vomiting lethargy irritability depression In some cases, the symptoms of alcohol poisoning may be subtle and difficult to detect.
How does alcohol affect cats?
Alcohol is a depressant drug. When your cat consumes alcohol, it decreases the amount of serotonin, the ‘feel-good’ chemical, in its brain. When it’s low, your cat will become depressed. It won’t respond to calls, be reluctant to eat, and so on. If you notice these syndromes, contact your vet.
8. Liver
Liver is a healthy food item for cats for the most part; however, if your cat eats too much liver, it could cause some serious health problems. Too much liver can cause vitamin A toxicity, a serious condition that can affect a cat’s bones and even lead to death in severe cases. It is important to monitor your cat’s diet and watch them closely for signs of vitamin A toxicity – which includes: bone overgrowth on the spine and elbows, deformed bones, and osteoporosis.
9. Uncooked Potatoes & Tomatoes
Cats are naturally carnivorous animals and are not good at digesting vegetables, especially raw potatoes, and tomatoes. These foods can cause diarrhea and other digestive issues.
If your cat eats these foods, it may cause a condition called Feline Gastric Dilatation and Volvulus (FGDV). It is a life-threatening condition that can cause your cat to become lethargic, vomit, and have difficulty breathing. Save your little fellow from suffering and keep her/him away from potato and tomato at all costs.
10. Dog Food
You may think that a dog’s food is exactly the same as a cat’s since they are both carnivorous species; however, that is not true. Your cat needs a much different set of nutrients than a dog does. Some of these nutrients include protein, vitamins, and minerals. Your cat needs a diet that will help him or her stay healthy and live a long life.
Dog food has different nutrients and calories than cat food and can cause your cat to be severely malnourished. If you have a cat and a dog, be sure to give them separate foods at all times. You may feed them some home-cooked meat or fish together, but never give your cat the packaged food that says “dog food” if you want to see your little feline fellow to suffer.
What to do if your cat eats something toxic
We’ve all been there. We’re minding our own business, and suddenly our cat decides to eat something he shouldn’t and starts to act weird and making us panic to death. What do you do in this kind of situation?
It’s important to know the difference between something that’s poisonous and something that’s just gross. A lot of times, it’s the latter that causes the most trouble. If you don’t know the difference, you might end up with a nasty, painful, and expensive problem. Whenever you see something unusual or downright frightening in your cat’s behavior, contact a vet and tell them everything. It’s even better if you could take your little friend to the vet’s clinic. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Wrapping up
Our pets are like our family. We always treat them with love and care. And, sometimes, too much love and indulgence can lead to serious damage. Don’t let your cat eat whatever it wants. Always keep an eye on the measurement and items of your cat’s food. Avoid the bad foods for your cat, and don’t overfeed the good ones. We all want our cats happy and healthy.
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