Harmful foods that your cat must never eat

You may feel that your feline companion is a picky eater but they are actually very sensible. They eat what is required and are able to distinguish between spoilt and unspoilt meat. There are other human foods that we tend to feed them which can cause more harm to their health than you realise. That is because cats have different metabolism from humans. Certain human foods can cause digestive upsets, illness and if it is severe enough even death.

Here are a list of foods that you must avoid giving your cat:

• Tuna:  Cats are very fond of tuna and can get addicted to it. Giving tuna once a while and not always is advisable as it does not meet the nutritional requirement needed by cats thereby causing malnutrition. It can also cause mercury poisoning.
• Onions, garlic and chives:  Onions that are powdered, raw or cooked can break down your cat’s red blood cell causing anemia. Giving onions in smaller doses can also cause onion poisoning. Garlics and chives can cause gastrointestinal upset.
• Milk and dairy products:  Most cats are lactose intolerant. As they cannot digest dairy products it leads to gastrointestinal upsets like vomiting and diarrhea.
• Alcoholic beverages:  Alcoholic beverages can damage to your cat’s liver and brain. Just two tablespoons of whiskey can cause coma and even instant death.
• Grapes and raisins:  Grapes and raisins can cause kidney failure in cats. Even a small portion of it can make your cat ill.
• Coffee, tea and energy drinks:  Coffee, tea and energy drinks contain caffeine that will make your cat restless, have heart palpitations, rapid breathing and muscle tremors.
• Chocolate:  Chocolates contain theobromine that is toxic to cats. It is most potent when consumed in its darkest and unsweetened form. Chocolate ingestion can cause heart problems, seizures and even muscle tremors.
• Fat trimmings, raw meat, raw eggs, raw fish and bones:  Feeding your cat tidbits from your meal especially just the fat from the meat and bones can cause intestinal upset, vomiting and diarrhea. Bones can also cause your cat to choke and even pose obstruction to his digestive system. Feeding your cat raw meat, raw eggs or raw fish can cause pancreatitis, salmonella or E.coli.