Welcome back to the Acoma Animal Clinic blog! After a recent harrowing experience with one of our own pups and some chicken bones, we thought it time to cover this subject. This month we are looking at foods that are dangerous for your animals! Obviously, any food that is not specifically made for your pet can affect their digestive tract but when it comes to cats, these are the foods to avoid!
Chocolate
Just like dogs, chocolate can be dangerous to your feline friend. Theobromine is found in chocolate, especially in dark and unsweetened varieties. Eating this can cause problems from heart problems to seizures.
Coffee, Tea, Energy Drinks
These all contain caffeine, just like chocolate. This can cause your cat to become restless or suffer from other caffeine related symptoms: rapid breathing, muscle tremors, and/or heart palpitations.
Dairy
Despite common perception of cats drinking milk from a saucer, like us, many cats are lactose intolerant and the ingestion of it can cause vomiting and diarrhea.
Raw Meats or Fat
Raw meats, eggs, or fish, can all cause vomiting or diarrhea. The excessive fat can cause pancreatitis, the symptoms of which are lethargy, dehydration, pain, and loss of appetite.
Onions and Garlic
Onions and garlic in small quantities, like in a sauce is not likely to be a cause of concern. However, if eaten in sufficient quantity can cause digestive struggle.
Alcohol
This may seem like a no brainer, of course your cat shouldn’t have alcohol! But what might be a surprise is just how little it takes to severely harm them. Even an amount as little as a tablespoon can cause severe liver or brain damage.
If your cat has eaten anything they shouldn’t first remain calm. Figure out how much of the item in question they may have had and contact your vet for advice. It is very common for most animals to eat small amounts of problem food and get by without much of an issue. But if you’re still not comfortable, or your cat is expressing symptoms of illness, call of get to your vet for supportive care until the illness resolves. Next time on the blog, we’re looking at dogs and their foil foods.
