Top 10 Toxic Foods for Cats: What to Avoid!

1. Allium Vegetables: This category includes onions, green onions, and chives.

Onions, green onions, leeks, and other alliums contain disulfides, a substance that both cats and dogs are unable to metabolize. Consumption of these can lead to hemolytic anemia in pets. Even a small amount, such as just a couple of slices, can be toxic to cats if raw or cooked.

Once ingested, the disulfides in onions can damage the respiratory system's hemoglobin, preventing it from effectively carrying oxygen. This can result in oxygen deprivation throughout the cat's body, leading to organ failure.

The symptoms of allium poisoning in cats typically include weight loss, lack of energy, panting, rapid heartbeat, and exhaustion.

2. Chocolate:

Cats cannot metabolize theobromine, a substance found in chocolate. If a cat ingests large or highly concentrated amounts of chocolate within 24 hours, it can lead to symptoms like rapid heartbeat, restlessness, rapid breathing, excessive drinking and urination, followed by nervousness, muscle stiffness, and seizures.

Without prompt treatment, chocolate poisoning can result in fever, low blood pressure, heart failure, and coma within 1236 hours, ultimately leading to death.

3. Coffee, Tea, and Alcohol:

As little as 80150mg of caffeine can cause cats to become overly excited and even lead to death. This is why cats should never consume coffee or tea. Be cautious with any snacks containing caffeine or tea leaves, and store them safely out of reach.

Alcohol is a substance cats cannot break down at all, so even small amounts can be toxic. Keep household alcohol products, such as disinfectants, out of reach and be careful when using alcohol to clean wounds, ensuring the cat does not lick it.

4. Spoiled Food:

Spilled cat food and other longstored, spoiled foods can produce mold toxins that can damage the liver in both humans and cats, causing acute gastroenteritis and kidney damage. Cats are particularly sensitive to these toxins, which can lead to severe vomiting, diarrhea, and in severe cases, intestinal bleeding, ulcers, and a decrease in hematopoiesis.

What to Do If Your Cat Food Poisons:

If your cat is poisoned by food but hasn't shown seizure symptoms, you can induce vomiting by giving them a small amount of soap water. If vomiting and diarrhea do not occur, take them to a veterinary hospital for gastric lavage. Then, administer 0.5g/kg of activated charcoal for detoxification, three times a day for three consecutive days.

You can also give your cat a laxative to quickly expel the contents of their stomach. For other symptoms, use appropriate medications. For instance, if your cat is having seizures, use phenobarbital tablets for sedation. After vomiting and diarrhea, be sure to rehydrate your cat by injecting glucose or giving them oral pet electrolyte concentrate. For cats with hemolytic anemia due to onion poisoning, immediate blood transfusions are necessary. Later, use probiotics to help regulate the intestinal function disrupted by vomiting, diarrhea, and lavage.

Once your cat's condition stabilizes, usually within 1236 hours, they should be out of danger. However, it's advisable to check for liver and kidney damage.

For any further questions about cat food poisoning, feel free to consult an online veterinary expert at any time.