What You Should Never Feed a Cat!

  Posted on June 24, 2010  by Joy of Living  No comments

Bo, the in-house cat and feline expert: Hey, folks!  Welcome back to our blog!  Today’s focus is on what foods you should never give your cat.  I have a rather mischievious dog (Jessie) with whom I share a household, and she has been known to try to feed me a lot of crap over the years, the most notable of which is pure BS.  She tries to feed that to me daily, but I don’t fall for it.  It makes me sick to my stomach anyway.  This post will highlight some foods that you, as a cat owner, should never attempt to give your cat.

• Baby food – This may contain onion powder, which is toxic to cats. (Even onion breath, courtesy of Jessie, can be toxic.  Have you smelled her breath lately?)
• Bones from fish, poultry, or other sources of meat – Theses can obstruct or cut a cat’s digestive system.
• Chocolate, coffee, tea, and any caffeine – These can affect the heart and nervous system.
• Dog food – A one-time accidental ingestion should not pose a problem, but if eaten repeatedly, your cat can become malnourished or sustain heart problems.  (Besides, what proper cat would ever consider dining on kibbles and bits?)
• Grapes and raisins – These contain an unknown toxin, which can be harmful to the kidneys.
• Large amounts of liver – Too much vitamin A is toxic, leading to problems with muscles and bones.
• Macadamia nuts – These can adversely affect the digestive and nervous systems as well as the muscles.
• Milk and other dairy products – If your cat does not have enough of the enzyme lactase, it will be unable to break down the lactose in the milk, resulting in diarrhea.  There are lactose-free milk products made for cats.
• Moldy or spoiled food – Seriously?  Would you really consider serving us this stuff?  Oh, well, if a cat does get into the garbage, it can lead to vomiting and diarrhea, which can also affect other organs.  Think of food poisoning in yourself.  Blah…..
• Mushrooms – These can affect many systems in your cat’s body and can contribute to shock or even death.
• Raw fish – This can result in a vitamin B deficiency which can create a loss of appetite, seizures, and in some cases, death.
• Sugary foods – Just like with humans, too much of the sweet stuff can lead to weight gain, obesity, and diabetes.
• Table scraps – Sure, the dog may go for these, but even for them, these are not balanced nutritionally.  We need the fat trimmed from our diets.
• Raw eggs – Eating these can lead to skin and coat problems.  These can even contain salmonella.  Keep them away from us!

And remember….just like I mentioned about Jessie…never feed your cat a line of crap!  We are smart and can smell that stuff a mile away!  However, be sure to feed us lots of love every day!  We thrive on that supplement!

Have a good one!

(I found this info on one of those pet education sites.  Interestingly enough, it also said to avoid feeding your cat alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco.  C’mon, people!  A responsible cat owner would not even consider doing such things!)