Five Foods You Should Never Feed Your Cat

By Layla Lair, published Sep 18, 2007
Published Content: 40  Total Views: 57,732  Favorited By: 84 CPs
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I am the proud owner of two mischievous house cats. A better statement of that fact may be that my house cats are the proud owners of me. Like many cat owners, I sometimes indulge my cats with the occasional cat treat. On the rarest of occasions I might even spoil them with a taste of table food in their diet.

In small amounts table food is not usually harmful. However, there are some foods meant for human consumption that are harmful to cats and a few that are even deadly. Some of these taboo foods might be a bit surprising.

Tuna Fish
Tuna Fish is a favorite among many cats but lacks the vitamins and nutrients to keep our cat friends happy and provide a healthy diet. The Tuna Fish meant for human consumption lacks Vitamin E making this an unhealthy and sometimes dangerous food choice. Vitamin E deficiency can cause serious health conditions such as Yellow Fat Disease.

Even if dietary supplements are given to counteract the negative nutritional value, Tuna Fish is still a poor choice because of the Mercury that it contains. Tuna is also believed to cause allergic conditions and reactions in cats. If your cat is a Tuna lover it is best to buy a fortified canned cat food in Tuna flavor to make sure they are meeting their vitamins and mineral requirements.

Cows milk and dairy products
Most everyone would agree that cats love drinking a bit of milk. While this is true, it does not mean that milk is healthy for them. Many cats are lactose intolerant because they lack the enzyme lactase. Without this enzyme, their bodies have a difficult time breaking down and digesting milk and dairy food products. This upset to the system can cause diarrhea and skin irritation. If your cat loves milk do not despair, there are several companies such as Whiskas that sell lactose free milk products that are designed with a cats digestive system in mind.

Five Foods You Should Never Feed Your Cat

Some foods meant for human consumption can cause illness and even death in cats. Do you know which foods are taboo?

Credit: Layla Lair

Copyright: Layla Lair

Takeaways
  • Tuna Fish lacks important vitamins and minerals and it contains harmful levels of Mercury
  • Many cats are lactose intolerant making cows milk a bad choice
  • Chocolate, Yeast Dough, and Dog Food could cause very serious illness in cats
Comments
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Beef Jerky doesn't belong on that list... yes, it may be too salty for some cat's tastes, but probability the cat spit it back up was due to the size or consistency of the piece of beef being fed. If the chunk is too big, or too tough/stringy, they won't be able to chew or swallow it.. I'm always carefull with the size and quality of pieces I feed my cat as he honestly tries to woof it down and get the next piece before I can get a piece of my own for myself. Cats can chew the meat, but they can't pick it out from between their teeth... so always break them off a piece and if it's stringy, break off another, non-stringy, piece for them. Another rule of thumb is if it's too thick or firm tear by hand, it's not soft enough for a cat to finish it.

Posted on 07/22/2008 at 12:07:13 PM

 
Very informative. I have a strange cat...he likes bananas and mushrooms.

Posted on 05/14/2008 at 5:05:52 PM

 
Chocolate.

Posted on 03/27/2008 at 10:03:49 AM

 
Thank you for the tips. When I open a can of tuna fish, my cat usually only gets the tuna water and now I'm glad she only gets that.

Posted on 03/26/2008 at 4:03:43 PM

 
I've been here, but this is very useful information. My cats have recently started eating what I put out for the deer--carrot, onion, and potato peels. I thought that was weird. I asked the vet and he said they needed more veggies in their diet. So I changed their food to accommodate.

Posted on 03/25/2008 at 5:03:35 AM

 
Great practical tips. I'd actually heard them before, but a reminder is always a good thing.

Posted on 03/11/2008 at 5:03:30 PM

 
Add beef jerky to that list... my cat begged for it, then promptly coughed it back up... probably too salty. I had a cat that liked pineapple... I'm not sure if that's bad for them, but doesn't sound like normal kitty cat food.

Posted on 03/03/2008 at 12:03:43 PM

 
Great article :) I worry about the mercury content in tuna flavor cat food.

Posted on 02/21/2008 at 11:02:57 PM

 
Great article. Very informative.

Posted on 02/17/2008 at 2:02:03 AM

 
Thanks for the info. I didn't know I shouldn't give my kitty cow's milk.

Posted on 02/15/2008 at 12:02:26 PM

 
I am showing this to our daughter. She has semi adopted a roaming neighborhood cat. She figured out the cat was lactose intolerant on her own after she gave it some milk one day. Good article.

Posted on 02/06/2008 at 9:02:52 PM

 
Great Info. I'll have to remember this if I ever have a cat.

Posted on 02/05/2008 at 9:02:47 AM

 
I should add just so people don't get confused and think we are horrible owners...we don't actually give any of the stuff to him. He just keeps begging hoping that today might be different.

Posted on 01/04/2008 at 8:01:21 PM

 
Great information! One of our cats has a very sensitive stomach and he cannot tolerate any milk products or most table foods. He just throws them right up. Doesn't seem to bother him much though since he still begs all the time. Silly kitty!

Posted on 01/04/2008 at 8:01:51 PM

 
Layla, This is a wonderful information.

Posted on 12/17/2007 at 10:12:58 AM

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