Five Foods You Should Never Feed Your Cat and Why

MilkSource: © Shutterstock

Before our darling cat went missing several months ago, we never fed him ‘human’ food. Mostly because he was a pain in the bottom when it came to the kitchen counters as it was. His life’s goal was to make us completely crazy lounging his feline behind on our countertops and using our island as a means to an end to get to the top of the fridge to the top of the cabinets where he could lie in wait for us to walk in through the garage door, through the little entry hall and by the fridge where he could pounce.

Our cat did not laugh but if he could, I swear those were the moments he was doing it hysterically. He made us miserable with his lack of respect for our kitchen and the cleanliness of our food, so we never, ever allowed him to have human food (and we cleaned our counters 999999999 times per day). We felt it was just one way in which we could ‘win’ his little game, and it made us feel good. Also, he’s a cat so he had his own food. Why did he need ours? We weren’t all up in his food trying to add some to our dinner, and we expected the same from him. So, long story short; our cat did not eat people food.

We had no idea that we were doing a good thing, either. You see, you’re never going to be able to keep your cat from consuming human food if he finds it while you’re not present. That’s his problem (and yours, because yuck). But you are going to find that it’s fairly simple to keep cats away from food once you know that there are five human foods that are not only bad for your cat, but potentially toxic. You don’t want a sweet treat to kill your cat, so be sure you’re not feeding your feline friend anything that might do more harm than good. If you are, stop right now for the safety of your cat’s health.

Coffee

You know when your cat does that thing where he decides that 5 am is the best time ever to run around the house acting like a mad man even though you’re trying to enjoy those last few minutes of sleep and you’re still trying to keep the kids in bed? You’d swear he was in the coffee with all that energy. Now think about what he might actually behave like if he did have that much caffeine, and don’t let that happen. Caffeine could actually cause your cat to die from things like tremors, seizures or heart failure.

Alcohol

I laugh just as much as the next person when I see a cat sleeping in a hilarious position with a bottle of rum or an empty wine bottle next to him with some clever caption, but I know that cats do not drink booze. I also know that no sane, normal human being allows their cat to drink alcohol. I also know that cats can be a little bit crazy and a little bit insane when it comes to finding cups and glasses and other items unattended for even just a moment (because no self respecting person leaves a glass of wine sitting). If your cat drinks, it’s bad news. Just think of it this way; it’s bad news when you drink and you are a million times larger than your cat. Keep the cat out of the bar and away from the booze; it’s for his own health.

Milk

Pick your jaw up off the floor and keep reading; I’m not yet finished. Dairy is not a good idea for grown cats, despite how sweet it is to see a kitten drinking milk. Many cats are actually lactose intolerant and develop that health issue once they move past the nursing stage. Dairy products of any sort are very likely to cause your cat to suffer from issues such as diarrhea, an upset stomach and even vomiting issues. You want to give your cat water, keep him away from cheese and do not – ever – let that cat near your bowl of ice cream no matter how much he tries to get to it even when you are looking. He might think you’re selfish, but you know that you’re holding out for his own good. Now keep it that way and forget about letting him have even a bite of your dessert.

Chocolate

Caffeine is not that good for humans, so imagine what it does to the small body of a cat. Now add to that the fact that chocolate also contains something called theobromine, which is an ingredient we love but cats should not consume. Combined, this chemicals work to make the heart rate increase and they stimulate the nervous system. They do these things to adults, too, but in a much lower concentration thanks to our size versus the amount that we consume. Cats, on the other hand, are not so fortunate. They are smaller and much more likely to suffer a seriously terrible side effect when they consume chocolate. Do not allow your cats to eat chocolate, please.

Grapes and/or Raisins

Here is something that surprises me, especially since our cat did consume his fair share of both. We have 20-month-old twins who share a love of grapes and raisins (and blueberries and strawberries) and will eat them all day, every day if we allow them to do that. They do, however, occasionally drop them from their high chairs and the cat would pounce in a matter of seconds. He was like a broom for us in that he inhaled their dropped food and left us with nothing to do by mop. What we did not know for many years, however, is that these could kill him. They contain ingredients that harm the cat’s red blood cells, which play a very important role in the overall health of your animals.

Photo by Getty Images

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  • Milk: © Shutterstock

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