Don't Put These Foods on Your Cat's Menu

I recently wrote the article "Don't Put These Foods on Your Dog's Menu."Then someone commented that I should write an article about foods cats shouldn't eat. So here is the article as requested "Don't Put Foods on Your Cat's Menu." Hopefully, no one will request an article for parrots, goldfish, or gerbils. However, if they do request one, I will accommodate them.

Just because you can eat it and it poses no harm to you, it does not mean that your pets can eat it. You cannot feed some foods to your cat that you eat yourself. You cannot feed some foods to your cat that you feed to your dog. Humans, dogs, and cats all have different metabolism.

While this list does not include every food that should not be on your cat's menu, here are some that you should think twice about before putting on your cat's menu.

If you can feed it to your baby, wouldn't you think you could feed it to your cats? Not so!

Baby food contains onion powder, which can be toxic if fed to your cat over an extended period of time. Feeding your cat baby food in large amounts over time can also result in nutritional deficiencies.

Just as you wouldn't put coffee, tea, and chocolate on your dog's menu, do not put them on your cat's menu for the same reasons. They contain theobromine, a methylxanthine derivative that could cause a cat to urinate more frequently than usual, vomit, have diarrhea and seizures.

Refrain from giving your cat caffeine in any form. No alcoholic beverage including beer, liquor, wine, and foods containing alcohol should be given to your cat.

This may be hard to understand, but too much milk and dairy products could cause an adult dog and cat to have diarrhea.

The understanding is that you can give your cat some milk but not too much.

If you have a cat and a dog, be careful not to mix up their foods. If you accidentally make the mistake once, there is nothing to worry about, but if this continues, it will cause diseases affecting your cat's heart.

While you are putting your groceries away when you first get home from the grocery store and your cat is meowing for something to eat, you might be tempted to take a grape and give it to your cat to keep him quiet until you have time to feed him properly.

Think twice about this because there are toxins in grapes, raisins, and currants that could cause your cat to vomit, have diarrhea and they could affect the cat's heart and nervous system.

An unknown toxic is in macadamia nuts and butter that may cause harm and even death to your cat. Be careful not to feed those to your cat.

Onions and garlic are two things that contain sulfoxides and disulfides which can damage red blood cells.

Onions and garlic should not be fed to either your cat or dog. However, cats are more susceptible to those than dogs.

Just as you would keep your medicine away from your children, also keep your medicine about from your pets.

Your vitamin supplement could cause much damage to your pet's digestive system and be toxic to the liver and kidneys.

If salt is eaten in large quantities, it can cause an imbalance in your dog or cat.

Like with humans and dogs, too much sweet can cause your cat to be obese. Not only that, but sugary foods can cause dental problems and diabetes in pets.

Dough with yeast in it can expand in your cat's abdomen and produce gas in the digestive system. This is dangerous because it could cause rupture of the stomach and/or intestines.