What foods should you not feed to a cat?

1. 78

   MickiSposted 12 years ago

   What foods should you not feed to a cat?
   
   Having been a dog owner my whole life, I'm familiar with what not to feed my dog, but which foods are toxic or dangerous to cats?

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2. 96

   Theophanesposted 12 years ago

   Many of the things that are toxic for dogs (like Poinsettias and whatnot) are also bad for cats. That being said cats are sensitive to tea tree oil so it should never be put directly in their food. You'll find it in some herbal anti-flea, anti-ear mite products. Personally I avoid anything labelled as tuna or seafood flavored because of the recent finding that tuna has the highest amount of Mercury in their systems of any animal due to pollution of the oceans. Cat food is going to be made of the fish organs and parts that people don't want to eat that may be even higher in Mercury content than their flesh. Cats are also much more likely to have a bad reaction to flea dips and shampoos than dogs. I actually lost a cat to this and now rely on Frontline. On the other side of the spectrum there are things cats need more than dogs - make sure any cat food you buy has a sufficient amount of taurine in it or you will risk a much shorter lived cat.

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   1. 78

      MickiSposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks, Theophane. Great answer (and thanks for putting it in dog terms for me!).

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3. 59

   cpa2008kimposted 12 years ago

   Even though I grew up on a farm and we did this, you should never feed a cat milk. Most cats are lactose intolerant which may explain why our barn cats never put on weight. As well, that they constantly had diarrhea.
   
   You should never feed a cat dry or moist food that's main ingredient is corn. Cats, just like we humans, can have stomach problems etc. from this. By nature cats are not designed to digest corn.  Cats are carnivores and should be eating meat to get their daily recommended dose of protein and fat.
   
   You should never feed your cat Tuna out of a can. Tuna does not have a very necessary mineral for cats-Taurine, it can also lead to malnourishment and mercury poisoning.

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   1. 62

      Dubuquedogtrainerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Actually, I am told by a fellow professional trainer who helps manage a humane society in Indiana that human milk is more closely related to cat milk than the dry formulas. I have always used the dry formulas for foster kittens and did not know this.

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4. 60

   unreasonablegraceposted 12 years ago

   Cats shouldn't have a variety of foods, including:  Chocolate/caffeine, raw fish of any kind, fish bones (which can lacerate the digestive system), mushrooms, raw eggs, milk (many cats are lactose intolerant), grapes or raisins, onions, or garlic.
   
   There are also several plants that are poisonous to cats, namely lilies and poinsettias.

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   1. 62

      Dubuquedogtrainerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Oops - typo above - I meant to say cow milk! Cow milk is supposedly ok for cats even though I have always fed foster kittens using the manufactured dry formulas for cats.

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5. 62

   Dubuquedogtrainerposted 12 years ago

   I am not an expert in cat nutrition, although I studied cat nutrition in my college course on pet nutrition with a university professor in domestic and zoo animal nutrition. I would have to look this up, but cats are even more tricky than dogs!
   
   I can tell you this - that cats have very specific nutrient requirements that if they aren't met, the deficiencies or imbalances can be deadly.
   
   One thing I don't have to look up is that it is very important to not feed cats dog food since it is lacking in the nutrients that cats require, for example, the amino acid, taurine.
   
   While dogs that eat cat food can consume more fat and protein than they need (possibly resulting in pancreatitis, overweight and other illnesses), cats that eat dog food are at risk for developing life threatening nutritional imbalances.
   
   Cow milk is ok for kittens but most adult cats lack the lactase to break down the milk sugar in milk products and so develop diarrhea.

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   1. 78

      MickiSposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Another humble but excellent answer, Dubuquetrainer. Thanks.

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