|
Items to avoid
|
Reasons to avoid
|
| Alcoholic beverages |
Can cause intoxication, coma, and
death. |
| Baby food |
Can contain onion powder, which
can be toxic to cats. (Please see onion below.) Can also result
in nutritional deficiencies, if fed in large amounts. |
| Bones from fish, poultry, or other
meat sources |
Can cause obstruction or laceration
of the digestive system. |
| Canned tuna (for human consumption) |
Large amounts can cause malnutrition,
since it lacks proper levels of vitamins and minerals. |
| Chocolate, coffee, tea, and other
caffeine |
Contain caffeine, theobromine,
or theophylline, which can be toxic and affect the heart and
nervous system. |
| Citrus oil extracts |
Can cause vomiting. |
| Dog food |
If accidental ingestion, will
not cause a problem; if fed repeatedly, may result in malnutrition
and diseases affecting the heart. |
| Fat trimmings |
Can cause pancreatitis. |
| Grapes and raisins |
Contain an unknown toxin, which
can damage the kidneys. |
| Human vitamin supplements containing
iron |
Can damage the lining of the digestive
system and be toxic to the other organs including the liver
and kidneys. |
| Large amounts of liver |
Can cause Vitamin A toxicity, which
affects muscles and bones. |
| Macadamia nuts |
Contain an unknown toxin, which
can affect the digestive and nervous systems and muscle. |
| Marijuana |
Can depress the nervous system,
cause vomiting, and changes in the heart rate. |
| Milk and other dairy products |
Some adult cats and dogs do not
have sufficient amounts of the enzyme lactase, which breaks
down the lactose in milk. This can result in diarrhea. Lactose-free
milk products are available for cats. |
| Moldy or spoiled food, garbage |
Can contain multiple toxins causing
vomiting and diarrhea and can also affect other organs. |
| Mushrooms |
Can contain toxins, which may affect
multiple systems in the body, cause shock, and result in death. |
| Onions and garlic (raw, cooked,
or powder) |
Contain sulfoxides and disulfides,
which can damage red blood cells and cause anemia. Cats are
more susceptible than dogs. Garlic is less toxic than onions. |
| Persimmons |
Seeds can cause intestinal obstruction
and enteritis. |
| Potato, rhubarb, and tomato leaves;
potato and tomato stems |
Contain oxalates, which can affect
the digestive, nervous, and urinary systems. This is more
of a problem in livestock. |
| Raw eggs |
Contain an enzyme called avidin,
which decreases the absorption of biotin (a B vitamin). This
can lead to skin and hair coat problems. Raw eggs may also
contain Salmonella. |
| Raw fish |
Can result in a thiamine (a B vitamin)
deficiency leading to loss of appetite, seizures, and in severe
cases, death. More common if raw fish is fed regularly. |
| Salt |
If eaten in large quantities it
may lead to electrolyte imbalances. |
| String |
Can become trapped in the digestive
system; called a "string foreign body." |
| Sugary foods |
Can lead to obesity, dental problems,
and possibly diabetes mellitus. |
| Table scraps (in large amounts) |
Table scraps are not nutritionally
balanced. They should never be more than 10% of the diet.
Fat should be trimmed from meat; bones should not be fed. |
| Tobacco |
Contains nicotine, which affects
the digestive and nervous systems. Can result in rapid heart
beat, collapse, coma, and death. |
| Yeast dough |
Can expand and produce gas in the
digestive system, causing pain and possible rupture of the
stomach or intestines. |
