What To Avoid In Cat Food?

While it may be easier to simply pick any form of cat food off a shelf with full faith that the manufacturing companies have done their due diligence, it is important for cat owners to know the types of ingredients that may be harmful, or even toxic for your feline.

Did you know that cats are lactose intolerant? While we may have an impression that cats drink milk from TV or cartoons, cats are not made to consume cow milk or dairy products that contain it. In fact, simply drinking cow’s milk can cause them to vomit and have diarrhoea. Kittens should also only drink milk specially formulated for them or directly from their mother so that they receive the nutrients they need without upsetting their stomachs.

Yes, you read that right. While we all know cats love tuna, and that tuna can be served as an occasional treat, tuna should never be the main food you feed your cat. Tuna lacks several nutrients cats need to stay healthy, and this could lead to malnutrition. Too much tuna may also lead to mercury poisoning.

One of the most dangerous things to feed your cat is an onion in any form – be it powdered, raw, cooked or even dehydrated. This is because onions can break down a cat’s red blood cells, causing anaemia.

We may be tempted to give our cats table scraps such as bones with some bits of meat and fats still on them, but this can be very dangerous for your cat as it can lead to intestinal upset, vomiting or diarrhoea. There is also a chance that your cat might choke on the bone as well if it was served to them as cat food.

Ever heard of the saying, sometimes having too much of a good thing can be bad? This is the case for liver as feeding your cat too much liver can cause Vitamin A toxicity. Symptoms of Vitamin A toxicity include deformed bones, bone growths on the elbows and spine, and osteoporosis. Vitamin A toxicity can even cause death in the worst-case scenario. Therefore it is best to limit the amount of liver added to your cat food.

Some pet owners may wonder if cats will get drunk when fed alcohol but experimenting with this can prove deadly for your cat as ingesting alcohol can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, tremors, disorientation, trouble breathing, coma, and even death.

Small but potentially lethal, even a small number of grapes or raisins can quickly result in the rapid failure of your cat’s kidney. Within 12 hours of ingestion, vomiting can occur and other signs that can show up within 24 hours include lethargy, diarrhoea, reduced appetite, abdominal pain, decreased urination, and abdominal pain.

While it’s a nice treat for human beings, chocolates should never be fed to cats as it contains a toxic agent called theobromine that can cause abnormal heart rhythm, tremors, seizures, and death. Therefore, you should avoid any form of treats or cat food that are advertised to be chocolate flavoured considering this refers to all kinds of chocolate including dark and unsweetened ones.

This is especially important for cat owners who are preparing home-made cat food diets for your feline to take note of the above food items or ingredients to avoid as a single wrong usage of ingredient can prove to be detrimental for your cat in the long run.