Foods You Should Never Feed Your Cat

1 Cat food or people food

Between the two, complete cat food is the better pick. Homemade food lets you control sourcing and freshness, but you must balance nutrition, and the right balance shifts with age and health – if you are confident you can do that, homemade is an option. Because balance is hard to manage, a labeled complete cat food is the safer everyday choice.

2 Foods that are off-limits

Some foods harmless to people are deadly to cats. Never feed: allium vegetables (onion, scallion, garlic, leek, and similar), avocado, chocolate, raw eggs, shellfish, and dog food.

Alliums cause diarrhea, vomiting, and in serious cases anemia and bloody urine; the toxin remains even after cooking, and onion especially can leach into stews, so take care. Avocado causes similar signs and can be fatal. Chocolate causes diarrhea and vomiting and, in large amounts, sudden death (though cats seem less interested in it than dogs). Raw eggs bring diarrhea, skin disease, and conjunctivitis – cooked eggs are safe. Shellfish can trigger skin disease. Dog food lacks taurine, so feeding it long term causes taurine deficiency in cats.

3 Milk, fish, and moderation

A little milk is fine; cats and dogs weaned from mother’s milk have less lactase, so too much causes diarrhea – and kittens need especially small amounts. Fish is fine in moderation, but a fish-only diet unbalances nutrition; vary the diet with other foods. Also limit high-magnesium dried seafood like dried cuttlefish or dried sardines, since too much can cause urinary stones.