Mary Allen
As a rule, cats are careful and check everything before they eat it. But sometimes curiosity wins and just trying can be dangerous. Therefore, find out which plants and foods your cat is not allowed to eat.
First and foremost, young cats are at risk of eating harmful foods. They are only at the beginning of a long learning process and are often too young to be able to judge the right food accordingly.
Even indoor cats occasionally nibble on things that they shouldn’t eat out of boredom. Here you can read everything about the foods and plants that cats are not allowed to eat.
Why can’t cats eat everything?
First and foremost, cats and tomcats should not and must not eat some things because they can be harmful to their health.
Therefore, the cat owner should take all possible precautions so that the cat does not even get to food or plants that are dangerous to it.
Plants That Cats Are Not Allowed To Eat
Many things that please our eyes have a different kind of entertainment value in cats and can also endanger physical well-being and even lead to life-threatening poisoning. These include some popular houseplants that cats are not allowed to eat.
Poisonous Houseplants
Some houseplants are highly toxic and can seriously endanger a cat’s life. Here are a few examples of indoor plants that a cat household should definitely avoid:
- aloe vera
- amaryllis
- calla
- cyclamen
- Christmas star
- Ray’s Aralia (Schefflera)
- Yucca Palm
- fern species
Poisonous Cut Flowers
Caution is also required with many cut flowers. Not only are they treated with pesticides that can be dangerous for your cat. Some of the popular cut flowers that we like to put on the table are also highly toxic to cats and must not be eaten:
- tulips
- daffodils
- hyacinths
- chrysanthemums
- lilies
Poisonous Garden And Balcony Plants
In the garden, on the terrace, and on the balcony, cats are also at great risk from poisonous plants:
- Ivy
- Geraniums
- Primroses
- Snowdrops
- Laburnum
- Oleander
- laurels
- privet boxwood
- lily of the valley
These plants are among the popular garden and balcony plants that cats are not allowed to eat.
The plants listed here are just a small selection of plants that have no place in the cat household. Here are other plants that are also poisonous to cats.
To ensure that your cat keeps its paws off these plants, you should ban them from your home, balcony, and garden, or at least place plants that your cats are not allowed to eat in a place that is inaccessible to them. On the other hand, there are also cat-friendly plants that are ideal if there are cats living in the household.
You should also give any plants that you put up in the apartment a good shower beforehand to wash off any pesticides that are still stuck to them. Because they can also be dangerous for the cat.
Foods That Cats Are Not Allowed To Eat
Some foods that end up on our plates every day can also harm the cat and should not be given as a treat in between. Many cat owners will certainly ask themselves from time to time whether chocolate or bread, for example, can harm the cat.
Foods that cats should not eat include:
- salty or spicy foods or leftovers
- smoked
- canned foods or fish marinades that contain benzoic acid
- raw pork because the risk of (often fatal) infection with the Aujeszky virus cannot be ruled out
- Raw fish and raw poultry: They can contain salmonella and should only be fed if they have been frozen beforehand. Be sure to remove bones or bones!
- Cats have little or no interest in gnawing bones. If you feed them some poultry or chops, etc., they must never contain parts that could splinter, because all the tips can injure the palate, get stuck in the throat or perforate the intestinal wall.
- Legumes and cabbage etc. are indigestible and also cause flatulence.
- Bulbous plants such as onions, leeks, or chives contain toxic substances. A cat usually doesn’t like them anyway, but chives are used e.g. B. “in need” (lack of cat grass) nibbled
- Sweets or desserts cause dental and digestive problems. Also, cats only care about the fat, because they can’t taste “sweet”.
- Chocolate contains theobromine and cannot be broken down by cats. It accumulates in the organism and leads to symptoms of poisoning.
- Coffee contains caffeine and theobromine. Both cannot be broken down and endanger the health of the cat.
Cats Should Not Eat Dog Food
If the cat lives with a dog, it can happen that both of them swap bowls. This is not a problem if it only happens every now and then. However, cats are not allowed to eat dog food on a regular basis.
Although both dogs and cats will not drop dead immediately, the dog will become overweight due to its much lower protein requirement, while the cat will begin to suffer from significant deficiency symptoms. The cat needs significantly more protein than is contained in dog food.
What To Do If The Cat Ate Poisonous Food? Handling Problems
The extent to which certain plants and foods seriously harm your cat also depends on the dosage. However, you are well-advised to keep everything that the cat is not allowed to eat away from it.
If, despite all precautionary measures, you notice symptoms of poisoning such as diarrhea, vomiting, tremors, and staggering, then consult the veterinarian immediately.
It is best to also take a piece of the plant or food that the cat may have eaten. The better you can explain to the vet what happened, the clearer he can make his diagnosis and initiate appropriate measures that can help the cat.