We all know the rules – don’t feed your feline friends your own human food. Yada yada yada…blah blah. We do it anyways though because it’s so cute to see a cat munching on chips or eating a french fry. Shame on us, we are so weak and FYI both french fries and chips are bad for cats. Let’s look at the facts for a moment to talk about a few ‘human’ foods that are unsafe for cats to eat.
Let’s start with one we are all too familiar with: Chocolate. It’s becoming more widely known that chocolate is very toxic to both cats and dogs. Theobromine is the offending substance here. The purer the chocolate (like baker’s chocolate) the more toxic it is. Although many cats won’t go near chocolate, it only takes a small amount of pure chocolate to kill a cat. Grapes and raisins, while great for us, aren’t great for our cats. These foods’ toxicity has only recently been discovered, and although the only studies have been with dogs, it is also believed that these fruits may affect cats adversely.
And Milk… really? Yup. TV has corrupted our minds into MISTAKENLY thinking that every cat needs to drink milk. Hogwash! It’s totally false. In general cats should AVOID milk. While Milk is not toxic to cats, it can have many adverse effects which include stomach upset, cramps, gas and the squirts. Many cats are lactose intolerant.