8 foods that are bad for cats
Among the majority of pet cat owners, there is an assumption that their pets are able to independently form their needs by choosing products. Cat lovers think that healthy and unhealthy foods are selected by cats on their own. In fact, this is an erroneous assumption and the opinion of veterinarians, based on a number of clinical and laboratory examinations, is proof of this.
In order for your pet to stay healthy and live a happy life as long as possible, you need to know what foods should not be present in the diet of cats.
1. Chocolate
The first on the list of prohibited foods for cats, as well as for dogs, is chocolate. The composition of this product contains not only the substances caffeine and theobromine but also a number of other components that create an excessive load on the entire body. When a cat eats chocolate, the nervous and cardiovascular systems are the first to suffer. The instability of these two systems results in serious health problems.
Symptoms of chocolate intoxication of the cat’s body are:
- impaired coordination of movements;
- decrease in pressure in the arteries;
- insufficiency of the heart muscle ;
- frequent acts of urination ;
- seizures and problems with coordination of movements;
- in advanced cases — coma.
2. Not thermally processed meat
Cats are inborn predators, also obligate, therefore, without meat, their body is not able to function fully. At the same time, cats are not recommended to introduce into the diet non-thermally processed meat, as well as those types of meat products that contain a large amount of fat or bones. Especially chicken.
Eating fatty meats harms the digestive tract, causing upset stools and a number of inflammation in the pancreas. Not thermally processed meat — the risk of infection of the cat’s body with dangerous parasites.
If the pet regularly receives meat with chicken bones, in this case, you can expect a variety of complications. The animal can choke on a sharp piece of bone, damage its esophagus or intestines. Unfortunately, in the latter case, the treatment is surgery. However, abdominal surgery cannot always guarantee a complete recovery and a successful outcome.
3. Milk
With regards to small kittens — they need milk. But cow’s milk is too fatty, so it is recommended to replace it with a specially adapted mixture or to dilute milk in equal proportion with water.
For adult cats, there is no need to give milk. The fact is that, like most people, the enzymes necessary for the breakdown of milk protein are absent in the body of cats. It is also worth remembering that most cats have a specific pathology — lactose deficiency. Instead of the pleasure of consuming a dairy product, disorders in the digestive tract can develop in the animal’s body.
4. Onions and garlic
Eating onions or garlic by a cat is a reason to tell your friends about the incredible property of a pet. This is not cat food. But this does not end there, because onions contain substances that have a detrimental effect on red blood cells in the blood system. Erythrocytes, the main property of which is the transfer of oxygen to all cells of the body, begin to break down. With systematic exposure, hemolytic anemia develops. Dangerous for the cat’s body is not only fresh, but also sautéed, boiled, cookies, and even more so, fried onions.
Not only onion but also its closest relative, garlic, has a negative effect on the body. A hot vegetable harms red blood cells, causing anemia. The danger is not only fresh garlic but also dried. If it enters the body of an animal, this seasoning leads to the development of dangerous consequences.
The danger of onions and garlic lies in the specific substances contained in plants, disulfides, and sulfoxides, which damage erythrocytes. Domestic cats are more sensitive to these substances than domestic dogs and even more so humans. It is noteworthy that garlic is less toxic than onions.
5. Nuts
Banned for cats and nuts. In the composition of most nuts, fats and oils are present, provoking not only upset stools but also the eruption of gastric contents, up to dehydration. Dangerous nuts and the risk of developing inflammation in the pancreas. The most dangerous for the body of cats is the macadamia nut. It contains toxins that damage the nervous system, muscles, and digestive tract.
6. Raw eggs
Eating raw eggs in food carries the risk of infection with such a dangerous disease as salmonellosis. The disease is quite insidious since it is rather difficult to make an accurate diagnosis in the first stages. The consequences of not timely diagnosed and cured salmonellosis can be sad. Signs of salmonellosis damage to the body are:
- refusal of feed ;
- feverish conditions and an increase in body temperature indicators ;
- eruption of gastric contents, even after drinking water ( vomiting is accompanied by foam );
- apathetic state ;
- upset stool, accompanied by profuse diarrhea with a sharp, offensive odor of black color and streaks of blood.
It is worth remembering that the use of boiled chicken eggs also adversely affects various systems of the feline body. Regular intake of egg white will soon lead to disruptions in the work of the skin. There are problems not only with the skin but also with the coat, due to violations of the correct assimilation of vitamin B.
7. Grapes
Fruit should be present in the animal’s diet, especially if it is not indifferent to them. But with caution, you need to give them to cats. For example, grapes and their dried type of raisins can provoke the development of bouts of nausea and eruption of gastric contents. Signs of raisin or grape poisoning in a cat are:
- severe vomiting and watery diarrhea with particles of undigested food;
- polyuria ;
- apathetic state, dullness of perception, problems with coordination of movements;
- tremors, signs of dehydration
In advanced cases, with the regular intake of grapes into the digestive tract, inflammatory processes occur in the kidney area. Fresh grapes can cause fermentation in the intestines, which also negatively affects the overall health of the gastrointestinal tract.
8. Mushrooms
Attractive in taste and with a pleasant aroma, mushrooms do not leave indifferent domestic cats. Nourishing, meat-like, mushrooms, like most pets. But you can give this product to a cat in rare exceptions in order to diversify the diet.
The constant presence of fungi in a cat’s diet leads to disturbances in the functioning of the intestines. Chitin, which mushrooms are rich in, is not broken down in the digestive tract, provoking heaviness. Against this background, liver malfunctions occur. Toxins are also present in mushrooms, provoking damage to somebody's systems, up to the formation of a shock state and death.
