16 Things Cats Can't Eat (and the Holiday Foods to Watch)

For information only. This article supports, and never replaces, an examination by a veterinarian.

Your cat watches you eat a turkey sandwich and gives you the look. A little bite of plain turkey is fine. The onion in the stuffing, the chocolate on the dessert plate and the lilies in the centerpiece are not.

The foods most likely to make a cat seriously ill are onions and garlic, chocolate and caffeine, alcohol, raw yeast dough and, as a precaution, grapes and raisins. Below are all 16, with why each is a problem and what you might see. If your cat already ate something on this list, call your veterinarian or a 24/7 animal poison line now, even if your cat seems fine. The steps are at the end of this article.

Why some human foods hurt cats

Cats are obligate carnivores: they rely on nutrients found only in animal products, and a complete cat food is built around that (Cornell Feline Health Center). They also handle some compounds differently: cats are the species most sensitive to onion and garlic, and many adult cats can't digest milk sugar well.

Every item below is flagged for cats or for pets in general by the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, the Merck Veterinary Manual or Cornell. Where the evidence comes mainly from dogs, we say so.

Four cats of different colors eating side by side from four bowls on a wooden table — A complete cat food covers what an obligate carnivore needs. Table food rarely does.

16 things cats can't eat

Grid of the 16 foods cats can't eat, color-coded: onions and garlic, chocolate, coffee and tea, alcohol, raw yeast dough and grapes as poisoning risks; dairy, raw meat and eggs, raw fish, bones, fat and skin, salty foods and nuts as illness or injury risks; dog food, a tuna-heavy diet and too much liver as bad regular diets — Infographic by I Love Veterinary

1. Onions, garlic and chives

This is the big one for cats. Onions, garlic, chives and their relatives damage red blood cells, and cats are more susceptible than dogs (ASPCA). Raw, cooked and dried forms all count, and concentrated forms such as onion or garlic powder, dried flakes and soup mixes are the usual culprits (Merck Veterinary Manual). Think gravy, stuffing, sauces and seasoned meat.

The damaged red blood cells show Heinz bodies, small clumps of damaged hemoglobin, and the result can be anemia. Signs often take several days to appear: tiredness, weakness, not eating, pale or yellow gums, fast breathing and red-brown urine. Call your vet as soon as you know your cat ate any.

2. Chocolate

Chocolate contains theobromine and caffeine, stimulants that many species are sensitive to. Baking and dark chocolate carry the most, milk chocolate less, white chocolate very little (Merck). Most cats won't seek it out, but a curious one may try brownie batter left on the counter. Signs include vomiting, diarrhea, restlessness, a racing heart, tremors and seizures.

3. Coffee, tea and energy drinks

Caffeine is the same type of stimulant as theobromine, so coffee, coffee grounds, caffeinated tea, cola and energy drinks belong here too (ASPCA). Expect the same restlessness, fast heart rate and tremors.

4. Alcohol

Wine, beer, spiked eggnog and boozy desserts can cause vomiting, tremors, coma and death in pets. Alcohol is absorbed quickly, so this one needs a call right away.

Tabby cat drinking from a green mug on a kitchen table while a woman looks at her phone — Unattended mugs and glasses are an easy target. Coffee, tea and alcohol are all on this list.

5. Raw yeast dough

Unbaked bread or roll dough keeps rising in the warm stomach and stretches it painfully, and the yeast makes alcohol as it ferments (Merck). Watch for retching without bringing anything up, a swollen belly, lethargy, wobbliness and disorientation.

6. Grapes and raisins

Grapes and raisins can cause sudden kidney failure in dogs. In cats the evidence is thin: Merck notes anecdotal reports and one reported cat, with no published case series (Merck). Because kidney failure is so serious and nobody knows a safe amount, treat them as off limits, raisins in baked goods and trail mix included, and call your vet if your cat eats any. More on kidney disease in cats.

7. Milk and dairy

A saucer of milk is the classic cat treat, and a poor one. Many cats are lactose intolerant, and dairy upsets their stomach (Cornell), usually as diarrhea. Kittens need their mother's milk or a kitten milk replacer, never cow's milk.

8. Raw meat and raw eggs

Raw meat and raw eggs can carry Salmonella and E. coli, which can sicken cats and the people who handle their food (ASPCA). Cornell does not recommend raw diets for that reason: they may carry bacteria, viruses and parasites that infect cats and owners. Raw egg white also has a protein (avidin) that can interfere with a B vitamin, biotin. Raw or undercooked turkey counts too.

Tabby cat eating chunks of raw red meat from a yellow bowl on the grass — Raw meat can carry Salmonella and E. coli, a risk for the cat and for the people who handle the bowl.

9. Raw fish

Some raw fish contain an enzyme, thiaminase, that destroys thiamine (vitamin B1). Cooking and canning destroy the enzyme, which is why fish in commercial cat food is fine (Merck). A cat low on thiamine can stop eating and develop nerve problems, weakness and seizures.

10. Bones

Cooked poultry bones splinter, and any bone can cause choking, injure the mouth or gut, or block the digestive tract, sometimes badly enough to need surgery (ASPCA).

Grey long-haired cat with its mouth open beside a fish skeleton — Fish skeletons and poultry carcasses belong in a closed trash can, not within reach.

11. Fat trimmings, turkey skin and drippings

Fatty scraps can cause vomiting and diarrhea. A rich, fatty meal is a well-known pancreatitis trigger in dogs; in cats the link is less clear, but excess dietary fat is still listed among the possible factors (pancreatitis in cats).

12. Salty foods

Chips, cured and deli meats and salty broths add up quickly. Too much salt can cause heavy thirst and urination, and in severe cases seizures and death (ASPCA).

13. Nuts

Almonds, pecans and walnuts are high in fat and can cause vomiting, diarrhea and possibly pancreatitis (ASPCA). Most come salted too.

14. Dog food as a regular diet

A mouthful stolen from the dog's bowl is not an emergency. A diet of it is a problem. Dog foods can be lower in protein, don't have assured levels of taurine (an amino acid cats must get from food), and may lack preformed vitamin A and arachidonic acid, which cats also need (Merck). Long-term taurine deficiency can damage the heart (dilated cardiomyopathy) and the retina.

15. A tuna-heavy diet

Tuna is not poisonous, but a diet made mostly of it is unbalanced. Cats given large amounts of canned tuna have developed vitamin E deficiency and a painful inflammation of body fat called steatitis, or yellow fat disease (Merck). Canned tuna for people is a rare treat at most, never a meal.

16. Too much liver

Liver is rich in vitamin A, and cats can get too much of it. Vitamin A toxicity has been seen in cats, especially growing kittens, fed diets high in liver. It causes bony overgrowth in the neck and spine that makes moving and grooming painful (Merck).

Not food, but just as dangerous

Some of the most serious things cats swallow at home, especially over the holidays, are not on any menu.

Lilies. True lilies (Easter, tiger, Asiatic, stargazer) and daylilies can cause kidney failure in cats. Every part counts: leaves, flowers, pollen licked off the fur, even the vase water (FDA). If your cat touched one, call now; early treatment matters (Pet Poison Helpline). Eucalyptus, aloe and other risky plants are in our guide to plants toxic to cats.
String, tinsel and ribbon. Swallowed string can anchor under the tongue or in the stomach while the rest moves on, and the gut can saw itself on it (Merck). Signs include vomiting, not eating, lethargy and belly pain. If you see string under the tongue or coming out of the rear end, do not pull it; take your cat to the vet (VCA).
Human medicines. Cats are more sensitive than dogs to acetaminophen and ibuprofen (Merck). Never give a cat a human painkiller, and ask guests to keep their pills zipped away.

A sedated cat on a clinic table with a breathing tube in place, next to three long strings that were removed from its stomach — Three strings removed by endoscopy from a cat that swallowed them, 20 minutes after it happened. Sent by a follower on our Facebook page.

The holiday table: what to keep off your cat's plate

Thanksgiving (the fourth Thursday in November) and Christmas put most of this list on one table.

On the table	Why it's a problem for cats	Instead
Turkey bones and carcass	Choking, splinters, gut injury or blockage	Straight into a lidded trash can
Turkey skin, drippings, gravy	Fat, plus onion and garlic in most gravy	A small bite of plain turkey meat
Stuffing, green bean casserole, creamed onions	Onion, garlic, chives	Nothing from the side dishes
Rising rolls and bread dough	Expands in the stomach, makes alcohol	Keep dough covered and out of reach
Chocolate desserts, coffee	Theobromine and caffeine	Clear the dessert table promptly
Fruitcake, raisin bread, grapes on the cheese board	Grapes and raisins (precaution)	Keep the board out of reach
Wine, eggnog, cocktails	Alcohol	No unattended glasses at cat height
Lilies in the centerpiece	Kidney failure	Choose cat-safe flowers
Tinsel and gift ribbon	String obstruction	Ornaments and lights instead of tinsel

Top-down diagram of a holiday table showing nine dangers for cats: turkey bones, gravy and drippings, stuffing with onions, rising dough, chocolate and coffee, wine and eggnog, grapes and fruitcake, a lily centerpiece and tinsel, plus the one safe share: a small bite of plain, boneless, fully cooked turkey — Infographic by I Love Veterinary

If you want to share, a small bite of plain, boneless, fully cooked turkey with no skin or gravy is fine for most healthy cats (ASPCA). Cornell suggests keeping treats under 10 to 15 percent of a cat's daily calories, and sudden rich food tends to upset the stomach anyway. More tips are in our guide to keeping your pet safe at Christmas.

Often on these lists, but less clear for cats

Some foods appear on almost every "toxic to cats" list because they are dangerous to dogs. For cats, the evidence is weaker, but none of them is cat food:

Xylitol (in sugar-free gum, candy, some peanut butters and baked goods) is deadly for dogs. Merck says dogs are the only domestic species in which xylitol poisoning has been reported and that cats are not at risk of the low blood sugar or liver damage it causes (Merck). If a dog shares your home, lock it up for the dog's sake (see human foods toxic to dogs), and still keep it away from your cat.
Avocado is mainly a danger to birds, rabbits, horses, sheep and goats (ASPCA). It is also fatty. Still keep it away from your cat.
Macadamia nuts have only been reported to sicken dogs (Merck), and like other nuts they are high in fat. Still keep them away from your cat.

If your cat eats any of these and you're unsure, call.

How to keep your cat out of trouble

Keep food behind closed doors, not just pushed to the back of the counter.
Keep cats off counters, especially while you cook. Our counter-surfing tips can help.
Use a lidded trash can and take bones and scraps out the same day.
When guests come, give your cat a quiet room of its own so nobody slips it scraps.
Don't feed from the table. A cat that learns the table pays off will keep checking it.
Keep lilies out of the house, and skip tinsel in homes with cats.

What to do if your cat ate something on this list

Move your cat away and pick up what's left. Check other pets too.
Emergency signs? Go now. If your cat is having seizures, trouble breathing, is collapsed or unresponsive, or is bleeding, take it to the nearest veterinary hospital right away (ASPCA).
Otherwise, call now, even if your cat seems fine. Call your vet, an emergency clinic, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 or Pet Poison Helpline at (855) 764-7661. Both are open 24/7; a fee may apply. Onion damage can take days to show, and lily poisoning needs early treatment, so don't wait for signs.
Have the details ready: what your cat ate, roughly how much, when, and your cat's weight. Bring the packaging, the recipe or the plant with you.
Don't make your cat vomit and don't give anything unless the vet or poison line tells you to. The ASPCA says there is nothing an owner can safely give at home to make a cat vomit, and hydrogen peroxide should never be given to cats (ASPCA).

Your vet decides what happens next: watching at home with clear instructions, or a visit for tests and treatment.

What to do if your cat ate something toxic: move your cat away, go now for seizures, breathing trouble, collapse or bleeding, otherwise call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (888) 426-4435 or Pet Poison Helpline (855) 764-7661, have the details ready, and never make a cat vomit at home — Infographic by I Love Veterinary

Originally written by Jaclyn. Updated by the I Love Veterinary editorial team.

Sources

This article is for general information and is not a substitute for advice from your veterinarian.