5 Human Foods Cats Can Eat

By Jane McGrath, Animal Planet

It can be hard to resist spoiling your beautiful feline friend with a special treat from the dinner table. But as wise cat owners know, many human foods can be unsafe for your cat because we have vastly different nutritional needs from them. Even some kinds of food your cat loves and begs for might wreak havoc on your lovable furball’s digestive system.

We spoke with Dr. Elizabeth Colleran, President of the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP), who said that the list of foods you can never feed your cat is a lot smaller than most people think. Cats should never have onion, garlic, kelp, grapes or raisins, sugary treats, chocolate, and alcoholic or caffeinated drinks, even in small doses.

However, you’ll find many veterinary lists of dangerous foods are longer. The truth is, if you examine the fine print, some foods on these warning lists can be safe for your cat — but only in small doses. And a good rule of thumb is that human food should not make up more than 15 percent of a cat’s diet.

So, what foods can Fluffy eat safely off of the table?

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Read more: Cats, Everyday Pet Care, Pet Health, Pets, pet nutrition, slideshow

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Joe R.

2:25PM PST on Feb 14, 2012

Thanks for the list.

send a green star

Melinda offline K.

4:33PM PST on Jan 29, 2012

some of this is over the top and plain incorrect! Cooked chicken neck bones are never alright, no cooked bones of any description ever - DANGEROUS AND INACCURATE!!

you arent spoiling your cat with 'human food', natural food is very right for their bodies, they did not evolve to this point in time on boxed and canned food. There is nothing wrong with feeding your cat manufactured food, but keep in mind your vet has ties to the corporate companies that make manufactured pet food and makes profit from it by selling it. Your cat and dog evolved from natural raw meats, and plant matter. Dont think you are spoiling them by giving a natural diet or human food. What is human food anyway?

Suzanne L.

8:36PM PST on Jan 23, 2012

Our cats get little tidbits of cooked chicken or beef if they show an interest. I've had several cats over the years who love avocado, altho' I'd only allow them a tiny bit. Every cat I've had seems to have different taste preferences. Mostly, they get good quality catfood.

Ellie D.

7:03PM PST on Dec 1, 2011

thanks

Donna F.

8:02AM PST on Nov 25, 2011

I give my kitties the juice from drained tuna in water. They love it!

Sherri M.

6:40PM PDT on Oct 29, 2011

Interesting....Thanks.

Laura J.

6:53PM PDT on Jul 17, 2011

Thanks! I always thought that my Aoshi was a strange cat for eating eggs =)