| Items to avoid |
Reasons to avoid |
| Alcoholic beverages |
Can cause intoxication, coma, and death. |
| Avocado |
The leaves, seeds, fruit, and bark contain persin, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea. |
| Bones from fish, poultry, or other meat sources |
Can cause obstruction or laceration of the digestive system. |
| Cat food |
Generally too high in protein and fats. |
| Chocolate, coffee, tea, and other caffeine |
Contain caffeine, theobromine, or theophylline, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea and be toxic to the heart and nervous systems. |
| Citrus oil extracts |
Can cause vomiting. |
| Fat trimmings |
Can cause pancreatitis. |
| Fish (raw, canned or cooked) |
If fed exclusively or in high amounts can result in a thiamine (a B vitamin) deficiency leading to loss of appetite, seizures, and in severe cases, death. |
| Grapes, raisins and currants |
Contain an unknown toxin, which can damage the kidneys. There have been no problems associated with grape seed extract. |
| Hops |
Unknown compound causes panting, increased heart rate, elevated temperature, seizures, and death. |
| Human vitamin supplements containing iron |
Can damage the lining of the digestive system and be toxic to the other organs including the liver and kidneys. |
| Macadamia nuts |
Contain an unknown toxin, which can affect the digestive and nervous systems and muscle. |
| Marijuana |
Can depress the nervous system, cause vomiting, and changes in the heart rate. |
| Milk and other dairy products |
Some adult dogs and cats may develop diarrhea if given large amounts of dairy products. |
| Moldy or spoiled food, garbage |
Can contain multiple toxins causing vomiting and diarrhea and can also affect other organs. |
| Mushrooms |
Can contain toxins, which may affect multiple systems in the body, cause shock, and result in death. |
| Onions and garlic (raw, cooked, or powder) |
Contain sulfoxides and disulfides, which can damage red blood cells and cause anemia. Cats are more susceptible than dogs. Garlic is less toxic than onions. |
| Persimmons |
Seeds can cause intestinal obstruction and enteritis. |
| Pits from peaches and plums |
Can cause obstruction of the digestive tract. |
| Raw eggs |
Contain an enzyme called avidin, which decreases the absorption of biotin (a B vitamin). This can lead to skin and hair coat problems. Raw eggs may also contain Salmonella. |
| Raw meat |
May contain bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea. |
| Rhubarb leaves |
Contain oxalates, which can affect the digestive, nervous, and urinary systems. |
| Salt |
If eaten in large quantities it may lead to electrolyte imbalances. |
| String |
Can become trapped in the digestive system; called a "string foreign body." |
| Sugary foods |
Can lead to obesity, dental problems, and possibly diabetes mellitus. |
| Table scraps (in large amounts) |
Table scraps are not nutritionally balanced. They should never be more than 10% of the diet. Fat should be trimmed from meat; bones should not be fed. |
| Tobacco |
Contains nicotine, which affects the digestive and nervous systems. Can result in rapid heart beat, collapse, coma, and death. |
| Yeast dough |
Can expand and produce gas in the digestive system, causing pain and possible rupture of the stomach or intestines. |
| Xylitol (artificial sweetener) |
Can cause very low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), which can result in vomiting, weakness and collapse. In high doses can cause liver failure. |
