Feeding Your Cat People Food

It seems that every time the family sits down to dinner the cat is sitting on any perch it can find to get better view, a better sniff of the yummy looking and smelling people food. For most cat lovers, the temptation to give in and give their cat a treat is too overwhelming to completely quell. So, small bits of this and tiny bites of that are tossed on the floor or gently hand fed to the eager cat.

For the most part, that's just fine. Feeding cats people food, in general, is not bad for them if it is not done to the extent that the cat is no longer eating a healthy and balanced meal with the essential nutrients a cat needs to stay healthy.

Most of the foods that humans eat are perfectly safe for cats to eat, however, keep in mind that every time you allow Fluffy to eat some of your people food, you are also reinforcing bad habits that you may not be able reverse in the future.

There are some people foods that are bad for cats, toxic to be exact. If all you're feeding our cat from the table scraps are bits of meats and some a few vegetables you really have nothing to worry about.

With that being said, there are a few vegetables and fruits that one should be aware not to feed their cat. In most cases, if you are not sure whether a particular piece of people food is safe for your cat to eat, then play it safe and don't feed it to them.

We'll start out with good old-fashioned milk. While the actual drinking of milk is not going to cause any damage to your cat, the side effects can cause the problems. If a cat is already eating a healthy diet and drinks too much milk, the lactose in the milk can cause the cat to come down with upset and cramped stomach problems. To prevent this, only give the cat small portions of milk and only a few times a week.

Some other people foods you should avoid feeding your cat include onions and garlic that contain a toxin that can attack red blood cells and if bad enough, your cat can run the risk of contracting anemia. Tomatoes and raw potatoes are members of the Solanaceae family of plants (the same as the deadly Nightshade plant) and can cause extreme intestinal problems.

Grapes, raisins and chocolate are all deemed to be not healthy for cats to ingest. In fact, most veterinarians discourage allowing any pets to eat them and particularly dogs. These three items can be toxic to your pet and studies have shown that even the smallest amount can be detrimental.

Source: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/149239/feeding_your_cat_people_food.html