What are some safe "people food" my cat can eat?

Question

My cat loves to lick everything you have on your plate or drink. (Basicly acts like a dog when you are getting food.) What are some safe foods to let her have at it? What are some foods we should make sure she avoids?

Answer 1

It's best if you don't give her any "people food", since it can mess with her diet and put her at a higher risk of being overweight, developing diabetes, or other problems. Plus cats have specific nutritional needs -- for example, their bodies cannot produce taurine, so cat food is always (or at least should be) supplemented with taurine. (Which is why you should also not feed a cat dog food, since it doesn't have taurine.)

In nature cats are made to eat lots of protein, so if you do want to give her the occasional treat, meat would probably best. Make sure there are no bones in it though, and stick to lean meat so she doesn't get too fat.

Cats' digestive tracks are not made to digest many carbs or veggies, so I wouldn't give her any fruits, veggies, or grain products. (As a side note, the healthiest cat foods also contain meat as the first ingredient instead of corn or a grain.) Giving her things with sugar and carbs can also increase her risk of diabetes, just like when people eat too much sugar and simple carbs.

The majority of adult cats are lactose intolerant, so it's probably best to avoid dairy products too -- although I heard a guy on a pets TV show say once that if your cat doesn't get sick from dairy products (meaning she's not lactose intolerant), a little treat of milk on occasion is okay.

Also, never give a cat chocolate or anything else with caffeine in it!

I've heard that onions and garlic can cause anemia in dogs, and grapes and raisins can cause kidney failure in dogs, so I'm not sure if the same is true for cats but it's probably best to avoid those foods too.

Answer 2

Like lilangel said... the cheese and milk should be avoided, along with any vegetables that are grown underground (like onions). Above ground is ok (lettuce, etc.) Tuna and salmon from the can should be in limited quantities, as they are so fragrant to cats that they may expect this for every meal. Think about what cats would eat on their own if they did not have you to provide for them... they would eat small rodents, birds, bits of vegetables, and insects. To help your cat's teeth, give them a chicken neck to munch on. The bone is soft so they can tear through it... but make this a treat and not their regular meal. For other food guidelines, try the book: Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats: The Ultimate Diet’ by Kymthy Schultze Good luck!

Answer 3

Whatever you do, *don't* let your cat have chocolate!

You might try baked chicken (no seasonings, including salt), rice (again, no salt) or perhaps cooked lamb or veal. My parents used to get shrimp for one of their cats who couldn't eat anything else- but she was old and diabetic, so that shouldn't be taken as a guide.

We used to have one cat who adored green beans and absolutely HAD to have his own bowl when we had some for dinner. And I've had several who loved tuna water, but wouldn't touch tuna fish or tuna oil.

Since the pet food scare, a lot of people have gotten very creative about making food for their own pets. If you want to run a google search, you should be able to find a bunch of good (and tasty) recipes.

Good luck!

Answer 4

Don't feed her people food too often - only as a treat! Otherwise she will become annoying at meal times, especially when you have guests. Don't let her eat from your plate or give her food WHILST you are eating ... be firm about that.

Right ... on to good things and bad things ...

Good is: chicken (NO BONES! They are brittle when cooked and could choke kitty), tuna (well, any fish, but NO BONES!), heart, liver, kidney, tiny weeny bits of cheese or ham, but not too much as they're both salty and fatty, olives (watch kitty go crazy over them - like catnip!), the odd bit of egg (not too much). Garlic is fine (and helps to keep fleas away). Don't be afraid of giving your cat the occasional raw treat - especially heart or liver. Yum yum! VERY good for kitty, especially if it's not been frozen.

They can tolerate things like pasta and rice, but shouldn't eat too much of it as they will easily put on too much weight.

BAD is: Chocolate - deadly poisonous to cats, although most won't touch it anyway, as cats can't taste sweet; Onions, milk (many cats are lactose intolerant) - give 'cat milk' instead if you must; coffee is poisonous to cats; Anything with cooked bones; hot spices, especially chilli (poisonous);

That's all I can think of at the moment!

Answer 5

Aw how sweet! I've got a little three legged cat and he's the best!! is yours a kitten?

Don't give them milk or cheese, I think that's the worst thing you can give them, they have a problem digesting it. To be honest I wouldn't give them any human food, we give ours the odd bit of chicken or beef, sometimes fish for a treat but mainly cat treats and cat food. But nothing like crisp and stuff that has been made using lots of ingredients. (My cat loves cheese and onion crisp)

I know your cat would really love some of your human food, but just think of her poor little tummy after, they don't know what's happening to them when they're in pain.

Answer 6

They can have tuna or sardines in springwater. They can have raw mince meat. They can eat all types of meat and fish, depending on how it is cooked. If it is plain with just a bit of salt it is fine but when you start going fancy with herbs and sauce it is not good for them. Some cats can't eat our dairy products as it upsets their stomach.

Answer 7

Things not to feed your kitty: chocolate (said to be poison for cats, though mine would eat teeny tiny flakes of dark chocolate from time to time) and pork, because the pork fat globules are large and when absorbed into the cat's bloodstream -- I read this years ago -- allegedly can contribute to cardiovascular problems. I don't know how true that is, but I never bothered trying to find out either. And whole cans of tuna fish, people tuna fish, because it is high in sodium (bad for the kidneys, and kidneys are cats' Achilles heel) and it does not substitute for a can of cat food, though people sometimes think it does. It is not a balanced food. Don't let him eat sugary foods, like cakes, or if you do, rarely and in great moderation: cats are susceptible to diabetes, and if he gets it, all the fun eating adventures are over. So if he likes sugary foods, just don't let him have them.

But you can feed your cat a few morsels of tuna; a little bit of canned salmon -- as a treat, not as a meal. You can give them a bit of any fresh fish you eat. Raw egg yolks -- kittens love them, but adult cats sometimes don't. A bit of scrambled egg cooked in a little butter. A tiny morsel of cheese (but not too much; don't want a constipated cat). Chicken is good; turkey is good. Low salt cold cuts, turkey and chicken, that is. I don't know if your cat likes beef. Many don't. A little won't hurt, and some meat juices, but hold the salt. As a special treat when you are at the grocery, buy a prawn or two, or a bit of lump crab meat or a morsel of lobster, or if you are having some of those yourself, save a bit. Most cats love a shrimpie cut up in tiny bits on a plate or a half tablespoon of lobster.

Individual cats are as idiosyncratic as individual people in their tastes and preferences for food. I know of cats that ate cherries and loved them. Another -- he lived to 24 years of age -- ate a bit of a tuna salad sandwich from the deli every day for lunch with his owner, whom he outlived. Another -- this is not at all uncommon -- would have a nice chunk of buttered whole wheat toast every Saturday and Sunday at breakfast time. It is okay to cater to your cat's distinctive tastes.

The key here is moderation. Your cat's staple should always be a good cat food with a meat you recognize as a first ingredient (and not meat byproducts, which include eyeballs and tumors): chicken, fish, turkey, venison, beef. And some good filler, like rice (not corn, which cats don't digest as well) and vitamins, a balanced food. You can prepare your cat a saucer of his own that matches your plates, with mostly his food and then a tidbit or two of something you are having. He is probably eating your food because he considers himself a part of the family, just one of your peers. If you like it, then he likes it. And a little of yours is okay for him, but just make sure he gets mostly food that is produced for his needs and that is balanced.

Hope this helps.

Answer 8

Animals like cats and dogs should NEVER be given food people eat. Not healthy.

Answer 9

fish, poultry and make sure there is no gravy on it. Also no chocolate. It's like poison to dogs and cats. My cat will eat salsa and carrots. likes the mild salsa and the little cubed carrots. beautiful cat, (I'm a dog person. My sister begged me to take it, otherwise it was euthanasiaville) just a little weird

Answer 10

To ensure proper nutrition cats should not be fed "people" food - they have specific nutrition requirements that cannot be met by eating the food you eat - additionally the fact content will always be out of balance for your cat and will cause your cat to be un-healthy and overweight - please stick with proper, nutritional, high-quality cat food.