Can my cat or dog eat this?

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Foods and household items

• Alcohol

  Cat: Dangerous Dog: Dangerous

  Even small amounts cause vomiting, wobbliness, low blood sugar and breathing problems.

• Aloe vera

  Cat: Avoid Dog: Avoid

  The latex causes vomiting and diarrhoea when chewed.

• Apple (no seeds or core)

  Cat: Small amounts only Dog: Safe

  Crunchy slices are a good low-calorie dog treat. Seeds contain cyanogenic compounds.

• Banana

  Cat: Small amounts only Dog: Safe

  A few slices are a fine dog treat. High in sugar, so keep it small.

• Batteries

  Cat: Dangerous Dog: Dangerous

  Chewed or swallowed batteries burn the mouth and gut within hours.

• Boiled chicken, boneless

  Cat: Safe Dog: Safe

  A great protein treat — plain, skinless, boneless, no spices.

• Carrot & cucumber

  Cat: Small amounts only Dog: Safe

  Good crunchy treats for dogs. Cats don’t need vegetables, but a little won’t hurt.

• Chanachur, chips & salty snacks

  Cat: Avoid Dog: Avoid

  Salt, chilli, oil and often onion or garlic powder. A little can cause vomiting and thirst; a lot can cause salt poisoning.

• Chilli & spicy food

  Cat: Avoid Dog: Avoid

  Irritates the mouth and gut — drooling, vomiting and diarrhoea.

• Chocolate & cocoa

  Cat: Dangerous Dog: Dangerous

  Theobromine and caffeine cause vomiting, restlessness, a racing heart, tremors and seizures. Dark and baking chocolate are the most dangerous.

• Cigarettes & tobacco

  Cat: Dangerous Dog: Dangerous

  Nicotine poisoning can start within an hour — even from cigarette butts.

• Coconut flesh

  Cat: Small amounts only Dog: Small amounts only

  Fatty — small amounts only. No shell or husk.

• Cooked bones (chicken, beef, mutton)

  Cat: Avoid Dog: Avoid

  Cooked bones splinter and can pierce or block the gut. If your pet swallowed one and vomits, strains or stops eating, call us.

• Cooked egg

  Cat: Safe Dog: Safe

  Boiled or scrambled without oil or salt is a good occasional treat. Avoid raw egg.

• Cooked fish, boneless

  Cat: Safe Dog: Safe

  Good protein in moderation. Remove every bone and avoid salty, fried or curried fish.

• Cooked pumpkin (mishti kumra)

  Cat: Safe Dog: Safe

  Plain cooked pumpkin is gentle fibre — helpful for mild constipation or loose stool.

• Cow’s milk

  Cat: Small amounts only Dog: Small amounts only

  Most adult cats and many dogs can’t digest lactose — diarrhoea is common. Never give it to kittens; use kitten milk replacer.

• Curry, biryani & bhuna leftovers

  Cat: Avoid Dog: Avoid

  Usually contain onion, garlic, chilli, salt and oil — a recipe for anaemia, stomach upset and pancreatitis.

• Dog flea spot-ons (permethrin) on cats

  Cat: Dangerous Dog: Safe

  Permethrin causes twitching, seizures and death in cats. Only use products labelled for cats, and keep treated dogs away from cats until dry.

• Dog food (fed to cats)

  Cat: Avoid Dog: Safe

  Lacks the taurine and protein cats need — long term it causes heart and eye disease. Cat food fed to dogs is too rich but not dangerous occasionally.

• Essential oils (tea tree, eucalyptus)

  Cat: Dangerous Dog: Small amounts only

  Cats can’t process many essential oils — even diffusers and skin products can cause drooling, wobbliness and liver damage.

• Fish bones (especially ilish)

  Cat: Avoid Dog: Avoid

  Fine bones lodge in the mouth and throat. Pawing at the mouth, drooling or gagging after fish means a visit.

• Garlic

  Cat: Dangerous Dog: Avoid

  Same damage as onion, and even stronger per gram. Avoid garlic-flavoured food.

• Ghee, oil & fried food

  Cat: Avoid Dog: Avoid

  High-fat food is the classic trigger for painful pancreatitis.

• Grapes & raisins (kishmish)

  Cat: Avoid Dog: Dangerous

  Can cause sudden kidney failure in dogs, even in small amounts. Watch out for kishmish in sweets, polao and cakes.

• Green tomato & tomato plant

  Cat: Avoid Dog: Avoid

  Green parts contain solanine. A little ripe tomato is fine; leaves and stems are not.

• Guava

  Cat: Small amounts only Dog: Small amounts only

  A small piece of ripe guava is fine; the hard seeds can upset the stomach.

• Ibuprofen, diclofenac & aspirin

  Cat: Dangerous Dog: Dangerous

  Cause stomach ulcers and kidney failure in cats and dogs, even at low doses.

• Ice cream

  Cat: Avoid Dog: Avoid

  Lactose, sugar and sometimes chocolate or xylitol. A lick won’t hurt; a bowl will.

• Insecticides & pesticides

  Cat: Dangerous Dog: Dangerous

  Drooling, pinpoint pupils, twitching and breathing trouble. Wash off skin exposure with soap and water and come in.

• Jackfruit

  Cat: Small amounts only Dog: Small amounts only

  A little ripe flesh is usually tolerated by dogs; seeds and skin are not. Too much causes diarrhoea.

• Kerosene, petrol & engine oil

  Cat: Dangerous Dog: Dangerous

  Sometimes put on pets for lice or mange — it burns the skin and damages the lungs if licked. Don’t induce vomiting.

• Lilies (all true lilies)

  Cat: Dangerous Dog: Small amounts only

  Every part — petals, leaves, pollen, vase water — can cause fatal kidney failure in cats. Emergency even if only pollen was licked.

• Lychee

  Cat: Small amounts only Dog: Small amounts only

  Peeled, seedless ripe flesh in tiny amounts only. Seeds are a choking and blockage risk; avoid unripe fruit.

• Macadamia & salted nuts

  Cat: Avoid Dog: Avoid

  Macadamias cause weakness and tremors in dogs; salted nuts cause stomach upset. A few plain unsalted peanuts are usually tolerated by dogs.

• Mango (flesh)

  Cat: Small amounts only Dog: Safe

  A few pieces of ripe mango flesh are fine for dogs. Remove the skin and seed.

• Mango seed (aati)

  Cat: Avoid Dog: Avoid

  A common cause of intestinal blockage in dogs in summer. Vomiting after chewing one needs a vet.

• Mishti, pitha & sweets

  Cat: Avoid Dog: Avoid

  Not poisonous in themselves, but sugar and ghee upset the stomach and can trigger pancreatitis. Some contain raisins or xylitol.

• Money plant (pothos) & dieffenbachia

  Cat: Avoid Dog: Avoid

  Calcium oxalate crystals cause mouth pain, drooling and vomiting. Rarely fatal but very uncomfortable.

• Mothballs (naphthalene)

  Cat: Dangerous Dog: Dangerous

  Damage red blood cells and the liver. Keep wardrobes closed.

• Oleander (karabi)

  Cat: Dangerous Dog: Dangerous

  A common garden shrub in Bangladesh — its heart toxins can be fatal even in small amounts.

• Onion

  Cat: Dangerous Dog: Avoid

  Destroys red blood cells, causing anaemia a few days later — raw, cooked, fried or powdered. Cats are especially sensitive.

• Other human medicines & vitamins

  Cat: Dangerous Dog: Dangerous

  Iron tablets, antidepressants, heart and diabetes medicines are common poisonings. Keep strips out of reach and call if chewed.

• Paan, supari (betel nut) & zarda

  Cat: Dangerous Dog: Dangerous

  Arecoline in betel nut and nicotine in zarda or tobacco cause drooling, vomiting, tremors and heart problems.

• Papaya

  Cat: Small amounts only Dog: Safe

  Ripe flesh in small amounts; no seeds or skin.

• Paracetamol (Napa, Ace, Tylenol)

  Cat: Dangerous Dog: Dangerous

  A single tablet can kill a cat — it destroys red blood cells and the liver. Never give human painkillers to pets.

• Phenyl, bleach & floor cleaners

  Cat: Dangerous Dog: Avoid

  Phenol-based cleaners are toxic to cats even from paws. Let floors dry and rinse before pets walk on them.

• Plain cooked dal (lentils)

  Cat: Small amounts only Dog: Small amounts only

  Plain dal without onion, garlic or tempering is OK in small amounts — but it isn’t a substitute for meat protein.

• Plain cooked rice

  Cat: Small amounts only Dog: Safe

  Safe in small amounts, and useful in a bland diet for upset stomachs. Cats need meat, so rice should never be most of their meal.

• Plain yoghurt (tok doi)

  Cat: Small amounts only Dog: Small amounts only

  A spoonful of plain, unsweetened yoghurt is usually fine. Mishti doi is too sugary.

• Qurbani meat, fat & offal (Eid)

  Cat: Small amounts only Dog: Small amounts only

  Small pieces of plain, cooked lean meat are fine. Fat trimmings, spiced meat and bones during Eid cause pancreatitis and blockages — we see it every year.

• Rat poison

  Cat: Dangerous Dog: Dangerous

  Many cause internal bleeding days later — there may be no signs at first. An antidote works best if given early. Bring the packet.

• Raw bread or pitha dough (with yeast)

  Cat: Dangerous Dog: Dangerous

  Rises in the warm stomach causing painful bloating, and produces alcohol as it ferments.

• Raw fish

  Cat: Small amounts only Dog: Small amounts only

  Regular raw fish can destroy vitamin B1 in cats and may carry parasites. Cook it.

• Raw potato

  Cat: Avoid Dog: Avoid

  Raw and green potatoes contain solanine. Plain boiled potato in small amounts is OK for dogs.

• Sugar-free gum & sweets (xylitol)

  Cat: Avoid Dog: Dangerous

  Xylitol causes a sudden drop in blood sugar and liver failure in dogs. Check labels on gum, mints and some peanut butters.

• Tea & coffee

  Cat: Avoid Dog: Avoid

  Caffeine causes restlessness, a fast heart rate and tremors. Tea bags and coffee grounds are the most concentrated.

• Thread, string, rubber bands & hair ties

  Cat: Dangerous Dog: Avoid

  Swallowed string can bunch up the intestines. If you see string from the mouth or bottom, don’t pull — come in.

• Watermelon

  Cat: Small amounts only Dog: Safe

  Seedless flesh without rind is hydrating in summer.

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