Human Food?

[arouetta]

If eaten in small quantities, what human food won't kill a cat? Today I had some errands, got home when my husband was finishing up lunch with a bowl of cereal (plain Cheerios, no sweetener added). Then he took a spoonful of milk and let Shadow lap it up. I told him that she would get diarrhea, that cats can't digest lactose, and he said "It's just a little bit. Besides, she ate a potato chip earlier."

Okay, fine, he's going to share his food with Shadow. I'm sure a lot of people remember about when he fed her an animal cracker. And he's gotten her to where she demands potato chips when she sees people eating them. But I'd like to know what is safe to feed her. I know no chocolate whatsoever, but is there other human food that's absolutely unsafe? Or any human food that won't kill her but will cause enough GI distress that it would make her feel pain? These are little bits of food, like a single potato chip, not filling her bowl full of human food.

 

[amysuen]

I know garlic is really bad. Onion I think too.

 

[maggiedemi]

The bad ones I think are onions, garlic, chocolate, peanut butter, grapes, green tomatoes, and anything with Xylitol in it.

 

[DeweytheLion]

Some healthy and fun things you could feed your cat:
-cantaloupe; my Toby loves this, weirdo.
-blueberries
-yogurt
-goats milk or even kitten formula
-peas; Toby also loves these, he goes crazy
-meat (of course ), cooked beef, turkey, chicken, other lean meats.I feed Toby game meat sometimes, elk and deer.
-eggs; Toby prefers his raw but that's dangerous, so even with my locally produced chicken eggs i cook them for him, usually scrambled
-steamed broccoli or asparagus
-cheese, in small amounts
And a small list of dangerous foods that haven't been mentioned yet:
-Macadamia nuts
yes, grapes, and also raisins
And this one probably doesn't need to be mentioned, but never alcohol.

 

[arouetta]

I'm going to threadjack my own thread. I've heard people mention a checklist for quality of life, where would I find one?

 

[DeweytheLion]

I thought those were for finding comfort in deciding your pet's fate by euthanasia? I don't know what else you could mean. But if you're worried about eating habits then just know balance between just your cat's dry food and human food is not dangerous, it can be beneficial if fed safe & healthy food items
If i'm wrong, correct me and I'll do my best to help

 

[betsygee]

I'm going to threadjack my own thread. I've heard people mention a checklist for quality of life, where would I find one?

Do you mean this one? http://pawspice.com/clients/17611/documents/FelineQualityofLifeScale.pdf

 

[arouetta]

I thought those were for finding comfort in deciding your pet's fate by euthanasia? I don't know what else you could mean. But if you're worried about eating habits then just know balance between just your cat's dry food and human food is not dangerous, it can be beneficial if fed safe & healthy food items
If i'm wrong, correct me and I'll do my best to help

Shadow has survived mammary cancer twice, she has two new lumps that feel like cancer tumors, but she is now 18 years old and the vet and I agree that another surgery is just not feasible. Chances are that she would die miserable and in pain during the recovery process, if she even survives the surgery.

That's why I could care less if food like potato chips might shorten her life by a few months. I'd rather her go out happy and pampered than adding three months to her life through deprivation. But I also don't want to poison her or trigger a horrible bout of heartburn or diarrhea.

She's already losing quality of life in some respects. She can groom very little of her body, clearly walks with pain and now sleeps downstairs because the stairs are too much for her (picking her up and carrying her is also too much for her). But on the other hand she can get up to her preferred spot on the arm of my husband's chair and she is very demanding of pettings and potato chips and canned tuna and has no problem using the litter box. But I know this stage isn't going to last forever, especially with those lumps, so I need guidelines for when things worsen.

 

[arouetta]

Do you mean this one? http://pawspice.com/clients/17611/documents/FelineQualityofLifeScale.pdf

Yeah, that's a good one. Thanks.

 

[LTS3]

Foods to avoid giving to a cat: People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets

I do want to point out that the ASPCA considers raw meat something to avoid giving to pets. Raw meat is ok to give if yoru pet likes that. Raw bones are ok, too. Plain cooked meat is ok if your cat won't eat raw meat. Somethng like poached chicken is great.

Cats don't need fruits or veggies in their diet so I wouldn't feed those. Cat grass makes a good "veggie". Cow's milk can cause an upset tummy in cats. Goat's milk is ok in small quantities as a treat.

Potato chips are pretty salty so I wouldn't give those or anything similar to a cat either. Too much sodium can't be good for a cat, kind of like with some people.

 

[arouetta]

Foods to avoid giving to a cat: People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets

I do want to point out that the ASPCA considers raw meat something to avoid giving to pets. Raw meat is ok to give if yoru pet likes that. Raw bones are ok, too. Plain cooked meat is ok if your cat won't eat raw meat. Somethng like poached chicken is great.

Cats don't need fruits or veggies in their diet so I wouldn't feed those. Cat grass makes a good "veggie". Cow's milk can cause an upset tummy in cats. Goat's milk is ok in small quantities as a treat.

Potato chips are pretty salty so I wouldn't give those or anything similar to a cat either. Too much sodium can't be good for a cat, kind of like with some people.

Thanks for the link.

I know that cats are carnivores, but at this point it's about spoiling her, not maximum longevity. If I find she likes cantaloupe and it doesn't make her vomit or not make it to the litter box, she's getting a bit of cantaloupe every now and then.

There's been a couple of minor tiffs between Shadow and Midway during the last 12 hours. I'm afraid he's figured out how sick she is and is starting to fight for dominant position. It's been him ambushing her around the corners of my desk and lightly swatting her even after she growls or hisses at him. He's never pushed it to that point (growling and hissing) before, much less beyond that point.