I Screwed Up (chocolate)

[sdkfjlasdf]

my cat has been acting lethargic the past couple days.

i have been using the microwave oven to heat up her food. its been going on for about 6 days or so. prior to this she was fine. i used to put hot water in the bowl and mix it to warm the food.

6 days ago she was still fine when first using the microwave. but today she started being lethargic. refusing her food. i didnt know wtf was happening until i remembered that on the day that i decided to start microwaving, i had heated up chocolate muffins for my mom. i have no idea if chocolate can actually evaporate and stay in the oven/stick to her food. thought there was no need to clean the microwave.

but i was wrong. opened up the microwave today 6 days later and it smelled like chocolate. i am so fking stupid. i stopped using microwave oven and gave her food out of the can - she finished the entire can.

is this something that needs a vet visit. am i ****ed. will she be ok. i screwed up so bad.

im not sure about a vet visit but is it even possible that choc can evaporate (google doesnt say much) and condense in a microwave oven??? should i monitor her behavior for tonight and tomorrow or just rush her to the vet asap.

this is probably the dumbest thing ive ever done and i really hope it wont cost my cats life. please help

 

[duckpond]

Im not sure the chocolate would cause problems like you are afraid of. Honestly i dont know, but i cant imagine the little bit of chocolate vapors that might be in the microwave could cause a problem???

However i never microwave my cats food. For one thing they hate it and refuse to eat it, i think it does change the taste and consistency somewhat. Also it heats very uneven, so you could give them food that had scalding hot spots in it. I feed the smaller cans, so that i dont have to reheat food. My guys will not normally eat left overs, and i dont find the savings that much of a deal. If i do have left overs i either warm them in a bowl of hot water, or leave on the counter 30 min or so, the cats will normally eat it once it warms up.

If you are worried, call your vet. Always a good thing to be proactive with our cats health, IMO. I just would not use the microwave to warm up my cats food. Chocolate or not.

 

[sdkfjlasdf]

thanks i will monitor and call vet tomorrow if problems persist. thanks again so much. sorry for bad english (SE Asia here).

this makes me wish i had taken chemistry instead of physics... not joking. sometimes i contemplate to take vet sciences just so i can read my cat's health

 

[duckpond]

I understand the feeling! i worry about my guys too! I would, as you say, just keep watching her, and if you continue to think she is off, or not feeling well, then call your vet. Do keep us updated!

I think your English is fine, no worries.

 

[Gizmobius]

I usually only reheat my cats' food for 8 seconds before I take it out and put in warm water to help it the rest of the way. I really don't think it's possible for the smell left over in the microwave to get into food that you're microwaving. Though I tried to google but I had no luck bringing anything up. Lethargy could very much be from something else entirely but I agree that keeping a close on her is for the best and if you still feel uncomfortable, a call to your vet might ease your fears!

 

[sdkfjlasdf]

thanks so much guys. also today she peed out of litterbox once but i think it has more to do with my sudden change in schedule the past few days. she peed properly in the box once i got home. will give updates and make sure shes ok.

 

[himawari]

I don't microwave my cat's food either, but I doubt chocolate vapors could have enough of an impact. But I'm glad that she's doing okay. Please keep us posted.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

I agree with others here, to keep an eye on her for a while. If she doesn't improve, contact the vet about what is concerning you!

I would say, though, that it's my opinion it may not be a good idea to heat a commercially canned cat food in the microwave (to warm it up). Taurine, a necessary amino acid for our cats, is half-destroyed by cooking when the food manufacturer makes the canned food in the first place. So, they usually add more taurine into the food after cooking it, so that cats gets a minimum amount. However, if you cook that canned food once again, I should think that you would half-destroy the supplemented taurine that the manufacturer had added.

Can you gently warm the food up in a warm-water bath? Sometimes I've been known to "ladle" some cold canned food into a baggie and then soak the baggie for some minutes in warm water to warm up the food. Or you could put the food in the dish, then set that in a pan of warm or hotter water to warm up the dish. It takes some minutes (longer than a microwave), but might save the taurine from being destroyed. Taurine is heat-sensitive.

I think the key thing to remember is that taurine is essential to cats. So if you are heating up food a lot, maybe talk to your vet about taurine supplements? (I keep Felo-Taurine on hand just as a matter of course.)

 

[sdkfjlasdf]

I agree with others here, to keep an eye on her for a while. If she doesn't improve, contact the vet about what is concerning you!

I would say, though, that it's my opinion it may not be a good idea to heat a commercially canned cat food in the microwave (to warm it up). Taurine, a necessary amino acid for our cats, is half-destroyed by cooking when the food manufacturer makes the canned food in the first place. So, they usually add more taurine into the food after cooking it, so that cats gets a minimum amount. However, if you cook that canned food once again, I should think that you would half-destroy the supplemented taurine that the manufacturer had added.

Can you gently warm the food up in a warm-water bath? Sometimes I've been known to "ladle" some cold canned food into a baggie and then soak the baggie for some minutes in warm water to warm up the food. Or you could put the food in the dish, then set that in a pan of warm or hotter water to warm up the dish. It takes some minutes (longer than a microwave), but might save the taurine from being destroyed. Taurine is heat-sensitive.

I think the key thing to remember is that taurine is essential to cats. So if you are heating up food a lot, maybe talk to your vet about taurine supplements? (I keep Felo-Taurine on hand just as a matter of course.)

whoa i had no idea. thanks very much. i was worried about her taurine intake as well since i heard it does affect eye health. and ive been putting food in the fridge only to reheat it goodness knows how many times... im the human equivalent of a facepalm

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

Probably your kitty is going through what duckpond's go through, in not liking microwaved food. I imagine it does change the taste and smell, and that is primarily what can attract a cat to eat a food in the first place! (They are so picky!)

It takes a while for signs of taurine deficiency to manifest or show up, I think. So try not to facepalm too hard! It's just a good thing to know. Also, most manufacturers recommend not using a can of cat food that's been refrigerated for more than 3 days (so hopefully your kitty will eat the full can in three days).

 

[sdkfjlasdf]

I don't microwave my cat's food either, but I doubt chocolate vapors could have enough of an impact. But I'm glad that she's doing okay. Please keep us posted.

thanks! and yes this sentiment seems to be echoed in this thread. chocolate is one weird chemical.

Probably your kitty is going through what duckpond's go through, in not liking microwaved food. I imagine it does change the taste and smell, and that is primarily what can attract a cat to eat a food in the first place! (They are so picky!)

It takes a while for signs of taurine deficiency to manifest or show up, I think. So try not to facepalm too hard! It's just a good thing to know. Also, most manufacturers recommend not using a can of cat food that's been refrigerated for more than 3 days (so hopefully your kitty will eat the full can in three days).

thats good to know too! thanks a lot. and also she finishes a can within 3 days so all is good.

im gonna get some sleep its 1am here... my cat is still a bit tired but at least now shes full and looking a little less lethargic. hopefully later in the morning all will be ok.

again thanks all.

 

[Daisy6]

thanks i will monitor and call vet tomorrow if problems persist. thanks again so much. sorry for bad english (SE Asia here).

this makes me wish i had taken chemistry instead of physics... not joking. sometimes i contemplate to take vet sciences just so i can read my cat's health

Actually biology is the subject that would help to take care of your cat. Everything that can go wrong medically is part of life science, including consumption of cacao beans.

 

[sdkfjlasdf]

Actually biology is the subject that would help to take care of your cat. Everything that can go wrong medically is part of life science, including consumption of cacao beans.

yeah, i agree. bio is basically the fundamentals of medicine! however for some reason chem is the main prerequisite for all med and even bio courses in my area (bio is not necessary to enter med) and a lot of people stress on chem as the "middle science" here, so i'm too used to treating chem with too high regard... ironic as i don't even study it haha

 

[KarenKat]

I usually use canned food within 2-3 days with Olive. Leftovers are warmed with hot water, I add about a tablespoon or so to most of her canned food. It warms it up enough, and she hasn't complained yet, lol.

 

[sdkfjlasdf]

I usually use canned food within 2-3 days with Olive. Leftovers are warmed with hot water, I add about a tablespoon or so to most of her canned food. It warms it up enough, and she hasn't complained yet, lol.

that's what i did, the food is always still cold though sigh... if i add too much water she sort of laps all of it up and leaves the pate, and then walks away like she's already full (of water).

i need to mix better hahahaha

 

[KarenKat]

Yeah, I try and make it into a cat food slurry, so it’s one uniform texture. It looks absolutely gross, lol!

 

[Daisy6]

Are you making sure the water gets on the food and not just the gravy?

 

[sdkfjlasdf]

Yeah, I try and make it into a cat food slurry, so it’s one uniform texture. It looks absolutely gross, lol!

ick same, she still leaves behind a lot haha so i just feed more often in smaller portions.

Are you making sure the water gets on the food and not just the gravy?

yup i mash the paste first, then add the water and mix some more. i'm worried about her water intake so i tend to over-add...

 

[Daisy6]

LOL I did not think it is possible to add too much water.

 

[sdkfjlasdf]

LOL I did not think it is possible to add too much water.

believe it or not it looks horrible, i don't blame my cat initially for not wanting to eat it (before i learned my lesson and added less water). imagine a pate. now imagine it with some water. a little gooey, right... doesn't look too gross yet.

now imagine amateur me adding about 3cm more of water on top... until the pate sinks to the bottom and disintegrates lol

if this were masterchef but for cat food i think gordon ramsay would've screamed in my face.