What should cats never eat?

1. Chocolate
   Never leave a chocolate bar or a box of chocolates unattended on the table. If your cat eats them, it may lead to vomiting and diarrhoea. The higher the cocoa content, the greater the danger.
    
2. Dairy products
   Kittens produce the enzyme lactase in their bodies. This enables them to break down the milk sugar (= lactose) in their mother’s milk. The ingestion of cow’s milk, yoghurt, quark and cheese is therefore no problem for them. Adult animals, on the other hand, hardly produce any lactase. After ingesting these products, there is therefore always a risk that they will react with digestive disorders such as diarrhoea due to the lactose not being broken down and having a laxative effect.
    
3. Eggs
   Cooked eggs are not unhealthy for cats, but they should never be allowed to eat raw eggs. These contain the substance “avidin”. This can lead to a biotin deficiency, which has a negative effect on metabolic processes.
    
4. Bread
   Bread consists mostly of grains. However, cats are strict carnivores and produce only a small amount of the enzymes that digest plant carbohydrates. Excessive intake leads to digestive disorders that will have a negative effect on your pet’s health.
    
5. Onions and garlic
   Onions and garlic contain sulphur compounds that can destroy red blood cells and therefore negatively affect the transport of oxygen in the blood. For this reason you should never try to use these foods as a parasite repellent or with the intention of improving your pet’s health.
    
6. Leftovers
   The food we eat is usually seasoned. This can put a strain on the cat’s kidneys. Excessive intake of table salt can lead to poisoning. Raw or insufficiently heated pork can result in a fatal Aujeszky virus infection.
    
7. Vegetables and solanaceous plants / nightshades
   If you want to cook or prepare raw food yourself, make sure that the proportion of vegetables is very low (less than 5 per cent). Larger pieces should be avoided. Everything should be pureed or very finely chopped. It is also important, especially with solanaceous vegetables such as potatoes, peppers and tomatoes, that they have been cooked. In their raw state they will cause severe digestive disorders. Avocados are always poisonous for cats.  
    
8. Fruit
   Fruit is, of course, healthy for us, but cats do not need it at all for a species-appropriate diet. It is best for cats to avoid any sort of fruit, because it contains high levels of fructose. Grapes are also toxic and can lead to kidney failure.

Although cats are carnivores, many like to nibble on cat grass. This is good for their digestion and allows them to more easily regurgitate hair from their stomachs that they have swallowed while cleaning themselves. It should therefore be part of every cat household. Without it, they may be more likely to eat other plants that could be intolerable and poisonous for them:

1. Orchids
   Orchids are still many people’s favourite plants. They are, however, unsuitable for a cat household, because they are poisonous.
    
2. Tulips
   These are very popular plants in gardens as well as on dining tables. However, if you have a curious pet, you should avoid them, because eating them irritates a cat’s mucous membranes and leads to kidney failure.
    
3. Dragon tree
   This much-loved houseplant produces so-called saponins to ward off predators. These are toxic for cats and cause symptoms of poisoning such as vomiting, diarrhoea and trembling when they nibble on the leaves.
    
4. African milk tree (Euphorbia trigona)
   Cats sometimes use this cactus-like plant as a substitute for a scratching post. However, it releases milky sap, which causes changes to the skin and is poisonous after oral ingestion.
    
5. Monstera
   This plant consists of large split leaves. Cats are sometimes tempted to nibble on them. This can, however, lead to difficulty in swallowing and increased salivation.
    
6. Poinsettia
   This popular plant belongs to the spurge family and contains a poisonous milky sap. It can cause tremors and seizures in cats.
    
7. Other plant species
   Not only the plants mentioned above are poisonous to cats. There are many others such as ivy, daffodils, rubber plants, aloe vera, lilies, cyclamen, Ficus benjamina and cycads.

1. Plant protection products
   When everything is growing nicely, we usually don’t even consider using pesticides or other products. But when plants start to deteriorate or become infested with insects, and when weeds start to take over, we may resort to fertilisers, pesticides or weed killers. Make sure that these are animal-friendly and ideally try to avoid them.
    
2. Medicines
   Never leave tablets lying around. Your cat may be tempted to play with them and accidentally swallow one. This can have very serious consequences.
    
3. Cleaning agents
   A variety of cleaning products are used in almost every household – including washing powder, floor cleaner and washing-up liquid. Cats usually steer clear of such products, but you can never be sure. They should therefore always be kept in a closed cupboard, well out of reach of your cat.