Tool
Can Cats Eat This?
Check whether a food or drink is safe for cats before you share it — 90 foods and drinks with a verdict, a safe serving, and what to do if your cat already ate it.
How the verdicts work
| Verdict | What it means |
|---|---|
| Safe | Plain, prepared as described, and fine in the serving given. Still a treat, not a meal. |
| Safe in small amounts | Not toxic, but sugary, fatty, salty or hard to digest — small amounts only, and stop if stools loosen. |
| Not recommended | Not acutely toxic in a small taste, but the wrong food for cats — too salty, sweet, fatty, seasoned, or carrying a parasite or choking risk. |
| Toxic — call your vet now | Poisonous to cats. Call your veterinarian or ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 (a consultation fee may apply) immediately, even if your cat seems fine. |
If your cat ate something toxic
Call your veterinarian or ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 (a consultation fee may apply) immediately. Do not wait for symptoms and do not try to make your cat vomit unless a vet tells you to. Have ready: what was eaten, how much, when, and your cat's weight. Vomiting, drooling, wobbliness, a racing heart, tremors, seizures, collapse, or not urinating are emergency signs.
Browse all 90 foods
Toxic — call your vet now (16)
- Alcohol
- Beer
- Brownies
- Carnations
- Chocolate
- Chocolate Milk
- Coffee
- Garlic
- Grapes & Raisins
- Lilies
- Macadamia Nuts
- Onion
- Raisins
- Salt Water
- Scorpions
- Xylitol (Birch Sugar)
Not recommended (33)
- BBQ Sauce
- Beef Jerky
- Beef Wellington
- Beggin Strips
- Bird Seed
- Biscuits
- Bologna
- Bugs
- Bully Sticks
- Buttermilk
- Cactus
- Cake
- Candy
- Capers
- Caramel
- Coconut Milk
- Cranberry Juice
- Ensure
- Gatorade
- Lemonade
- Orange Juice
- Plant Milk
- Pool Water
- Sauerkraut
- Sausage
- Sherbet
- Silverfish
- Skittles
- Slim Jims
- Slugs
- Smartwater Flavored Water
- Smoked Salmon
- Soda
Safe in small amounts (39)
- Bananas
- Barley
- Beans
- Beef
- Beets
- Bell Pepper
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Bok Choy
- Bone Broth
- Bonito Flakes
- Bread
- Broccoli
- Brussels Sprouts
- Butter
- Cabbage
- Canned Chicken
- Canned Salmon
- Cantaloupe
- Carob (Chocolate Substitute)
- Carrots
- Cashews
- Catfish
- Goat Milk
- Lactaid
- Lactose-Free Milk
- Milk
- Oat Milk
- Pedialyte
- Salmon
- Sardines
- Scallops
- Scrambled Eggs
- Seaweed
- Sesame Oil
- Sesame Seeds
- Shrimp
- Sour Cream
- Soy
Safe (2)
Every food also has its own page — for example, can cats eat chocolate? and can cats eat bananas?. The old Pinterest links to these foods now land on those pages instead of a missing page.
Before you use the result
Use the result as a starting point for observation and planning. Cats vary by age, body condition, temperament, medical history, and household setup — and a food that is safe for one cat can still upset another. Kittens, seniors and cats with kidney, liver or digestive conditions need veterinary guidance first.
Related reading
Use this alongside the beginner feeding guide and the feeding estimator for portions. If your cat stops eating, see cat not eating and the symptom checklist.
Sources: ASPCA Animal Poison Control — People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, and the Cornell Feline Health Center — Feeding Your Cat. Chocolate toxicity figures are approximate values from the Merck Veterinary Manual. If your cat ate something on the toxic list, call your veterinarian or ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435.