fbpx

Is Chocolate Poisonous To Cats?

While you may have heard about chocolate being poisonous to dogs, did you know that chocolate is also poisonous to cats? Chocolate contains theobromine and caffeine which are both extremely toxic to cats. These toxins can speed up a cat’s heart rate and cause your cat to become ill or even worse.

Chocolate Is Poisonous To Cats

Since cats are much smaller than dogs, most any amount of chocolate will make your cat ill. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, increased heart rate, increased temperature, rapid breathing and seizures. Beyond these symptoms, your cat could have a heart attack or even die.

While all chocolates are poisonous to cats, some chocolates are more toxic than others. The most toxic is cocoa, cooking chocolate and dark chocolate. Milk chocolate and white chocolate are also poisonous to cats but both contain lower levels of theobromine and caffeine.

Call Your Vet

If your cat has eaten chocolate, call or visit your veterinarian immediately. You can also call the Pet Poison Helpline 24/7 at 855-764-7661 for assistance (a $59 fee applies).

Treatment

To treat chocolate poisoning, your veterinarian may induce vomiting to prevent the toxins in the chocolate from being digested. Your cat will then need to be kept well hydrated over the next few days so that other illnesses do not occur.

To avoid chocolate poisoning, keep all chocolate out of reach of your cat and in a container that your cat cannot open. Cats are very curious animals and love to explore so make sure any chocolate you have in your home is well out of their reach and unable for your cat to get to. Also, teach your kid’s that chocolate is dangerous for cats and don’t let them feed chocolate to your pet.

Do you have questions about your cat? While our professional cat sitters are not vets, they are very knowledgeable about cats and can help assist you with your questions. We can also direct you to a vet to help you get your cat the treatments that she needs if she has eaten chocolate. TAILored Cat Services is here to help you! Give us a call at 425-923-7791 or visit our cat sitting page to learn more about our services.

 

Previous

Next

Skip to content