Has your cat escaped your supervision and secretly started stuffing himself with chocolate? Pay close attention to any symptoms that chocolate can give him.
While it is well known that dogs should not eat chocolate, it is much less known that cats and chocolate do not go together because chocolate is toxic to them. It doesn’t matter if it’s white, dark or milk, it’s not good for him. While we only risk simple high-dose food poisoning, chocolate can be fatal for your feline. It is therefore essential to know how to act if he has eaten chocolate.
Cat and chocolate: The toxic risk
In fact, if chocolate is so bad for cats, it’s because it contains an alkaloid substance, theobromine , which can cause various disorders in the cat’s body: rapid heartbeat, increased blood pressure and seizures.
The level of the effects depends of course on the level of chocolate ingested and the type of chocolate. Milk chocolate, for example, is less harmful than dark.
Chocolate fat is also harmful to them as it can lead to pancreatitis and other gastrointestinal disorders to name the most common. These depend on the amount of caffeine contained in cocoa which affects the functioning of the kidneys, heart and nervous system. Of course, variables have to be taken into account, but in principle the effects of chocolate consumption in animals can be summarized as:
- diarrhea,
- He vomits,
- hyperactivity,
- irregular heartbeat,
- muscle tremors,
- increased urination,
- convulsions,
- death (which often occurs as a result of internal bleeding or a heart attack).
My cat ate chocolate: what should I do?
If your cat has just eaten chocolate, the first thing to do is give her one to two teaspoons of hydrogen peroxide which often causes the contents just eaten to vomit up and not yet assimilated by the stomach. It is advisable if possible to go to a veterinarian to administer it, which is not always easy.
A visit to the veterinarian will also allow blood and urine tests to be carried out so that he can analyze a possible malfunction and can treat the problem in time.
If he does not show any symptoms, monitor him anyway and avoid giving him access to the outside for 24 hours to keep him under surveillance.
You can also determine how much and what type of chocolate your cat needs, by looking at the amount on the packets and trying to see how much is missing, this will also help the vet if you need to visit her.
If he ate them an hour or more ago, making him vomit is useless, but if you catch him eating them, this solution can be implemented.
But why is it so dangerous for him?
In fact, if chocolate is so dangerous for the cat, it is because it does not have the enzymes that allow it to be digested and metabolized.
Factors that increase the risk of chocolate poisoning
Here are all the factors that affect the risk of poisoning in cats:
- The type of chocolate : Dark chocolate is 3 to 10 times more toxic than milk chocolate.
- Age : A young kitten or an older cat will be more sensitive to the risk of poisoning.
- The breed : All flat-nosed cats are more sensitive because they are predisposed to respiratory problems.
- Size : The smaller the cat, the greater the risk because the concentration of Theobromine will be higher in relation to its weight.
- State of health: If your cat has heart, respiratory or liver problems, it will be more sensitive to theobromine.
FAQ: The most common questions
Is chocolate milk tolerated?
Most cats are lactose intolerant, so this is a terrible idea and a double whammy for the cat.
Is white chocolate also dangerous?
White chocolate is hardly chocolate and it is legitimate to ask the question. Made from cocoa butter, it still contains toxic amounts of caffeine and theobromine and is therefore bad for cats.
What about other foods containing chocolate?
Any food containing chocolate should be avoided and should lead to a visit to the vet if your cat has symptoms after ingesting it.
Cat and chocolate: The final word
If your cat has eaten chocolate, it is best to take him to the vet to avoid any fatal risk.