There are many foods that cats should not eat, but many owners keep feeding their cats these foods because they can't resist their cuddling. These foods can make cats sick or even kill them. We hope that pet owners will pay attention to their cats' diet.
I. Salt and Salty Foods
Salt is one of the no-nos in cat food. Cats require very little salt, so human food is too high in salt for them. However, cats have a poor sense of taste and often unknowingly ingest too much salt. Since cats drink relatively little water, the excess salt cannot be metabolized and accumulates in their kidneys, putting a serious burden on them. Over time, this can easily lead to nephritis, urinary stones, and even fatal diseases such as kidney failure and uremia. The same applies to salty foods, especially high-sodium foods like ham sausages and dried squid. Cats love these, and owners often spoil them by feeding them without restraint, ultimately causing serious illnesses due to excessive salt intake.
2. Ham sausage
We mentioned ham sausage in the previous post, but I must list it separately here because many cat owners feed their cats ham sausage or ham sausage mixed with rice as a staple food. Cats love it, but it's extremely bad for their health. In addition to the high salt content mentioned above, ham sausage also contains a lot of preservatives and additives. Moreover, the meat used to make ham sausage is difficult to guarantee in terms of quality; it's often made from lymph node meat of pigs or even from diseased or dead pigs. It's best not to feed it to cats.
III. Chicken liver and other offal
Chicken liver is a popular food among traditional cat owners. It mainly contains protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamin A, vitamin D, phosphorus, and other components. It is highly nutritious, palatable, and has a unique fishy smell, making it a favorite of almost all cats. However, what many are unaware of is that long-term consumption of chicken liver can be extremely harmful to a cat's health.
First, chicken liver contains a large amount of vitamin A. Long-term consumption can lead to excessive vitamin A intake in cats. If the vitamin A cannot be excreted in time, it can cause vitamin A accumulation poisoning, resulting in diseases such as pain, lameness, and tooth loss.
Secondly, because liver is high in phosphorus and low in calcium, and phosphorus inhibits calcium absorption, long-term consumption of chicken liver can lead to calcium deficiency in cats, causing rickets and osteomalacia, which is particularly noticeable in kittens. Older generations often say that cats "lose their kidneys," which actually refers to paralysis caused by severe calcium deficiency leading to lumbar spine deformation and compression of spinal nerves.
Third, chicken liver is rich in fat and protein, which can easily cause obesity and constipation in cats. In addition, chicken liver is very palatable, and cats that eat chicken liver for a long time often will not accept other foods.
IV. Bones
Fish bones and chicken bones: Some people believe that cats can chew bones properly, but in reality, cats don't chew their food; they swallow them whole. Fish bones can pose a risk of injuring the stomach, so it's best to remove them. Furthermore, fish bones contain calcium and phosphorus, and long-term consumption can cause urinary tract stones in cats. Bird bones and other poultry bones are quite hard, and when cats chew them, they create sharp fragments that can sometimes injure a cat's mouth or internal organs. Therefore, avoid feeding cats these bones unless you soften or grind them in a pressure cooker and then add them to their food.
Just like diabetic patients cannot eat high-fat foods, as excessive consumption could endanger their lives, the same applies to cats. If a cat is fed too much food that its digestive system cannot digest, the consequences are obvious.
