Is Chocolate Bad for Cats? The Answer Is No!

Chocolate is beneficial to our health, but it is not a healthy food for cats. So, should we feed the cat chocolate? Is chocolate bad for cats?

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Is Chocolate Bad For Cats?

In chocolate, there are many chemicals that harm the cardiovascular system and immune system of the cats. For cats and other domesticated animals, chocolate can be fatal. Therefore, leave the Easter eggs, homemade chocolates, and chocolate bars to be out of your cat’s reach.

Chocolate Can Be Fatal for Cats

Chocolate contains a substance called theobromine that shares the same family as caffeine and both stimulants. Theobromine is a chemical that increases urination, harms the kidneys, stimulates the central nervous system, cardiovascular system, and slightly increases blood pressure.

Depending on the different chocolate, the amount of this substance varies, feeding a cat can cause illness, or even endanger the cat’s life. Cats are animals with a sophisticated taste. So, they have little regard for sweets. But if they accidentally eat them, take them to the emergency room.

• The sweet chocolate bars can make your cat sick or even dead. This issue is less of a concern in cats. But also be careful if you want nothing unexpected or have a cat at home.
• Chocolate contains an ingredient called “theobromine” (a compound similar to caffeine). Depending on the different chocolate, this substance has different amounts.
• Since cats have a more fussy taste, there are also few cases of this problem. Many cats do not even care about sweet-flavored foods. But if you accidentally let your cat taste the chocolate, you will need to take him to the emergency room immediately.
• Dark chocolate is the most dangerous for cats, compared to milk chocolate types. One piece of dark chocolate can kill a cat that weighs about four and a half pounds. The danger decreases gradually to the amount of pure chocolate in the chocolate bar.
• There are many other things that also contain theobromine, caffeine, and compounds of the same form, such as cocoa, coffee, Coca Cola and tea. So, be careful to keep it away from the pet’s mouth to avoid unnecessary accidents.

The Symptoms of Theobromine Degree

These symptoms depend on how much chocolate your cat eats. The common symptoms are vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, convulsions, and irregular heartbeat. Eating larger amounts of chocolate can cause coma or death.

The symptoms usually appear within hours of your cat eating. If you think your cat has eaten chocolate, immediately take your cat to see a veterinarian.

Poisoning depends on the number of chocolates your cat eats. So, the vet will ask how much weight and how much chocolate it has eaten.

Are all chocolates equally poisoning?

Different chocolates contain different amounts of theobromine. People find this theobromine in cocoa. So, the higher the percentage of cocoa in the chocolate, the more harmful it is to cats.

Milk chocolate contains 60mg of theobromine per oz, while homemade dark chocolate is 450mg per oz. However, as little as 45-50mg of theobromine per pound of body weight can poison cats such as one ounce of dark chocolate.

Chocolate’s Different Levels of Toxicity

A little licking of white chocolate may not harm your cat, but baking chocolate is the worst thing a cat can eat. Larger cats are better at metabolizing chocolate than small cats. However, treat cat chocolate like alcohol for pregnant women. It is hard to say how much would be too much, so it’s best not to ignore it.

The Symptoms of Chocolate Poisoning

Since theobromine is a diuretic, it can dehydrate your cat from repeated urination, vomiting, or diarrhea. If the cat seems anxious or has convulsions with too high a pulse, chocolate poisoning could be the culprit. Frequent hyperactivity can lead to a coma when exhausted, leading to a coma or death.

Instructions on How to Treat Cats with Chocolate Poisoning

• Causing your cat to vomit food they have eaten, eliminating the food it has just absorbed. However, if the cat is unconscious, having convulsions or diarrhea, do not induce vomiting.
• After inducing vomiting, let the cat drink the green bean juice and the ginger juice to cool down. These two types of water help to detoxify toxins in the stomach.
• Give the cat more water, but also not giving too much will make the situation more troublesome.
• Call veterinarians for help and follow-up action. Immediately bring the cat to the veterinary hospital for inspection.
• Some drugs can prevent seizures from occurring in pets, experts say. It is not the optimal option but should also be taken into account.

The only precaution is to not feed your cat chocolate. Tell people not to share their chocolates with your cat. Keep chocolate covered and out of reach of the cats. Incidentally, it will keep your chocolate fresher and more delicious. Since cats care little about sweets, they are unlikely to want chocolate. But do not let curiosity kill your cat.

FAQs about “Is chocolate bad for cats”

Why is chocolate so bad for cats?

Chocolate contains a substance called theobromine. The four harmful effects of chocolate on your cats are:

• It is a heart rate stimulant
• It is a diuretic that causes dehydration in the body
• Disorders the stomach

Can cats eat chocolate?

In short, the answer is no. You may have heard that chocolate is not good for dogs. It was even worse for cats. Luckily, cats do not get into human food as often as dogs, so this rarely happens. Do not let your cat be a rare case.

Why is chocolate poisonous to cats?

There are two chemicals in chocolate that create an unhealthy response in cats. One is theobromine and the other is caffeine.

Theobromine is the reason people love chocolate and cats cannot. It provides a good time for one person but can cause undue stress on the cat’s fragile body. It is also a diuretic that dehydrates cats like that. Cats cannot metabolize theobromine as humans do, so the chemical is toxic to them. Just 20 mg per pound can be fatal.

While caffeine is an indispensable tool for writers, it is not for cats. One ounce of dark chocolate can have 12 mg while the same serving of milk chocolate can have 34 mg. It equates to a 12-ounce serving of cola. White chocolate is not available. While this is lower than your typical cup of coffee (95 mg) that is more than a cat can handle.

What to do if your cat eats chocolate?

Monitor your cat if you believe it has eaten chocolate. If the cat has any of the above symptoms, get them to the vet immediately. Take the cat to the emergency vet if it is outside normal hours.

How is chocolate poisoning diagnosed?

They made a diagnosis based on the symptoms and whether there are any signs that the cat has eaten chocolate. Revealing wraps of wrapping paper, brown streaks on beards, and signs of guilt are the first things to look for. Ideally, take your cat to the vet before symptoms flare-up. If you call your veterinarian, they may instruct you to induce vomiting.

How to treat chocolate poisoning?

If it occurs, vomiting may occur. Within two hours, you can force your cat to eat activated charcoal to limit absorption. The vet can perform many treatments to correct hydration problems and eliminate theobromine from the body. We may insert a catheter to control caffeine.

How much chocolate will a cat hurt?

Not much. It depends on the chocolate density and the cat’s weight, but even 20mg per kg has been shown to cause symptoms in cats.

What if the cat eats chocolate?

You need to pay attention to your cat if you believe chocolate has been eaten. If there are any negative symptoms, get your cat to the vet right away.

How is chocolate poisoning diagnosed?

Usually based on the symptoms and whether the cat has eaten chocolate.

How to treat chocolate poisoning?

Depending on how long it took from oral administration to when diagnosed, your veterinarian may induce vomiting or may need an intravenous injection.

So how much chocolate is too much?

It depends on the cat’s size and longevity and the type of chocolate it eats. Larger cats have a better ability to absorb. The older the cat, the higher the risk of poisoning.

Among cocoa products, cocoa powder contains the highest content of theobromine per 1 ounce (oz), 16 times higher than milk chocolate. The average content of theobromine for each type is as follows, 1 oz unit is equivalent to 28.34g.

• Cocoa powder: 800 mg/oz
• Homemade Chocolate (no sugar): 450 mg/oz
• Dark Chocolate: 150 mg/oz

Final Words

Hopefully, with the above information, you have a better understanding of why you should not feed your cat chocolate. Do not forget to share this article with those of you who have the same hobby of taking care of cats.