Chocolate contains ingredients that are toxic to cats. Cats should not eat any amount of chocolate, and ingesting even small amounts can be fatal. So if you’re wondering “can cat’s eat chocolate?”, the short answer is absolutely not.
Why is Chocolate Bad For Cats?
Chocolate contains two ingredients that are bad for cats: caffeine and theobromine. Theobromine is a plant alkaloid that occurs naturally in cacao, the main ingredient in chocolate.
Both of these substances are stimulants, meaning they increase the heart rate and general cardiac activity. Stimulants are generally really bad for cats.
How Do I Know if My Cat Is Poisoned from Chocolate?
Your cat will develop some symptoms if they’ve had too much chocolate. These include:
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Increased Thirst
- Restlessness
- Increased Heart Rate
It can be hard to tell if some of these symptoms are a result of your cat eating chocolate. However, vomiting and strange behavior are enough to warrant a visit to the vet. Also, if you see your cat eating chocolate or know they ate chocolate, then you should probably take them to the vet anyway, with or without some of these symptoms.
Read More: When to Take Your Cat to the Vet
Can Cats Eat Chocolate in Small Amounts?
It’s possible that cats can ingest small amounts of chocolate and be fine. The problem is, there’s no way to know what is small enough. Therefore you should never knowingly feed your cat any amount of chocolate as you don’t know what effect it will have.
Different types of chocolate will contain different amounts of toxins, though. For instance, one square of unsweetened baking chocolate can do as much harm to your kitty as twenty-three wrapped milk chocolate drops. This is because the cocoa content is much higher relative to other ingredients in the chocolate.
Can Cats Eat Any Type of Chocolate?
At the end of the day, chocolate is still chocolate no matter what form it comes in. It will still contain the toxic ingredients that are hazardous to cats. Some examples of different types of chocolate include:
- Dark, semi-sweet, and milk chocolate
- White chocolate
- Cocoa powder
- Unsweetened baking chocolate
Why Do Cats Like Chocolate?
Chocolate is a known toxin to cats, so why do cats like chocolate then? The reason is because chocolate contains other ingredients that cats like, namely, sugar. Your cat will be attracted to the sweetness of the chocolate. Some chocolates also include milk or fat, which cats absolutely love as well.
In the end, you can’t trust your cat to not eat chocolate if given the chance. Keep any chocolate out of reach of the cat, stored away in the fridge or behind closed doors.
