As humans, we eat a variety of different foods. Due to the hot weather in summer, you may find yourself eating refreshing foods such as strawberries, watermelon, and grapes. These fruits are so delicious that you are often tempted to share some with your feline friend.
However, don’t just assume that because grapes are good for you that they are automatically good for your cat as well.
In fact you need to do an ample amount of research into which fruits are safe for your pet and which ones are not. Grapes contain no nutritional value for cats and therefore it is of no use feeding it to them. In fact, they can downright be harmful to your cat.
Now when I refer to grapes, it includes all things related to grapes, such as jam, jelly and juice and all types of grapes, whether it is fresh, dried, seedless or blue or green. Cookies and cakes flavored with grapes are also bad for your cat.
About Cats and Grapes – Facts you need to Know
Grapes are small and delicious berry-like fruits, with a fleshy and juicy texture. They are available in different colors such as green, blue and black. Not only are they tasty, but healthy as well. Grapes are known to contain various vitamins, nutrients, and minerals that are all good for humans.
Grapes contain vitamin C, which is important for keeping teeth and gums healthy, repairing tissue and wounds on the body. The vitamin K contained in grapes is vital in building strong bones, helping blood clot correctly and preventing heart disease.
Grapes also contain fiber which helps to lower the risk of heart disease and reduces the blood cholesterol levels. The Antioxidants in grapes helps to fight off harmful free radicals.
So as you can see grapes contains various vitamins and minerals that are all good for humans, unfortunately, none of them are good for your cat and these vitamins don’t have any nutritional value for your cat. In fact, these same grapes that are so good for you can be fatal to your cat.
Just as humans are allergic to certain types of food, so are cats. So it is quite possible that cats can eat a certain type of food such as grapes and have an allergic reaction to it.
However, this does not necessarily mean that you should refrain from giving your cats grapes because they will have an allergic reaction because grapes are far more dangerous to cats than most people know.
While some cats may eat grapes with no side effects, others may experience uncomfortable reactions such as vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, and dehydration. So while grapes can make humans feel wonderful and full of energy, it may just make your cat feel terrible.
Can cats eat grapes?
The clear answer is no. Cats cannot and should not under any circumstances be given grapes to eat. This is quite a complicated issue because according to studies, some cats can eat grapes all their lives and have absolutely no side effects, while others may eat grapes just once and suffer a fatal reaction such as kidney failure.
These nasty side effects have been known to affect all kinds of cats, irrespective of size, age, and breed. For this reason, it is recommended that you never give your cat grapes, simply because you have no way of knowing how it will react. So to be on the safe side, refrain from giving it to your feline friend at all.
While the exact reasons as to why grapes are so dangerous to cats are still being researched by scientists, we do know that the compound found in the fleshy part of grapes is dangerous to cats.
Cats have sensitive digestive systems and low tolerance, which basically means that even a small serving of or perhaps even a single grape, could have a significant impact on their tiny bodies.
So research surrounding this topic may be incomplete or inconclusive, there are have more than enough reports of cats getting violently ill after consuming grapes and similar foods, to safely say that grapes should definitely be on the forbidden foods for cats list.
You also need to remember that even the foods that are made with grapes or grape extracts are harmful to cats. These are foods such as jam, jelly, juice, cakes, muffins, and cookies. So until there is more information available, do not feed your cat any grapes or grape related foods.
Can Cats Eat Raisins?
Raisins are a part of the dry food family and are considered one of the healthiest snacks in the world. It is used frequently in desserts and cooking.
They are also added to snacks and food supplements. There is no doubt that raisins contain many health benefits for humans as they are rich in fiber and other nutrients. Raisins have been known to bring relief from constipation, fever, anemia and sexual dysfunction too. It also has a positive impact on bone quality, dental and eye care.
Aside from these health benefits, it is said that raisins can help you lose weight the healthy way and it is also known to reduce the risk of certain types of cancer in people.
Raisins are not the poisonous foods for cats list; however, it should still not be given to cats. Experts have still not figured out why raisins are bad for cats, but they believe that it is highly toxic to them.
Toxicity can cause various medical conditions, such as kidney damage and possibly even failure. The exact dosage of raisins is not known, however, it is estimated that 0.05 ounces or approximately one handful of raisins are enough to cause the toxic reaction.
Not all cats will suffer an allergic reaction to raisins. Some of them may eat a small handful of raisins and digest it well, with no obvious side effects.
However, you never know whether you cat will be allergic to it or not, so just choose to stay on the safe side, by not giving it to your child at all.
Let’s find out more – why grapes are so harmful to cats?
Some cats may eat grapes and have no side effects or allergic reactions; however, others may consume a smaller amount of perhaps even a single one and start having symptoms of toxicity in their system.
Because the information pertaining to what exactly causes the symptoms or poisoning is still inconclusive, the best advice that you can adhere to is refraining from giving your cat grapes altogether.
If they haven’t tasted it, they won’t miss it. By the way, grapes and raisins are not even on the favorite list of cat foods, so no harm will be done if your cat never knew it existed.
If your cat has consumed grapes and they have poisoning or a toxic reaction due to this, you will notice the following symptoms:
- Diarrhea
- Lethargy
- Weakness
- Lack of Appetite
- Abdominal pain
- Decreased urination
- Possible death
These symptoms are basically the body’s way of purging the poison. However, there is only so much that the body can do to get rid of the toxins. It also will depend on the quantity of grapes that have been consumed.
The more grapes that have been consumed, the higher the risk of kidney damage and ultimately the failure, if help is not administered soon enough.
Symptoms of grapes toxicity
The toxicity comes from the fleshy inner part of the grape and not the grape extract itself. Other animals, aside from cats should eat grapes, but the dosage for cats is lower than other animals.
For example, dogs could eat a cup full of grapes and not suffer any side effects, while cats cat eat a small handful or even several grapes and suffer from grape toxicity. Therefore, a very small quantity of grapes may have critical or toxic consequences for your cat.
Accidents do happen and pets are famous for trying to get onto the counter, especially if they spot or smell food left on the counter. If this does happen and you left a few raisin chocolate chip cookies out and come back and find none, then there is a possibility that you cat could have eaten it.
If you didn’t catch him or her in the act, just watch out for behavioral symptoms and you will find out soon enough. Some of the symptoms you can look out for are:
- Decreased urination
- Lethargy
- Vomiting and diarrhea
- Abdominal pain
- Possible seizures and death
While these symptoms may be picked up by a stranger, you know your pet better than anyone. So you will be able to tell if your feline friend is herself or not.
These symptoms can take anywhere between 12 hours to several days to occur, so don’t rule it out just because they don’t show up immediately. Symptoms such as excessive drinking of water will tell you that there is kidney damage.
So be sensitive to these things as seizures could lead to possible death as well. It has happened before. Also, don’t wait until it is too late to get help for your cat. Once you start noticing these symptoms, you seek professional and specialized help for your cat.
What to do if my cats ate grapes or raisins?
- Although you may be tempted to panic, don’t, simply try to remain calm. The symptoms will look daunting to you; however, if you are quick to pick them up and get help for your pet, then they will make a full recovery within a short space of time. This is also why it is so crucial to be vigilant and watch out for unusual behavior in your cat.
- Once you have established that your cat did, in fact, consume raisins or grapes, try to determine what type and amount ate. Then call your closest vet or animal emergency clinic.
- As an immediate intervention, your vet will probably ask you to induce vomiting so that the harmful substance is expelled from the cat’s system without being absorbed and causing further damage.
- Depending on the severity of the case, your vet may ask you to take your cat to the nearest veterinarian or animal clinic along with the sample of the vomit for further analysis.
- In cases, where you suspect poisoning, you may skip the above-mentioned steps and take your cat straight to an animal clinic for immediate attention.
Kidney damage is irreversible and if your cat has been poisoned by the dangerous compound found in grapes, acting swiftly may just save his or her life. So try not to panic or hesitate and just get your cat to the closest vet immediately.
Once you reach the vet, you may be asked about your cat’s condition in more detail. The vet will also ask about the symptoms and the type of grapes that were consumed. You will also be asked for a sample of the vomit.
You may also expect your pet to undergo a thorough physical examination, including the blood and urine tests. All these tests will help the vet determine whether there is kidney damage and if there is, to what extent.
Treatment will then be administered according to the severity of the problem. If needed, your cat will be hospitalized, until it is well enough to go home. This should be for around 2 to 3 days. Medication will also be given and you will be advised to monitor your cat’s symptoms and condition for several days.
Bottom line: Cats and grapes
The next time you hear anyone asking “Can cats eat grapes?”, you will know exactly what to say. Grapes and all forms of it, including raisins are toxic and poisonous to cats. It may not affect all cats; alternatively, it may affect some of them in a bad way, causing irreversible damage such as kidney failure.
Lots of people are unenlightened and this lack of knowledge could possibly cause them the loss of a beloved pet.
I hoped you enjoyed this article and if you know of someone that you could benefit from this information, please do share it.