Chocolate is a delicate, richly flavored sweet food that is sometimes used to express "love" in modern society.
A moderate diet of chocolate has many benefits for people, such as: releasing feel-good hormones, thus relieving stress; helping to lower and regulate high blood pressure; benefiting heart health; lowering cholesterol...
But this wonderful food is not so wonderful for cats, on the contrary, it is a "poison"!
Don't even think about feeding chocolate to your cat, it can kill your cat in certain amounts.

I. Why is chocolate toxic to cats?

Humans love chocolate because it contains a small amount of caffeine and a large amount of theobromine, which can uplift the spirit. But at the same time, both of these compounds belong to the methylxanthines group, and it is they that cause the symptom of chocolate poisoning in cats and dogs.
Usually, the concentration of caffeine and theobromine in chocolate is directly proportional to the amount of cocoa butter.
Therefore, dark chocolate is the most dangerous for cats because of the high concentration of caffeine and theobromine. White chocolate generally contains less cocoa powder, but if cats ingest a certain amount, it can also trigger symptoms of poisoning.

Cocoa base and caffeine
Chocolate is toxic to cats because it contains theobromine and caffeine, with theobromine being the main toxic component and caffeine in much lower concentrations.
Cocaine is a drug-like methylxanthine and caffeine is a xanthine alkaloid compound, both of which have the effect of stimulating the central nervous system and exciting the heart muscle.
When cats consume chocolate, the theobromine and caffeine are digested and absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract and travel with the bloodstream to various organs throughout the body. It takes a long time for the cat's body to metabolize these ingredients, during which time the theobromine and caffeine will continue to stimulate the central nervous system, leading to symptoms of toxicity and even death in cats.
Toxic doses
"Toxicity without talking about the dose is a rogue", to provide you with a science of the toxic dose of theobromine and caffeine in cats.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center data records that the dose that can produce mild symptoms is 20mg/kg and the dose that produces severe symptoms is 40-50mg/kg.

These doses do not need to be memorized, just remember that once a cat eats chocolate, no matter how much we need to be alert, observe, and consult a veterinarian. The lowest level is in white chocolate and the highest in baked unsweetened chocolate.

II. What are the symptoms of chocolate poisoning in cats?

Clinical signs in cats usually occur within 12 h of chocolate ingestion.
Initial clinical signs include.
Panting, hyperactivity, restlessness, shortness of breath, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, excessive urination, etc.
Mid to late symptoms include.
Hypokalemia, severe vomiting or diarrhea, ataxia, muscle tremors, increased or decreased heart rate, increased body temperature, respiratory failure, cardiac arrhythmias, and death.
Less common symptoms include abdominal pain and hematuria.
Death is usually due to cardiac arrhythmia or respiratory failure.
What are the symptoms of chocolate poisoning in cats?
Clinical signs in cats usually develop within 12 h of ingesting chocolate.

Three: What should we do if a cat accidentally ingests chocolate?

If a cat accidentally eats chocolate, there are three things we need to do immediately: call the vet, induce vomiting, and take the cat to the vet, and time is of the essence.
1. Call the vet and tell the vet all the actual circumstances, including what kind of chocolate was eaten by mistake, how much chocolate was eaten by mistake, how much time has passed since the cat ate the chocolate, and the basic condition of the cat (weight, age, etc.), and follow the vet's method.
2. Emetic, which is to reduce the chocolate in the stomach as much as possible, thus reducing the absorption of chocolate in the cat to avoid further development of the disease. Consider 3% hydrogen peroxide, activated charcoal, and dehydrated morphine. It needs to be operated according to the veterinarian's instructions.
3. Take the cat to the veterinarian without delay.
Once at the hospital, the veterinarian will continue to induce vomiting and treat the symptoms, as well as perform gastric lavage operations and possibly insert a tube in the bladder to prevent the reabsorption of toxins.
After the treatment is over, we need to carefully check if there is any residual chocolate on the cat's fur. If there is, it needs to be cleaned off in time to prevent re-poisoning.
Prognosis: The prognosis for chocolate poisoning in cats is good if it is treated correctly, quickly, and aggressively. If delayed long enough for enough methylxanthine to be absorbed into the body, this can be fatal.
Far be it from cats to offer to feed them chocolate, no matter how pitiful their begging eyes are.
We eat chocolate and need to put away the remaining chocolate and chocolate bags to not leave a safety hazard.
The most important point: if a cat accidentally eats chocolate, it must not be lucky to not treat it because of the small amount eaten. For some weaker cats, a little chocolate is enough to kill!

Four, in addition to chocolate cats these also can not eat

1, fruit grapes
In fact, in addition to chocolate, fruit grapes are also dangerous for cats, and some cats with poorer constitution may eat one or two grapes to kill them.
So for the health of the cat, the owner must not give it to eat grapes, or raisins Oh!

2銆乂egetables and onions
There are also vegetables in the onion that can not be given to the cat to eat, cats may eat the risk of anemia, and in serious cases, may also cause fatal danger.
So the owner who feeds vegetables to cats must pay attention, do not feed!

3銆乀una fish
Cats love to eat fish, but owners must pay attention to the tuna fish do not give cats often eat, because tuna fish taste delicious, very easy to make cats eat addicted, and once addicted, cats may become tuna not happy.
Once addicted, cats may even refuse all foods that do not contain tuna, and tuna is easy to accumulates heavy metals in the body, and cats eating canned tuna eaten by humans can cause cats to suffer from "yellow fat disease"!

4銆丷aw meat
Although cats love to eat meat, owners are advised not to give it too much raw meat, because the cat's body intake of too much meat, stomach problems, vomiting, and diarrhea.
And the bacteria in raw meat is much more than the bacteria in raw eggs, so the owner must pay attention!

5銆丳ickled food
I believe that many pet owners are particularly fond of eating pickled food for cats can not eat too much-pickled food, it is best not to give it to eat because long-term consumption will lead to cancer in cats.
Especially sausages, ham, luncheon meat, cured meat, etc. should be avoided for cats!

6 green onions, onions, leeks, etc.
Such vegetables contain ingredients that destroy the red blood cells of cats, which can cause anemia, diarrhea, urinary hemorrhage, vomiting, or fever in cats. The most serious will lead to the death of the cat. Therefore, these vegetables should never be given to the cat, even a little, do not.

7, chicken bones and fish bones
This is the same as for dogs, chicken bones, or fish bones sharp edges can easily cause a stuck throat or stuck in the digestive tract or even cause perforation of the digestive tract. Therefore, this type of kitchen garbage must be sealed garbage can or tighten in the garbage bag mouth to avoid unnecessary trouble.