Chocolate and Cats
Can Cats Eat Chocolate? When cats eat chocolate, is not as same as when we humans eat chocolate. For cats this delicious food is toxic, and chocolate poisoning must be treated immediately by calling emergency. The main treatment will include inducing vomit, charcoal for toxin absorption and anti-seizure medications.
How serious cat chocolate poisoning can be? Extremely serious. In most cases, cats get very ill from this intoxication, and in some cases chocolate for cats can lead to death. The thing is that chocolate contains a component called theobromine, which affects our cat’s central nervous system. This component is like caffeine, and although we don’t notice it, it can be fatal for a cat.
Determining the grade of toxicity is important to assess the threat for a cat. As you may know, there are different types of chocolate bad for cats in the market, and it is our duty as owners to keep it away from the cat’s reach, in a secured area. Personally, whenever I get chocolate, I put it inside a metal container on my closet; it would be a good idea to find a similar place in your home. Let’s take a look at the amount of theobromine (and threat) on the different types of chocolate:
Milk chocolate contains 45mg of theobromine per ounce, and is the chocolate with less amount of this substance.
Semi-sweet chocolate contains 150 – 250mg of thebromine per ounce
Cocoa beans contain the highest amount of this component: 450 – 1000mg per ounce! Definitely deadly for any cat!
Cat Chocolate Poisoning Symptoms
The initial symptoms that take place once your cat has ingested chocolate can appear after a few moments or up to a day later, they include mainly diarrhea and vomiting, signals of a digestive issue. These symptoms may go away if your cat has ingested a small amount of chocolate, but when the amount is elevated, severe and toxic symptoms will be evident.
With higher levels of theobromine, the cat will be irritable and his heart rate will be significantly increased, at this stage, tremors and seizures will appear; however you shouldn’t wait for these symptoms to develop. Immediate action is essential to treat this cat chocolate problem. When toxic levels get too high, it will lead to the death of your cat.
How to Treat Cat Chocolate Poisoning?
Swift action is a must to avoid cat’s health threats. Inducing vomit must be done quickly, before two hours have passed since your cat’s chocolate ingestion. Past that time, this simple treatment will have no effect.
When toxicity gets severe, the cat will need to be hospitalized and observed by a qualified veterinarian. The vet will give supportive treatment to your cat depending on the severity of the intoxication and will have to wait until theobromine has been eliminated from the system.