mmm, salty and crunchy...

March 25, 2008 2:07 PM

[SillyKittyFilter] Is it okay for my cat to eat pretzel sticks?

I left out a bowl with about ten pretzel sticks (the small ones) in it, and over the course of a weekend my cat ate them. I think that's fine, the boyf disagrees. Kitty seems no worse for the wear.

Are pretzels ok? Is there a good resource for what "people foods" should ABSOLUTELY be avoided when it comes to cats? Or a list of people foods that are perfectly fine to share with your feline?

posted by kidsleepy to pets & animals (16 answers total)

As long as your cat doesn't get fat and is eating its own food as well (cats have some specific nutrition requirements) I don't see why pretzel sticks or most other people food would be harmful to kitty (barring things that are known to be toxic to cats, which may include some fruits and vegetables). I've certainly seen kitties eat weirder things...cantaloupe, ice cream, olives, etc. Hell, my childhood cat ate more people food than regular food, and weird things at that, and she lived to be 21!
posted by tastybrains at 2:14 PM on March 25, 2008

I have the dog version printed out and posted on my fridge. Here is a list of foods which should be avoided for cats.
posted by Sufi at 2:21 PM on March 25, 2008 [2 favorites]

The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center FAQ advises against letting pets have these people foods:

- Alcoholic beverages
- Avocado
- Chocolate (all forms)
- Coffee (all forms)
- Fatty foods
- Macadamia nuts
- Moldy or spoiled foods
- Onions, onion powder
- Raisins and grapes
- Salt
- Yeast dough
- Garlic
- Products sweetened with xylitol
posted by Zed_Lopez at 2:24 PM on March 25, 2008 [1 favorite]

The cat should be fine. Anything not-catfood in large quantities, as a regular part of their diet or as a sole nutrition source is not good for the cat. The lists people provided are pretty spot-on. Salt in large quantities isn't great for them either but I think a couple pretzels sticks on a random isolated instance should be no problem.

If kitty is doing fine, I don't think you have an issue at all with this instance. Cats eat weirder things. Growing up, I had a cat that really enjoyed toothpaste.
posted by jerseygirl at 2:29 PM on March 25, 2008

Zed's link says the salt can lead to "sodium ion poisoning", mine says "electrolyte imbalance". Just do a bit of research on the two and watch for any odd behavior. Be sure the cat gets plenty of water
posted by Sufi at 2:30 PM on March 25, 2008

I think the only thing to be really worried about with pretzels would be dehydration from the salt. Our cat ate a bunch of corn chips once and was fine---just thirsty. Make sure it has water.
posted by hulahulagirl at 3:14 PM on March 25, 2008

My cat is like a dog, hoovering up anything left out on the kitchen table or on the floor by the kids. So far she is like 10 or 11 and going strong. However, she also thinks she is a bird, and even chirps at other birds.
posted by poppo at 3:17 PM on March 25, 2008 [1 favorite]

I had a cat who loved potato chips. It's hilarious to watch and hear a cat eating chips. She suffered no ill effect from the occasional chip.
posted by rtha at 3:32 PM on March 25, 2008

Dante loves cheez-its. He usually gets one or two when I am eating them. I break them into smaller pieces so they are easier for him to munch on.

Only let kitty have a few, and make sure there is plenty of water.
posted by silkygreenbelly at 3:52 PM on March 25, 2008

We need a Catfilter, so we can all post pics of those cats we have! Pretzels would probably only be a concern if your cat didn't eat her regular food, wasn't drinking, or her appetite changed significantly in other ways. I probably wouldn't leave out a lot of chips any more, but I wouldn't worry.
posted by misha at 5:18 PM on March 25, 2008

"she also thinks she is a bird, and even chirps at other birds."

OK... two or three of our cats do that as well... I've always considered it as saying "OMG!!! a bird!!! I can eat Bird!!!! ", except they are so excited they can't get out whole words....
posted by HuronBob at 5:44 PM on March 25, 2008

so, the coffee. is it really that bad? my cat loves to lick our mugs when we leave them within her reach. and considering i see her go after it every weekend, i can only imagine what she does every day while i'm at work. am i a bad parent?
posted by apostrophe at 9:44 PM on March 25, 2008

My cat eats the occasional goldfish cracker. He very much enjoys them. He has suffered no ill effects from his love of cheese-flavored human treats.
posted by bedhead at 10:48 PM on March 25, 2008

The wheat isn't the best.. at all. They are Carnivores not omnivores or any of that other shit.
So if it's not meat, bones or the half digested lunch of their lunch then no it's not good for them.

A lot of things won't hurt them - cat food for a perfect example, but there's no benefit in them eating it, as such. (Cat Food by definition, as in food intended for cats, should contain 0% wheat products).
posted by mu~ha~ha~ha~har at 3:18 AM on March 26, 2008

A cat making a chirping noise doesn't mean she thinks she's a bird - it is an excited response to seeing prey. She wants to EAT the bird, not be one.
posted by agregoli at 6:29 AM on March 26, 2008

You've obviously never seen my cat try to fly.
posted by poppo at 9:51 AM on March 27, 2008