My Kitten Likes Tomatoes!

skykitty · Jul 31, 2003

My kitten Legolas seems to like eating tomatoes, is this normal?

I'm a firm believer in not feeding human food to my pets. Legolas has me very confused because not only does he eat tomatoes but he likes to lick bowls, plates or what ever he can get his tongue on. Yes that includes me and my hubby.

Is letting a kitten lick you safe? I've heard so many stories I don't know what to believe.

April

Please view my kittens at the following link:
http://photos.yahoo.com/skyfireandwater

dragonlady · Jul 31, 2003

As long as you haven't sprayed your self with bug repelent, or tons of perfume it should be OK to get lovin'. Do your best to wash dishes as soon as you have finished eating as some people food is poisonous to cats.

The cat sounds like a charactor! SEND PICTURES

uabassoon · Jul 31, 2003

Corkscrew is the same way, he once grabbed a chunk of tomato off my plate and ate it. Just make sure you don't feed your cats onion, even in small amounts onion can be very harmful.

shell · Jul 31, 2003

same with Garlic! It's VERY toxic to kitties!

mom of 10 cats · Jul 31, 2003

I thought tomatos were bad for cats. I guess I was wrong!

skykitty · Jul 31, 2003

Teresa.....click on the link below to view my kittens. So far the only photos I have are mostly of them sleeping!

As for the tomatoes, he whines until he is fed a piece and I do mean whine! We don't give him pieces on a regular basis, but he seems to know when there is a tomatoe being cut!

After we finish eating I usually place the dishes in the dishwasher but the occassional time laziness sets in and I leave them on the counter! I know, I'm a bad Mother!

As for the lovin' we get from Legolas I only use 100% All Natural Bug Repellant on my person and same with hubby. As for perfumes, I'm allergic but I do use Cinnamon Oil in a diffuser bottle mixed with water. I figured if it's an all 100% Natural Product then it shouldn't hurt them, guess I was wrong, eh?

I know, I'm a bad Mother!

April
To View My Kittens Click the Link Below!
http://photos.yahoo.com/skyfireandwater

crazy-cat-lover · Jul 31, 2003

You were right Sue! Tomatoes ARE toxic to cats! Here's an article I found at www.felinefuture.com

Poisoned by Tomato:

An example of the drastic physiological differences of the feline adaptation to life when compared to humans.

Throughout our collection of information on this web site, as well as in our book, we stress how different the cat truly is compared to us humans, and that the well meaning application of nutritional and medical recommendations meant for humans, can in fact be fatal for the cat.

To underline the importance of our position on this subject, for all those who have been sceptical about our teachings, we can now outline a perfect example of it - which nearly cost one of Feline Future's cats his life.

For human health, tomatoes are credited with cancer fighting properties, and as a rich source of antioxidants. I have no doubt that some people, uneducated about feline nutrition, may add this fruit to their cat's diet, hoping to achieve a similar affect. However, most people, including veterinarians, are unaware that tomato, as a member of the Nightshade family, contains a bitter poisonous alkaloid called "Solanine". Solanine is toxic to humans as well, but it requires a much more concentrated amount, like that found in green potatoes and potato sprouts, to induce sickness. For the carnivore cat, on the other side, traces of Solanin, like those found in just a 100g of cherry tomatoes, can be fatal!

Recently, one of Feline Future's cats ingested about 100g of fresh, organic cherry tomatoes, which someone had accidentally left out. This particular cat has a history of being attracted to foods unusual for a feline, and will also consume a variety of fruit if offered to him.
Not realizing the true danger of the situation when we found out about it later in the day, we did not induce vomiting, because the cat seemed fine.
24 hours later, the cat began to vomit in 3-4 hour intervals. The Veterinarian attending this case was unaware of Solanine poisoning, and wrote it off as a case of "dietary indiscretion". Although the cat was still eating, food was usually regurgitated one hour after ingestion.
48 hours after consumption of the tomatoes, the cat started to refuse all food, but began to drink. Vomiting persisted, and large amounts of offensive smelling liquids were expelled due to increased water intake.
The cat became lethargic and withdrew. X-ray and blood tests ruled out an intestinal blockage, or viral infection. He was severely dehydrated, and received Subcutaneous fluids.
On the forth day after ingestion of the tomatoes, the cat's breathing was laboured and rapid. When he moved it was slow with trembling of the limbs.
Day 5 brought no change. He remained very lethargic and his breathing was rapid and laboured. He had not eaten in 5 days. Hospitalisation and intravenous fluid therapy were considered - the cat was dying. A second Veterinarian was consulted, and treatment with Homeopathy for poisoning was recommended. The cat finally showed marginal improvement on day 6 of the ordeal.

Today, 2 weeks after the tomatoes were consumed, the cat is still recovering.

skykitty · Jul 31, 2003

OMG!!!!!!!! Thank you so very much for the article, Crazy-Cat-Lover!! We will cease giving Legolas tomatoes. I'm going to keep your article just in case Legolas starts to develop any of the symptoms mentioned.

Should I induce vomiting? Or should I just take Legolas to the Vet?

Please, please respond!

Now I know I'm a bad Mommy!

April

shell · Jul 31, 2003

How big of a piece did he eat?

skykitty · Jul 31, 2003

We gave him a very tiny piece then noticed he jumped onto the counter and ate quite a bit of the tomatoe!

April

shell · Jul 31, 2003

I'd call your Vet. If that isn't an option, you might want to get in touch with a ER Vet clinic. If that too isn't an option, you could call poison control for pets but they do charge around $40 for the call. Here's the number for poison control:888-426-4435 or 900-680-000

shell · Jul 31, 2003

Here's a Poison Control website that I found:

http://www.animalpoisonhotline.com/

sicycat · Jul 31, 2003

Here's another list of things not to feed your cat:

http://www.peteducation.com/article....articleid=1029

skykitty · Jul 31, 2003

Thanks for the effort Shell, but I'm in Canada and can't afford the $35.00 US just for a phone call!

Any other suggestions please don't hesitate!

Legolas is playing like crazy right now, he looks and is acting quite normally. Now I feel like I'm going to lose yet another pet within a short period of time. I've already lost my Shadow and my Doberman J.A.G. just a couple of weeks afterwards.

Am I going to lose my Legolas as well?

April

shell · Jul 31, 2003

Don't panic! The one who would know what to do is Hissy. Maybe you could Pm her and see if she has any suggestions for you.

I'm sorry I'm not much help!

skykitty · Jul 31, 2003

Hey Shell, at least you tried to help me! I can only be grateful and thank you for your efforts! So Thank You!

Scisy, thank you for your link as well! I'll check it out immediately! I'll keep everyone posted as to what is going on with Legolas! Meanwhile all I'll ask now is to pray that I don't lose him as well!

Thank You All!

April

shell · Jul 31, 2003

I Pm'd Hissy...hopefully she can shed some light on the subject!

skykitty · Jul 31, 2003

That's great Shell, thank you so much for doing that for me! I've been keeping a very close eye on Legolas just in case! But, so far he's still running around like a crazy kitten and playing and attacking Aragorn! So far so good, I hope and I pray!!!!!

April

crazy-cat-lover · Jul 31, 2003

April, I wouldn't worry to much. My cat Rascal used to eat alphagetti all the time. I found out that tomatoes were toxic to cats, and I freaked out to! If your cat isn't showing any symptoms, then just keep an eye on him. If he does start to look ill, get him to the vet ASAP!

hissy · Jul 31, 2003

I wish I had seen this thread earlier, thanks Shell for the head's up. People, your cats are carnivores, not herbivores. You should stay to a regular meat based diet of canned food and dry food only. If they are having diarrhea or stomach upset, it is fine to introduce fiber by feeding little bits of canned pumpkin or steamed and mashed green beans into their normal food.

Tomatoes are toxic to cats. It depends on how much was consumed, how big or little the cat is, how much water it drank afterward. You will need to watch for signs of irritiablity, excitability, tremors, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. You see any of those signs, get the cat to the vet pronto! It is not a good idea to let your cat lick your dinner plate, share your garlic smothered shrimp or chicken or eat anything other than what nature intended them to eat.

Recently someone emailed me very distressed. They had thrown a a 4th of July barbecue and had made steaks marinated in garlic oil and vegetable oil. They grilled the steak outside, everyone sat down and enjoyed the great food. The house cat came outside and guests thought it cute that it begged, so small bits were fed to it over the couse of the meal. Four hours later, the owner was at the vets with a dead cat! They wanted to know why if garlic was included in lots of pet food products, why their cat died. The reason is the garlic in pet food products has been refined and manufactured to the point that it is not dangerous. Potent and in full strength, garlic can and will cause major problems for your cat.

Sorry lecture over, and inducing vomiting on your cat is not a great idea unless you really know what your are doing, and if you have a vet behind you telling you how to do it. Administer the wrong amount of mixture to your cat and bad things can happen. If I were you, I would call your vet at the first sign of something looking wrong with your cat and keep your cat's food to pet food items only. Don't experiment, no matter how much the cat might beg.

My Kitten Likes Tomatoes!

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