Dangerous foods for cats....in other countries?

potatodood

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So many of us knows what foods we shouldn't feed cats-the standard chocolate, onion, grapes, raisins, garlic, etc. But does anyone know what other countries' "no-no list" is? I would think that each country has their own common food items that you shouldn't feed cats.

I live in a Chinese household, and my mom makes soup with all kinds of random Chinese things in there, and adds in a chicken. I take the chicken meat and feed it to my feral, for some extra calories. I'm worried that the chicken is absorbing the random chinese ingredients and he could be eating some things that will make him sick. On the other hand, he's been eating chicken for several months, if not over a year, and nothing has happened yet. 

While I primarily want to know about China, I am curious if anyone knows any other countries because it would be really interesting to learn. 
 

ritz

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Interesting question, and I'll be curious as to the answer. This is a wild shot, but I would think you'd have to be careful about wild game. Cooked would be okay, but for those of us who fed raw, I'd want to freeze the meat for a few days or longer out of caution.
I'm kind of paranoid about feeding spices to cats, no matter how diluted. And I'm not sure rinsing chicken or other meats that have been cooked in a lot of garlic/onion would get rid of the toxins. I'd also be careful (curious...) about cooking with certain flowers. While somewhat uncommon in the USA, I imagine perhaps not so much in other countries.
 

pinkdagger

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It's touch and go with Chinese things - my mom would argue that you can feed a cat anything and it'll be fine. In rural China, they used to - and still do now, in fact - feed their cats and dogs tablescraps, which included cooked bones from fish and poultry soaked in salty soy sauce with leftover rice and vegetables. High sodium, high carb, high sugar, vegetables, cooked bones... but all those people would argue their pets are "fine".

The things that go into soup vary SO much, and I don't know how much gets released by each ingredient or how much gets absorbed by the meat. Off the top of my head, my mom would sometimes use goji berries, snow fungus, cloud ear fungus, dates, Chinese yam, milk vetch root, lotus nuts, dangshen, licorice root, yu zhu... but since these things are all so highly praised in Chinese soups and their healthfulness, it's hard to find any cat-specific information and I'm sure quite a bit of it would just be anecdotal in that someone's cat didn't die when they ate some of it.

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Cats-1606/2010/6/Goji-Berries.htm
 Most articles indicate that goji berries are good for people and function as an immune system balancer.  It also notes that they are only good in moderation.  However, I found another article that says they are toxic for dogs, but on forgojiberries.com, it states that they are good for cats.  However I wouldn't go so far as to take their word for it, as they are trying to sell the berries and have no affiliation with cat nutrition whatsoever, so I would still highly recommend consulting a vet to inquire as to whether or not they are actually safe to feed cats.  Until then, don't allow your cat to have anymore.  It's always better to be safe than sorry.
This link lists milk vetch as poisonous in its entirety: http://www.earthclinic.com/Pets/poisonous_plants.html

For licorice root, I found a page that says
 Feeding dried, chopped roots to herbivores is fine if tolerated, but dogs and cats have very short digestive tracts that may not absorb the active constituents quickly and completely.
Quite a few other sites say licorice root can be good for cats:
 This one can be eaten and cats love it.  It’s a natural cortisone (for you and your cat) and soothes itching, allergies, endocrine ailments, digestive issues and respiratory problems (as it soothes the mucus membranes).  As a general anti-inflammatory it is great for cats (and people) with arthritis.
I'm not sure how much vets would know about these herbs and such, but it could be worth asking. Maybe the next time I have an appointment, if I get the same vet (she's Chinese as well) I can ask.. but we're not due for an appointment for a while yet.
 
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potatodood

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Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of high hopes for definitive answers. But maybe I can learn a little more if someone form Europe responds?
 

mservant

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I don't know if it is so much that things vary from one country to another as your cat is more likely to come across one thing more often in some countries than another.  There's a pretty good article on TCS, and a thread which I have added here, and definitely be careful on the garlic family and cats:

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/common-foods-that-are-harmful-to-cats

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/174854/101-things-that-can-harm-your-cat/0_

The list in 101 things that can harm was not just written with cats in mind so when you read things like 'socks' use your common sense and remind yourself that this is for dogs too. The foods and plants though are definitely helpful here.
 

emandjee

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I believe a friend from Japan mentioned avoid feeding calamari (squid) to cats. Apparently, it's similar effect is the same as fish (thiamine deficiency), and enough of it or regular feeding would cause cats to appear to walk "drunk". Cats there can easily become addicted, so it's not recommended. After noting that, I've personally decided to avoid feeding my cats any seafood with the exception of occasional canned, sodium-free, water-packed sardines for omega-3s since I also feed a raw diet to my cats.

So in short, avoid seafood as the main source for protein.
 
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