Is it safe to feed my cat table scraps, or could it make them sick?

Ideally you would feed your dog consistently the same dry dog food. Some dogs have a sensitive stomach and switching up food/offering table food can cause stomach upset (vomiting, diarrhea), or can lead to a picky eater. Also some human foods can be toxic to dogs (raisins, grapes, and garlic and onion are not recommended). I would try to stick to a consistent dry dog food for your dog, which will also provide a more complete and balanced source of nutrition.

People food is just that – food for people. Cats are obligate carnivores, and as such, have a delicate balance of protein, carbohydrates, fat, and vitamins and minerals that must be maintained. Cats should eat a balanced high quality diet in order to meet all of their nutritional needs. Unbalanced diets with vitamin/mineral imbalances risk a variety of health problems. Home cooked diets are not as commonly recommended, but are preferred by some cats and pet owners. If you opt to go down this road, a carefully crafted recipe by a specialist in veterinary nutrition should be used with proper vitamin and mineral supplementation. Even with a commercial diet, occasional treats of boiled white meat chicken, turkey, salmon, or tuna can be perfectly fine in small quantities.

It is not recommended to feed Gizmo table scraps. When feeding a dog table scraps they can develop intestinal issues, pancreatitis or even more prone to obesity. I recommend sticking with one type of puppy food until Gizmo is a year old. Once he is a year old I would recommend gradually transitioning him to an adult food. If you really wanted to do a homecooked diet for Gizmo then I would recommend a veterinary nutritionist at petdiets.com where they can formulate a diet that has all the nutrients Gizmo needs. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. You can feed your cat canned tuna, chicken, other meats (just cook them as you would for yourself), potatoes, carrots, pumpkin/squash. There are other foods as well. Avoid toxic foods (grapes, onions, garlic, raisins, chocolate) and very fatty foods, but just give a bit of your food. Spicy food should be avoided as well. Best of luck with your kitty!

I recommend keeping table foods to 10% or less of the diet. All the foods you listed are not toxic and could be offered: onion, garlic, and fatty foods would be the main ones to avoid. I don’t think supplementing with KMR would be necessary for your other cat - you would be better off offering canned cat food mixed with water as it is nutritionally complete for an adult. While petroleum jelly would be okay you may have difficulty getting your cats to eat it.

No, I would not make part of your pet's diet human food. Animals do not need human food, and their pet food will provide all the nutrients they need. Giving them human food too often can lead to obesity, which then can lead to health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, and joint problems. I would feed your pet their animal formulated food only.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! You can use canned tuna and chicken which are both great. Also, cooked fish, lean turkey and lean red meats which they tend to like a lot too. Good luck and have a great day!