Put simply, chocolate is dangerous for cats to consume. If a cat eats a sufficient amount of chocolate, it will at some point stop breathing and die. On the internet, there are numerous debates among cat owners over how much chocolate is too much to feed a cat before it life-threatening. Of course, the answer depends on many factors and it’s nearly impossible to predict how an individual cat will react to a certain amount of chocolate intake. One thing is certain though — especially if you’re talking about milk chocolate — one piece of chocolate can cause serious health issues and death in cats.
How much chocolate does it take to kill a cat?
That’s the question we’re asking today, and the answer is: not as much as you might think.
A cat can eat up to 100mg of chocolate per pound of body weight before it becomes dangerous. That means if your cat weighs six pounds, they can stomach around 600mg of chocolate—and that doesn’t even include what they’ve already eaten!
But why would they want to eat so much chocolate? Well, there are a few reasons. First of all, cats like the taste of chocolate because it contains an alkaloid called theobromine. The same chemical is also found in coffee and tea, which explains why some cats love those things too! Theobromine stimulates the central nervous system and increases heart rate in cats, so if your cat gets into some chocolate and begins acting weirdly (like running around more than usual), you’ll know why: they might be feeling the effects of this drug!
What should I do if my cat eats chocolate?
If your cat has eaten any amount of chocolate (even just one piece!), call your vet immediately. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy
How much chocolate does it take to kill a cat
Why is chocolate bad for cats?
Theobromine, the primary active ingredient in cocoa and chocolate, is toxic to cats. Theobromine is a stimulant that can cause vomiting, diarrhea, increased heart rate and abnormal heart rhythms. The lethal dose of theobromine for cats depends on the amount of cocoa in the chocolate they eat. For example:
- 4 ounces of milk chocolate can kill a cat;
- 28 ounces of dark chocolate can kill a cat;
But you don’t have to worry too much about your cat eating too much milk or dark chocolate because it takes about 50 pounds (22.7 kg) for them to get sick from those forms of chocolate. But all other types are dangerous no matter how much they eat, according to WebMD veterinarians
Some types of chocolate are worse than others.
While it’s true that all types of chocolate can be toxic to cats, dark chocolate is the most dangerous. In fact, one ounce of dark chocolate per pound of cat can cause death. The higher concentration of caffeine and theobromine (a chemical similar to caffeine) means that only a small amount is needed to cause symptoms in cats. If you’re worried about your pet eating some cocoa powder or baking chocolate, keep in mind that white chocolate is the least dangerous option out there. It has very little cocoa solids and therefore contains less methylxanthine alkaloids. However, even though white chocolate may not be as harmful as other kinds of dark chocolates, it does still contain some caffeine which could still harm your cat if they eat too much at once!
Semi-sweet chocolates are medium risk for your feline friend because they don’t have quite as much methylxanthines compared with unsweetened baking chocolates but do contain slightly more than milk or white varieties do so make sure not overdo it on these either!
How much chocolate will hurt my cat?
The amount of chocolate your cat can eat depends on its size. Generally, the smaller you cat is, the less it will need to be poisoned by chocolate. If you have a small kitten or kitten-sized cat and are worried about them eating too much chocolate, consider using a mini-hint for your next gift giving event (or just buy me some Nutella sandwiches).
Also keep in mind that darker chocolate has more caffeine than milk or white chocolate so if you’re shopping around for healthy alternatives, go with something like rice crispies instead of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
What should I do if my cat gets into the chocolate?
If your cat gets into chocolate, you’ll need to call the vet immediately. If you can, tell them how much chocolate the cat ate. If it’s late at night and your regular vet is closed, contact an emergency vet or poison control.
Read your labels, keep the chocolate out of reach, and if your cat does get sick, you need to seek help from a vet.
Chocolate is very dangerous for cats, but if you keep your chocolate in a safe place and keep the lids on tightly, you can protect your cat from getting into it. If you think your cat might have gotten into some chocolate, look for symptoms of poisoning like diarrhea and vomiting. If you find these symptoms or anything else that worries you about what’s happening with your pet and it was exposed to chocolate, then go see a vet right away!