TempoLife › Features › Can dogs and cats eat it?
Pet food safety
35 foods with their dog and cat verdicts from the ASPCA Animal Poison Control lists — toxic, risky, caution or safe, each with the reason and what to do — plus a calorie calculator for your pet.
Not veterinary advice. If your pet has eaten something concerning — or shows vomiting, lethargy, tremors or seizures — call your veterinarian or a pet poison line immediately; waiting to see how it goes is the one thing that reliably makes it worse.
| Food | Dogs | Cats |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate | Toxic | Toxic |
| Grapes and raisins | Toxic | Risky |
| Onion, garlic, chives, leek (any form) | Toxic | Toxic |
| Xylitol (sugar-free gum and sweets) | Toxic | Risky |
| Macadamia nuts | Toxic | Caution |
| Alcohol | Toxic | Toxic |
| Coffee, tea and caffeine | Toxic | Toxic |
| Raw yeast dough | Toxic | Toxic |
| Cooked bones | Risky | Risky |
| Avocado | Caution | Caution |
| Milk and dairy | Caution | Caution |
| Salty snacks | Risky | Risky |
| Citrus fruit | Caution | Caution |
| Coconut | Caution | Caution |
| Apple (no seeds or core) | Safe | Safe |
| Banana | Safe | Safe |
| Blueberries | Safe | Safe |
| Carrot | Safe | Safe |
| Cucumber | Safe | Safe |
| Watermelon (no seeds or rind) | Safe | Safe |
| Plain cooked chicken | Safe | Safe |
| Plain cooked rice | Safe | Safe |
| Peanut butter (no xylitol) | Safe | Caution |
| Plain pumpkin | Safe | Safe |
| Green beans | Safe | Safe |
| Cooked sweet potato | Safe | Safe |
| Cooked eggs | Safe | Safe |
| Cooked salmon | Safe | Safe |
| Cooked fish | Safe | Safe |
| Canned tuna (human food) | Caution | Caution |
| Raw fish | Risky | Risky |
| Dog food (fed to cats) | Safe | Risky |
| Cherries, plums, peaches (pits) | Risky | Risky |
| Mouldy food | Toxic | Toxic |
| Nandina berries (heavenly bamboo) | Toxic | Toxic |
Daily calories for your pet
RER = 70 × weight^0.75 gives the resting baseline; MER = RER × a life-stage factor gives the maintenance figure. The factors are the commonly used clinical ones (WSAVA nutrition toolkit), stated openly.
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Sources: ASPCA Animal Poison Control — toxic and non-toxic foods · WSAVA Global Nutrition Toolkit · checked 2026-09-03
Frequently asked questions
What should I do if my dog ate chocolate?
Call a veterinarian or pet poison line straight away — with the type of chocolate, the amount and the dog's weight to hand. Dark chocolate is far more dangerous than milk. Do not wait for signs.
Why do dogs and cats get different verdicts?
Different metabolisms. Dogs tolerate some foods cats cannot, cats are more sensitive to others (essential oils, onions in any form), and some risks — xylitol — are catastrophic in dogs but largely a non-issue in cats. The table shows both columns because they genuinely differ.
How many calories does my pet need?
The resting energy requirement — the baseline — is 70 × weight in kg to the power of 0.75. The maintenance figure multiplies that by a life-stage factor (neutered adult ×1.6, intact ×1.8, puppy ×2-3, active/working ×2-5). The calculator below does the arithmetic with those openly stated factors.
Track the pet, not just the food
TempoLife keeps routines in one place — meals, walks, weight — so a change shows up early.