What worry, what anguish, your cat has eaten chocolate and you are wondering how much chocolate can kill a cat? Indeed, the risk of poisoning and death is not the same if a cat has eaten nutella, chocolate yogurt, chocolate cake or a whole bar of dark chocolate.
In fact, the risk of death depends on the type of chocolate, the amount swallowed and your cat's weight. This is what we will discover below, in particular with risk assessment tables that take into account the quantity ingested in relation to the weight of the cat.
Why can chocolate kill my cat?
Chocolate, and more specifically cocoa, is toxic to cats and can even kill them. Indeed, cocoa contains two substances that cats cannot tolerate: la theobromine and caffeine. It is especially theobromine which has harmful effects on the organism of cats because they do not have the enzymes necessary to assimilate these substances.
My cat ate chocolate - What effects on my cat?
Unlike humans for whom chocolate has antidepressant and energizing properties, on cats, the effects of chocolate are not at all positive. Chocolate provokes them severe digestive problems which translate into vomiting, acute diarrhea and fatal poisonings. Chocolate also causes cats to have nervous and heart problems.
My cat ate chocolate - is he intoxicated?
We cannot immediately know if the cat who ate chocolate is intoxicated or not. Indeed, the first symptoms of chocolate poisoning usually appear in the 24 to 48 hours after the cat swallows it.
If your cat has eaten too much chocolate, if he is intoxicated, he will develop the following symptoms:
- tremors,
- vomiting,
- diarrhea,
- hypersalivation,
- signs of fatigue, lethargy,
- breathing difficulties,
- heart rhythm disturbances,
- convulsions and sometimes coma.
My cat ate chocolate - what to do?
Unless your cat has eaten only a very small amount of chocolate (see risk assessment table below), otherwise do not wait and take him as quickly as possible to the veterinary emergency.
Remember to note the time your cat ate the chocolate and take the chocolate wrapper for the vet to assess the content of theobromine absorbed.
Can all chocolates kill a cat?
No, white chocolate for example is not very toxic for cats. In fact, chocolates contain cocoa, sugar, and cocoa butter or other vegetable fats. And since it is on the part contained in the cocoa that there is theobromine, the more the chocolate contains cocoa, the more toxic it is.
The dangerousness of chocolate therefore depends on its cocoa content. Here are some guidelines that will help you better assess the risks of the type of chocolate.
How Much Chocolate Can Kill a Cat?
We cannot say, for example, that 30 grams of chocolate will kill all cats. In fact, it is different for each cat because it depends on their age, weight and state of health. Then it also depends on the dose ingested and the type of chocolate (see above).
Here are two tables which indicate the risk of toxicity or poisoning according to the type of chocolate, the weight of the cat and the quantity of chocolate swallowed:
How Much MILK CHOCOLATE can kill a cat?
The table below can help you if your cat has eaten nutella, Kinder eggs, milk chocolate bars, low cocoa milk chocolate, chocolate bars, chocolate cake ...
How much DARK CHOCOLATE can kill a cat?
The table below may help you if your cat has eaten dark, high cocoa, powder, or pastry-type chocolate. It is the most dangerous type of chocolate for cats. Indeed, the toxicity of dark chocolate is almost 10 times greater than that of milk chocolate.
See also: How do I know if my cat is sick?