Can cats eat it?

Quick answers by group

Fruit. Small amounts: bananas, coconut, peaches, watermelon. Avoid: citrus fruit. Toxic: grapes, raisins.

Vegetables. Safe: carrots, cucumbers, green beans. Toxic: chives, garlic, leeks, onions.

Meat and fish. Safe: chicken, fish, salmon, turkey. Small amounts: eggs, tuna. Avoid: bones, fat trimmings and skin, meat baby food, raw meat.

Dairy. Small amounts: cheese, yogurt. Avoid: milk.

Nuts. Avoid: nuts.

Grains. Toxic: raw bread dough.

Sweets. Toxic: chocolate, xylitol (sugar-free gum and candy).

Other. Avoid: salty snacks. Toxic: alcohol, coffee and caffeine.

How to read the verdicts

Safe foods are fine plain, in sensible amounts. Small amounts means safe but sugary, fatty or easy to overdo. Avoid means not poisonous, but the risks outweigh the benefit. Toxic foods can poison a cat: call your vet or a poison line if your cat eats one.

Whatever the food, vets recommend keeping all treats under 10% of your cat's daily calories. Each safe food page shows what that means in grams for a small, average and large cat.

Sources: the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, PetMD, VCA Animal Hospitals and a veterinarian-written guide from Embrace Pet Insurance, linked on each page. How we check.