In the wild, cats catch and eat prey – skin, muscle, fat, fur, feathers and all. Domestic cats have very similar nutritional requirements to their wild cousins and your cat’s diet needs to include all that their bodies need to stay healthy. The best way to ensure your cat has all the nutrients they need is to provide a complete cat food, as recommended by your veterinarian. However, sometimes you may want to give your cat a treat, or disguise some medicine in tasty food, so it's important to know what treats are safe for your cat.

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It is fun to give our cats an occasional treat and see them enjoying their food. However, it's important to make sure their diet is healthy and nutritionally balanced. Cat nutritional requirements are very different to human nutritional requirements, so our food is often not appropriate for our cats. Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning that virtually all of their nutritional requirements should come from meat. Cats are not designed to eat or digest plant material. Even non-toxic plants can cause tummy upsets. It can be really hard to try and provide a balanced "natural" diet for your cat, as their natural diet involves hunting and eating freshly killed prey. Commercially made cat foods, from reputable veterinary endorsed brands, have teams of scientists, nutritionists and veterinarians who have created easy to feed nutritionally balanced diets that contain all your cat needs. The best way to feed your cat is usually to offer one of these scientifically researched diets, your veterinary team can advise you as to which ones may suit your cat. If you do offer extra treats occasionally, offer a little less of their normal food on that day, so that they don’t become overweight.

It can be helpful to know which human foods are safe for cats, as you may want to give the occasional treat, or may need a tasty treat to hide some medication in. It may be that your cat tends to lick dirty plates, or steal food occasionally, so it's good to have an idea of when you need to worry about something they may have eaten. The following common household foods should not be fed as part of your cat's regular diet, but are unlikely to cause them many issues if they eat a little bit now and again:

• Cheese: dairy products, including cheese, should, not be part of your cat's regular diet, as cats are not designed to digest dairy products. A tiny piece of cheese now and again is unlikely to do any harm though.  If your cat eats a large amount of cheese, ask your veterinarian for advice.
• Cooked eggs: a little bit of plain cooked egg is unlikely to cause any problems.
• Bread: cats can't digest the complex carbohydrates in bread.  If your cat steals a bit of toast or sandwich it’s unlikely to cause long-term damage, but if they eat a large amount speak to your veterinarian for advice and be prepared to deal with some vomiting or diarrhea!
• Cooked chicken is safe in small quantities.
• Prawns and tuna fish are safe, tasty treats to give now and again.
• Fruit (strawberries, watermelon, apples, blueberries, tomatoes, avocado, cucumber) and vegetables (carrot, sweetcorn, broccoli, potatoes): cats are not designed to eat fruit or vegetables, but small amounts of these fruit  and veg are unlikely to cause any problems, other than perhaps an upset tummy. Raw potato should be avoided, as it can be toxic and can be a choking hazard. The center of corn on the cob should also be avoided as this can cause intestinal blockages.
• Cooked rice is safe in small quantities, but should not be a regular part of your cat's diet.
• Ham/bacon: these should not be regular treats as the high fat and salt content is not good for your cat, but if they pinch a tiny bit there shouldn't be too much cause for concern.
• Peanut butter: if your cat licks a small amount of peanut butter it won't cause too much trouble, but avoid letting this happen too often as this high fat treat is not good for cats.
• Honey: a tiny lick of honey now and again will be harmless to most cats but avoid this happening too often as the high sugar content is not good for cats and can lead to dental disease, obesity and diabetes. Diabetic cats should not have access to honey as this will affect their insulin requirements.
• Pasta: pasta has no nutritional value for cats and it may cause tummy upsets.  Pasta should not be part of your cats regular diet, but if they do steal a piece from a plate or some that has fallen on the floor, it is unlikely that this small amount will cause any issues.

"If in doubt, don't feed it", is the best rule to live by when it comes to offering your cat treats. Some foods that should definitely be avoided include:

• Chocolate: chocolate contains theobromine, which can be toxic to cats. Darker chocolate is the most toxic, but even milk chocolate should be avoided as it may contain smaller amounts of theobromine. White chocolate and milk chocolate have high fat and sugar content, which is not good for cats. Many chocolates also contain caffeine - also not good for cats. If your cat eats any chocolate , call your veterinarian and have the packaging to hand to help them decide whether your pet needs to be seen at the veterinary surgery.
• Raw chicken: raw feeding can be a controversial topic and people can have strong feelings about this. Cats are of course designed to eat raw meat (small mammals and garden birds), however, it’s not quite so straight forward. Raw chicken, however fresh, often has bacteria on it.  These bacteria are killed by the cooking process, but if ingested raw they can multiply and cause nasty gastrointestinal diseases. Raw meat can also contain parasites.  Wild cats eat the skin, bones, fat and muscle of their prey and obtain different nutrients from different parts of the carcass. Raw chicken is just muscle and so your cat will be deficient in certain nutrients if this is all they eat.
• Grapes (raisins/sultanas): it's hard to advise on these foods, as although we know they are toxic to dogs, we are not yet sure whether the same applies to cats. No cases of grape/dried fruit toxicosis in cats have been reported in the literature. It may be that cats do not eat enough of these foods to become poorly, or it may be that cats are not at risk. Until we know more, it's best to avoid feeding grapes or dried fruit to cats.
• Green tomatoes: contain solanine, which is toxic to cats, so are best avoided.
• Raw potato: contain solanine, which is toxic to cats. So, raw potatoes are best avoided.
• Onions and garlic: onions and garlic are in the Allium family, along with spring onion, shallots, field garlic, chives, leeks, wild garlic and false garlic. These plants can be toxic to cats and can cause vomiting, diarrhea and damage to red blood cells. Cats can become really ill from eating these plants, so always call your veterinarian for advice if you are worried. Remember that signs of illness may not occur until a few days after the onion was eaten but it’s best to start treatment as soon as you know they have eaten some. A small amount of these plants (eg a lick of garlic butter or a slice of onion), however, is unlikely to be an issue. Call your veterinarian if you are unsure.
• Rhubarb: contains oxalates and anthraquinones which can be harmful to cats if eaten in large amounts. The leaves contain more oxalates than the stalks. It's perhaps unlikely that any cat would eat enough rhubarb to become unwell, but best to avoid this plant to be on the safe side.

These lists of "safe" and "unsafe" foods are by no means exhaustive. If you want to know more about whether a specific food is safe, contact your veterinarian for advice. There is a huge amount of information on the internet, but some of it is wildly inaccurate and written by people without the correct training and qualifications to be giving such advice. If your veterinarian isn't sure, they can contact the Veterinary Poisons Information Service (or the equivalent in non-UK countries) to ask the experts there.