Cats and Tea

[hellymedic]

Blackie might have helped herself to some of David's weak tea.

I know chocolate is harmful to cats because of its theobromine.

I believe tea contains this too.

Now what?

[Kim]

*googles*

3.6mg of Theobromine in a fresh cup of really strong tea.
LD₅₀ in cats is 200mg/kg (no known lowest toxic dose).

On that basis, I suggest not panicking, but not encouraging a tea habit.


It's dogs that are usually the problem, as they're actually inclined to eat chocolate (dogs are inclined to eat pretty much anything, as far as I can see).  Cats' sense of taste is wired for protein and fat, and they're uninterested in sweet things, so unlikely to do more than have one lick your chocolate and walk off in disgust.  Not sure if there's an edge case with, say, chocolate ice cream, but that's not the sort of thing that you tend to leave lying around.

[hellymedic]

From what I've read, I don't need to worry.

This was David's second pint mug made from his morning teabag.

I've told David to keep tea from Blackie!