One of the biggest food enemies that your cat can encounter is chocolate. Not only is chocolate lethal to all cats. More than that, many people love it. Thus, it’s almost present in every home’s snack and dessert, and one of these foods is ice cream. It’s another reason why it poses a risk.
So, you love chocolate ice cream. However, your cat approaches you and asks you to share. Thus, you may ask:
Can cats eat chocolate ice cream? No, cats cannot eat chocolate ice cream. Ice cream on its own doesn’t suit a cat’s tummy. Further, the chocolate flavor is lethal to cats, even in small amounts. For this reason, don’t offer any chocolate ice cream to your pet. Moreover, avoid giving any food that has chocolate in it.
In this article, we’ll cover the things you need to do if your pet ate chocolate ice cream.
Without further ado, let’s get into it!
Contents
Is chocolate ice cream OK for cats?
No, chocolate ice cream is not OK for cats, even in small amounts. Both the ice cream and its chocolate flavor won’t do any good with cats. Moreover, it can even cause some health problems.
Chocolate contains ingredients called theobromine. It’s a component that can be toxic to cats if consumed.
On the other hand, ice cream consists of milk and sweetener as its main components. While these things aren’t toxic, they can cause some large amounts.
Aside from the hazardous effects this sweet dessert offers, it also has no nutritional benefits for your pet. Thus, it would be best to avoid sharing such a snack with your pet.
What happens if my cat eats chocolate ice cream?
If your cat eats chocolate ice cream, it will be prone to suffering some effects brought by the ice cream and chocolate.
For instance, the chocolate in itself contains theobromine. Even in small amounts, the component can harm your cat.
According to Wedge Wood Pharmacy, the symptoms of theobromine poisoning to cats are:
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Weakness
- Rapid breathing
- Elevated temperature
- Muscle rigidity
- Increased reflex response
- Seizures
On the other hand, ice cream contains milk, which means it has lactose. Cats don’t handle lactose well once they weaned. Thus, eating ice cream can cause diarrhea or an upset stomach.
Another thing to note is that ice cream contains many sweetening agents. If it’s sugar, it can cause diabetes in the long run.
If the ice cream is sugar-free, it may contain xylitol, which can be toxic to pets.
Related: Can Cats Eat Vanilla Ice Cream?
How much will chocolate ice cream kill a cat?
Since a small amount of chocolate is enough to harm a cat, giving too much chocolate can put their life at risk.
There’s no way of telling a precise toxic amount for cats. However, studies state that 20mg of theobromine per pound of cats’ weight can be lethal.
In general, that would be about 15 grams or three chocolate blocks. It may seem like a small amount for us, but it can already be lethal for our cats.
What to do if your cat ate chocolate ice cream?
Chocolate ice cream can be lethal to your pet. Thus, you need to respond immediately and call a vet for help.
Of course, as pet owners, we want to ensure our pet’s safety, and that we need to ensure that nothing is wrong with them.
Here are four things you need to do if your cat ate such food.
Observe your cat.
You need to observe your cat and look for any complication signs after eating chocolate ice cream. Observe even the small problems to help you identify if your pet is alright.
Some symptoms would mean danger, and if such happens, you may need to call or take your pet to the nearest vet. Among these are vomiting and pain.
Prevent your pet from eating more ice cream.
The last thing you’ll want is for your pet to eat more of it. Thus, you should put your pet in someplace where it won’t have access to anything inedible.
If you didn’t offer the ice cream, chances are your pet sneaked in the kitchen and eat some.
For this reason, it should serve as a lesson not to leave any ice cream unattended.
Understand what happened.
Take note of every detail you can gather regarding the incident. It will come in handy as you take your pet to the vet.
Here are a few questions that you need to answer and understand from the scene.
- How much ice cream did your cat eat?
- How much chocolate does the ice cream contain?
- What kind of chocolate does the ice cream contain?
- How long has it been since it happened?
Getting such information would make you understand how worse the incident is.
Moreover, it will help you report what happened if you visit the vet and ask about what happened.
Take your pet to your vet.
Since chocolate is lethal for cats, such an incident needs consultation with the vet.
It would be best to give your vet a call and state every piece of information about the incident. He or she will surely ask that you bring your pet to have it checked.
Your vet will ask you for all the necessary information. That’s the reason why you need to know everything about the incident.
Ingredients of chocolate ice cream
The ingredients of chocolate ice cream pose risks for cats. Thus, understanding their effects can help you understand the problems it may cause for your feline pet.
According to a blog, a homemade chocolate ice cream may contain ingredients such as the following:
- Heavy whipping cream
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Teaspoon vanilla extract
While the heavy whipping cream may have less lactose, it can be rich in fat, which isn’t ideal for cats in large amounts.
The sweetened condensed milk contains sweetening agents, and it’s usually sugar. Whatever the sweetener, it can cause harm to your pet in the long run.
Aside from sugar, the milk contains lactose, which can cause diarrhea for your pet.
As I said earlier, chocolate contains theobromine, and cocoa powder has it.
Lastly, the vanilla extract may not be harmful to cats. However, it’s not something they would like.
Also Read: Can Cats Eat Dog Ice Cream?
Alternatives to chocolate ice cream
Indeed, it’s quite tempting for us to give our pets some chocolate ice cream. However, always remember that it’s not ideal for them, so sharing shouldn’t be an option.
Instead of sharing some chocolate ice cream, you can offer food as an alternative.
Below is a list of food that can be a healthy treat for your cat. If you have some of these foods stored, you can give them without worries.
- Fish
- Meat
- Cheese
- Bananas
- Berries
- Melon
- Carrots
- Rice
- Pumpkin
- Oatmeal
- Eggs
- Spinach
When feeding treats or snacks, always remember that it shouldn’t take any more than 10% of their diet. This way, you won’t compromise their primary food.
Summary
In itself, ice cream poses some risks to your cat, even in a small amount. If it’s a chocolate-flavored one, it will only make things worse.
All kinds of chocolate contain theobromine. What makes it worse is that ice cream contains milk, which means it has lactose. Since most cats are lactose intolerant, any ice cream would not be good, and any chocolate ice cream would be toxic.
For this reason, it would be best to call a vet and ask for its help in case your pet ate some. Remember. Even a small amount of chocolate can hurt your pet.
In general, prevent such things from happening by keeping chocolate ice cream out of your pet’s reach. Moreover, contact a vet right away if your pet ate some.
Resources
Image credits – Canva
