Can cats drink tea?

Cats cannot drink tea. If the cat drinks a small amount of tea, the owner can observe the cat's condition. If there are no abnormalities, feed more water to speed up metabolism. If you have vomiting, diarrhea, or drooling, you need to be taken to the clinic for further observation and treatment. The alkaloids in tea include caffeine, theobromine and theophylline, and contain methylxanthines. ​​​​​​

The cat itself cannot decompose it, which may cause poisoning in the cat, leading to symptoms such as loss of appetite, mental distress, vomiting, and diarrhea. In severe cases, the cat's central nervous system becomes overexcited, the heartbeat and breathing speed up, and heart failure and death may result. If the cat eats a lot of tea or strong tea, it is recommended that the owner immediately take vomiting or enema measures to expel the poison, and pay attention to observe whether the cat is abnormal. If there are any abnormalities, it is recommended to send them to the hospital for treatment in time.

The caffeine content in tea is about 2% to 5%, that is, 150 ml of tea contains about 40 mg of caffeine. After brewing for 3 minutes, the caffeine is basically dissolved in the tea. Caffeine is an organic compound with a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic structure and an alkaloid. Cats (dogs) do not have the corresponding enzymes to decompose alkaloids in their bodies, and they will accumulate in the body every time they are ingested. Once the content in the body reaches 100~200mg/kg, they may die.

As long as the intake reaches a certain amount, cats will suffer from loss of appetite, salivation, vomiting, dysentery, frequent urination, excitement of the central nervous system, shaking, unsteady steps, cramps, severe and even coma. There is currently no effective antidote for alkaloids, and we can only rely on the body's own "detoxification." If the cat only licks a few mouthfuls, you don’t need to worry too much. Feed the cat more water to promote metabolism and allow the cat to urinate. If the reaction becomes more severe, take the cat to the hospital immediately.