Not all people food is unsafe for cats. Small amounts of certain plain, properly prepared foods may be offered as occasional treats or meal toppers.
How a food is prepared matters. Foods that are generally safe can become unsuitable when they are fried, heavily seasoned, covered in sauce, or prepared with ingredients such as onion, garlic, excessive salt, butter, alcohol, chocolate, or artificial sweeteners.
🐾 Before You Share
The foods on this page are generally considered suitable for healthy cats when prepared properly and offered in very small amounts. That does not mean every food will agree with every cat.
Introduce only one new food at a time. Stop feeding it if your cat develops vomiting, diarrhea, itching, swelling, unusual tiredness, difficulty breathing, or another concerning reaction.
🐈 Cats Are Obligate Carnivores
Cats depend on nutrients found in animal-based foods. Vegetables, fruits, and grains are not nutritional substitutes for meat and should never replace a complete and balanced cat food.
People foods should remain occasional extras. Even several individually safe ingredients do not automatically make a complete homemade diet for a cat.
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Jump to a food group:
🥩 Proteins 🐟 Fish 🥕 Vegetables 🍓 Fruits 🌾 Grains and Starches 🥄 Use With Moderation
🥩 Proteins
🍗 Chicken
✅ Why it can be a good choice
Chicken provides animal protein and is commonly used in commercial cat foods.
🍽️ How to serve
-
- Cook thoroughly.
- Serve plain and unseasoned.
- Remove the skin and excess fat.
- Remove every bone before serving.
- Cut or shred it into small pieces.
⚠️ Good to know
Never feed cooked chicken bones. They can splinter and cause choking, obstruction, or internal injury. Rotisserie chicken and seasoned leftovers may contain onion, garlic, excessive salt, or rich fats.
🥚 Eggs
✅ Why they can be a good choice
Eggs provide protein and may be used as a small occasional treat for many cats.
🍽️ How to serve
-
- Cook thoroughly.
- Serve boiled, poached, or scrambled.
- Do not add butter, milk, cheese, salt, or seasoning.
- Allow the egg to cool.
- Offer only a small spoonful.
⚠️ Good to know
Raw or undercooked eggs may contain harmful bacteria. Eggs are nutritious but calorie-dense, so they should not become a large part of the daily diet.
🥩 Lean Beef
✅ Why it can be a good choice
Lean beef provides animal protein and several nutrients and is used in many commercial cat foods.
🍽️ How to serve
-
- Cook thoroughly.
- Drain away excess grease.
- Serve plain, without seasoning or sauce.
- Remove bones, gristle, and large pieces of fat.
- Cut into small, easy-to-eat pieces.
⚠️ Good to know
Fatty meat, hamburger drippings, and greasy table scraps may cause digestive upset and add a large number of calories to a cat’s diet.
🐖 Pork
✅ Why it can be a good choice
Plain, lean pork provides animal protein and may be offered occasionally.
🍽️ How to serve
-
- Cook thoroughly.
- Choose a lean cut and trim excess fat.
- Serve plain and unseasoned.
- Remove every bone.
- Offer only a small amount.
⚠️ Good to know
Avoid bacon, ham, sausage, pepperoni, and other cured or highly seasoned pork products. They are often high in salt and fat and may contain unsafe seasonings.
🦃 Turkey
✅ Why it can be a good choice
Plain turkey is a source of animal protein and may be offered as a small treat or meal topper.
🍽️ How to serve
-
- Cook thoroughly.
- Serve without gravy, seasoning, or sauce.
- Remove the skin and excess fat.
- Remove every bone.
- Offer only a few small pieces.
⚠️ Good to know
Holiday turkey may contain butter, salt, onion, garlic, stuffing, or other ingredients that should not be shared with cats.
🐟 Fish
🐟 Salmon
✅ Why it can be a good choice
Salmon provides animal protein and omega-3 fatty acids.
🍽️ How to serve
-
- Cook thoroughly.
- Serve plain and unseasoned.
- Carefully remove every bone.
- Offer only a small portion.
⚠️ Good to know
Avoid raw, smoked, cured, heavily salted, or seasoned salmon. Salmon prepared for people may contain garlic, onion, butter, sauces, or excessive salt.
🐠 Sardines
✅ Why they can be a good choice
Sardines provide animal protein and omega-3 fatty acids and are naturally small fish.
🍽️ How to serve
-
- Choose sardines packed in water.
- Select a product without added salt or seasoning.
- Drain before serving.
- Offer only a small piece or spoonful.
⚠️ Good to know
Avoid sardines packed in spicy sauces, brine, heavy oils, or products containing onion or garlic. Sardines should remain an occasional treat rather than a daily food.
🐟 Tuna
✅ Why it can be a good choice
Many cats enjoy tuna, and a very small amount may be offered occasionally.
🍽️ How to serve
-
- Choose tuna packed in water rather than oil.
- Select a low-sodium or no-salt-added product when available.
- Drain it before serving.
- Serve plain and only occasionally.
⚠️ Good to know
Human canned tuna is not a complete cat food and should not be fed as a regular meal. Frequent feeding may unbalance the diet, and tuna can contain more mercury than many smaller fish.
🐟 Whitefish
✅ Why it can be a good choice
Cooked whitefish is a lean source of animal protein and is used in many commercial cat foods.
🍽️ How to serve
-
- Cook thoroughly.
- Serve plain and unseasoned.
- Remove every bone carefully.
- Flake into small pieces.
- Avoid breading, sauces, and frying.
⚠️ Good to know
Check fish carefully for tiny bones before serving. Fish should be an occasional extra unless it is part of a complete and balanced cat food.
🥕 Vegetables
Cats do not require vegetables in the same way people do. Some cats enjoy tiny portions, while others have no interest in them. Keep vegetable servings small and optional.
🥕 Carrots
✅ Why they may be offered
Cooked carrots provide fiber and beta-carotene and may be accepted by some cats as an occasional treat.
🍽️ How to serve
-
- Wash thoroughly.
- Steam or boil until soft.
- Cut or mash into very small pieces.
- Serve without butter, sugar, salt, or seasoning.
⚠️ Good to know
Hard raw carrot pieces may be difficult for cats to chew and can present a choking risk. Carrots should never replace animal-based food.
🫛 Green Beans
✅ Why they may be offered
Plain green beans provide fiber and may appeal to cats that enjoy their texture.
🍽️ How to serve
-
- Serve fresh, frozen, steamed, or canned.
- Choose plain varieties without added salt.
- Cut into very small pieces.
- Offer only a bite or two.
⚠️ Good to know
Avoid green-bean casseroles and seasoned vegetable mixtures, which may contain onion, garlic, butter, cheese, or excessive salt.
🌱 Peas
✅ Why they may be offered
Plain peas provide fiber and are included in some commercial cat foods.
🍽️ How to serve
-
- Serve fresh, frozen, or cooked.
- Choose plain peas without butter or seasoning.
- Mash them or offer only a few individual peas.
- Remove peas from tough pods.
⚠️ Good to know
Canned peas may contain considerable added salt. Cats with diabetes, urinary disease, kidney disease, or another medical condition may need individualized ingredient restrictions.
🎃 Pumpkin
✅ Why it may be offered
Plain pumpkin provides fiber and moisture and is sometimes used as a small addition to a cat’s regular food.
🍽️ How to serve
-
- Use plain cooked pumpkin.
- Plain canned pumpkin may also be used.
- Stir only a small amount into the cat’s usual food.
- Introduce gradually.
⚠️ Good to know
Plain canned pumpkin and pumpkin-pie filling are not the same product. Pie filling may contain sugar, spices, and other added ingredients. Ask your veterinarian before using pumpkin to manage ongoing constipation or diarrhea.
🥒 Zucchini
✅ Why it may be offered
Zucchini contains water and fiber and may be offered in tiny amounts to cats that enjoy it.
🍽️ How to serve
-
- Wash thoroughly.
- Serve steamed or cooked until tender.
- Cut into very small pieces.
- Do not add oil, salt, garlic, onion, or seasoning.
⚠️ Good to know
Do not feed zucchini that tastes unusually bitter. An intensely bitter flavor may indicate naturally occurring compounds that can cause illness.
🍓 Fruits
Cats do not need fruit, and many cats cannot taste sweetness the way people do. Fruit should be limited to a tiny, occasional taste and should never displace animal-based food.
🫐 Blueberries
✅ Why they may be offered
A few plain blueberries may be offered to a cat that shows interest in them.
🍽️ How to serve
-
- Wash thoroughly.
- Cut or mash them to reduce choking risk.
- Serve plain.
- Offer only one or two at a time.
⚠️ Good to know
Blueberry muffins, pies, syrups, and sweetened products are not equivalent to plain fruit and may contain unsafe or excessively rich ingredients.
🍈 Cantaloupe
✅ Why it may be offered
Some cats are attracted to the aroma of cantaloupe and may enjoy a tiny piece.
🍽️ How to serve
-
- Remove the rind and seeds.
- Cut into very small pieces.
- Serve fresh and plain.
- Offer only occasionally.
⚠️ Good to know
Cantaloupe contains natural sugar and should be limited, particularly for overweight cats or cats with diabetes.
🍓 Strawberries
✅ Why they may be offered
A tiny piece of plain strawberry may be offered occasionally to a cat that enjoys it.
🍽️ How to serve
-
- Wash thoroughly.
- Remove the leafy top.
- Cut into very small pieces.
- Serve fresh and plain.
⚠️ Good to know
Strawberries contain natural sugar. Avoid canned strawberries, jam, syrup, chocolate-covered fruit, and sweetened desserts.
🍉 Watermelon
✅ Why it may be offered
Watermelon contains a great deal of water and may be offered as a tiny warm-weather treat.
🍽️ How to serve
-
- Remove the rind completely.
- Remove all seeds.
- Cut the flesh into very small pieces.
- Offer only a bite or two.
⚠️ Good to know
The rind is difficult to digest and may cause gastrointestinal problems. Watermelon also contains natural sugar and should be offered sparingly.
🌾 Grains and Starches
Cats have no dietary requirement for a bowl of grains or starches. Small amounts may be tolerated, but these foods should remain minor extras and never replace animal protein or complete cat food.
🥣 Oatmeal
✅ Why it may be offered
Plain cooked oatmeal may be tolerated by some cats as a tiny occasional taste.
🍽️ How to serve
-
- Cook thoroughly in water.
- Allow it to cool.
- Serve plain.
- Offer no more than a small spoonful.
⚠️ Good to know
Avoid flavored oatmeal and products containing raisins, chocolate, excessive sugar, milk, or artificial sweeteners. Oatmeal should not replace meat or complete cat food.
🍚 White Rice
✅ Why it may be offered
Plain cooked white rice may be tolerated by some cats in very small amounts.
🍽️ How to serve
-
- Cook thoroughly in water.
- Serve plain and cooled.
- Offer only a small spoonful mixed with the cat’s usual food.
⚠️ Good to know
White rice is not a complete food for cats. Avoid packaged rice mixtures containing salt, sauces, onion, garlic, or seasoning. Do not use rice as a long-term home remedy for digestive problems without veterinary guidance.
🥄 Use With Moderation
🧀 Cheese
✅ Why it may be offered
Some cats tolerate a tiny amount of plain cheese, and it may occasionally be useful for hiding medication when approved by a veterinarian.
🍽️ How to serve
-
- Choose a plain cheese.
- Offer only a very small piece.
- Avoid cheese containing garlic, onion, herbs, mold, or hot peppers.
⚠️ Good to know
Many adult cats do not digest lactose well. Cheese can also be high in fat, salt, and calories. Stop serving it if it causes gas, vomiting, diarrhea, or another digestive problem.
🐟 Human Canned Fish
✅ Why it may be offered
A small flake of plain tuna, salmon, or sardine may be used as an occasional high-value treat.
🍽️ How to serve
-
- Choose fish packed in water.
- Select no-salt-added varieties when available.
- Drain before serving.
- Offer only a very small amount.
⚠️ Good to know
Fish canned for people is not nutritionally complete for cats. Regularly replacing cat food with canned fish can create serious nutritional imbalances.
🥛 Plain Yogurt
✅ Why it may be offered
A tiny amount of plain yogurt may be tolerated by some cats as an occasional treat.
🍽️ How to serve
-
- Choose plain, unsweetened yogurt.
- Read the ingredient label carefully.
- Avoid flavored products and artificial sweeteners.
- Begin with a very small taste.
⚠️ Good to know
Many cats are lactose-intolerant and may develop gas, vomiting, or diarrhea after eating dairy products. Yogurt is optional and provides no benefit that requires feeding it to a cat.
🐾 Remember
Every cat is different. Introduce new foods gradually and watch for digestive upset, itching, swelling, breathing difficulty, weakness, or other unusual reactions.
Treats and meal toppers should complement a nutritionally complete cat food rather than displace it. Because cats have specific requirements for nutrients such as taurine, a collection of meat, fish, vegetables, and grains does not automatically create a complete and balanced homemade diet.
🩺 Discuss Major Diet Changes With Your Veterinarian
Talk with your veterinarian before making homemade food a substantial part of your cat’s diet. This is especially important for kittens, pregnant or nursing cats, senior cats, and cats with diabetes, pancreatitis, kidney disease, urinary disease, heart disease, food allergies, obesity, or another medical condition.
A veterinarian or board-certified veterinary nutritionist can help create a recipe that supplies the correct amounts of animal protein, taurine, fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals for your individual cat.
Educational notice: This guide provides general feeding information and is not a substitute for individualized veterinary advice.