The Easter holiday represents a time of joyous celebration. However, no one wants to interrupt it with a trip to a veterinary E/R. Let common sense prevail, and avoid giving cats access to food or other hazardous materials which may sicken or injure them. Listed here are some of the most common potential harmful things found specific to Easter:
Easter Candy and Food
If you must provide candy for children or visitors, keep it in a covered container rather than temptingly displayed in a dish. Chocolate Candy Bunnies and Eggs
They're cute, and fun for the human kids, but deadly for cats. Chocolate contains the alkaloid theobromine which is toxic to cats. It also contains caffeine and may contain sugar. Janet Tobiassen Crosby, D.V.M. has written an excellent article on the symptoms, effects, and treatment of
chocolate toxicity.
"Sugar-Free" Candy Containing Xylitol
Xylitol is a synthetic sweeter commonly used in chewing gum and candies which can be toxic to pets. Read Dr. Janet Crosby's
article on Xilitol for more information.
Dyed Easter Eggs
It has recently come to light that some commercial Easter egg dye contains sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), which may be harmful to children if ingested in quantity. I would theorize that if a cat licked enough of the dye off the eggs, it could also pose a problem. If you are as cautious as I, you can substitute food coloring or natural dyes such as beet or spinach juice. In any case, care should be taken, both for humans and cats, that Easter eggs be refrigerated within two hours after putting out for an egg hunt. Staphylococcus bacteria is a serious problem and it can develop rapidly in eggs left out in a warm environment. Also, cracked eggs should not even be cooked, but discarded immediately, to avoid the potential of salmonella poisoning. Human Foods
There are certain human foods which should not be given to cats, regardless of the time of the year. See this list of human foods toxic to cats. A tiny piece of fat-free ham, or a bite of cooked sweet potato (without brown sugar or butter) will not kill a cat, however your best bet is to give him his own cat food and keep him away from the dinner table.
Hazardous Easter Decorations
Cellulose Easter GrassColorful Easter grass looks bright and cheerful lining an Easter basket for children. However, Easter grass falls under the category of " linear foreign body," and if ingested by a cat can cause a bowel obstruction, which may require emergency surgery. If you see a cat with Easter grass in its mouth, do not attempt to pull it out of his throat. To attempt to do so may just exacerbate the danger. Instead, take the cat immediately to a veterinary emergency clinic. Better yet, avoid the potential by leaving the grass out of the basket. Instead, use colorful crumpled wrapping tissue to line the basket.
Easter Lilies
Easter lilies come by a number of different names, and all parts of lilies are extremely toxic to cats. Since cats will sometimes go to any length, I'd advise skipping the lilies in favor of a seasonal plant safe for cats.
Although this may seem like a lot of "no-nos," most responsible cat parents are already aware of many of these things to be avoided at Easter. In fact, keeping a cat-safe home should be a matter of habit. See my list of Consistent Habits for a Cat-Safe Home, and start practicing these habits today.
