Are raisins toxic to cats?

Dr. Marie replied:

I can't say that I have ever heard of a cat who actually liked raisins. Oliver has strange taste!

No one knows why raisins are toxic to some pets (or grapes for that matter). Many theories are out there but to this date we still don't know the culprit.

I usually get asked about whether or not raisins are toxic to dogs as dogs are more likely to eat raisins or grapes. What I tell people is that this type of toxicity is very uncommon. Many dogs can eat grapes and never have a problem and then there is the odd dog that can have serious kidney problems afterwards.

The same thing actually does apply to cats. I did some research for you and did find some case studies where cats had acute renal failure after eating raisins. Now, this does not mean that every cat who eats raisins will have kidney problems.

In an ideal world, it would be great to have Oliver's urine and blood tested for signs of kidney problems. But, if money is tight then, given that the chances are low of him having an issue, it is probably acceptable to monitor him for now. If you see any of the following over the next few days then I would take him in:

-vomiting
-lack of appetite
-extreme thirst
-flooding the litter box with urine
-extreme lethargy

I would be surprised if there is a problem here. But, if you see the above then I would not wait, but take him in right away. The treatment would be hospitalization with IV fluids. The good news is that if this was a kidney problem it is an acute problem as opposed to a chronic problem. Chronic kidney disease is what we worry about in older cats.

I hope that helps and I hope he is well!

Dr. Marie.


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