Can cats eat grapes or raisins?
Written by Meowledge · Last updated
No — treat any amount as toxic.
What to do if your cat ate grapes & raisins
Contact your veterinarian or an animal poison control hotline immediately after any grape, raisin, or Zante currant ingestion — even a small amount and even with no symptoms yet. Do not wait and see, and never try to induce vomiting at home — there is no safe way to do it in cats.
No. Treat grapes, raisins and Zante currants as toxic to cats, and call a vet if your cat eats any, even a small amount. Harm is documented in dogs; in cats, Merck records only anecdotal reports. No safe amount is known.
- Dangerous amount
- No safe dose established
- When signs appear
- Not established in cats specifically (no published feline case reports); in dogs, acute kidney injury can develop over the following several days after initial GI signs
Treat as toxic
- Grapes of any kind, even organic or home-grown
- Raisins
- Zante currants
- Grape juice
- Trail mix, bagels and other foods with grapes or raisins
Not linked to kidney injury in dogs
- True currants (Ribes)
From Pet Poison Helpline and the Merck Veterinary Manual. The published cases are in dogs; for cats there are only anecdotal reports.
Symptoms of grape and raisin poisoning (published cases are in dogs)
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea or loss of appetite
- Lethargy
- Abdominal pain
- Reduced or absent urination (possible kidney failure)
- Weakness
Why are grapes toxic to cats?
Nobody knows for sure. How grapes cause harm is not clearly understood, and tartaric acid is only one proposed cause. Its level varies from fruit to fruit, which leads to different effects after eating.
What is known is the harm. In dogs, grapes can cause sudden, severe kidney failure that can progress until the kidneys make little or no urine. That gap between what is documented (dogs) and what is only reported (cats) runs through this whole page — it is how we grade the evidence.
Can one grape or raisin kill my cat?
It could. There is no known safe number. Pet Poison Helpline says the harm does not necessarily depend on how much was eaten, and signs have followed even small amounts. A single grape is worth a call to your vet.
The ASPCA says cats may also be affected, and warns that nobody knows which animals will go on to develop kidney failure. If you wait, the animal may not make it. Note the difference: this is poisoning, not an allergy — the recorded harm is kidney failure, and no source describes a grape allergy.
Can cats eat raisins or currants?
No to raisins and Zante currants. Raisins are as bad for a cat as fresh grapes — same plant genus, same recorded kidney harm.
Both belong to the same plant genus as grapes (Vitis), and some currants are actually small black grapes. True currants (Ribes) are a different plant and have not been linked to kidney injury in dogs.
What will the vet do if my cat ate grapes?
For dogs, the recommended treatment is to clear the gut early, give IV fluids to keep urine flowing, and check kidney function closely. That advice is written for dogs, so your vet will decide what a cat needs.
In dogs, early signs include vomiting, diarrhea and loss of appetite, then lethargy, abdominal pain and weakness, and kidney failure can develop several days later. A vet may induce vomiting depending on the dose and when it was eaten. An owner has no safe way to start that at home.
Do grape juice, raisin bagels, or home-grown grapes count?
Yes. They are the same hazard. Pet Poison Helpline says grape juice, trail mix, bagels and other foods that contain grapes or raisins can cause this kidney injury, and organic or home-grown grapes can too.
Merck has anecdotal reports of kidney failure in cats after grapes or raisins, and it has no published case reports in that species.
What other kitchen foods are toxic to cats?
Onions and garlic have also poisoned cats, whether raw, cooked, dried or granulated. Read more about onions, or check any other food in the food list.
Chocolate is on the same emergency list — see chocolate. And if your cat only wanted a share of your snack, banana is a fruit on the list that is safe in small pieces.
Sources
1.Pet Poison Helpline — Are Grapes and Raisins Poisonous to Dogs?
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some currants are actually small, black grapes... there have been anecdotal reports of cats and ferrets being affected by these also... Ingestion of even a small amount of grapes, raisins, or currants can result in severe, acute kidney failure... All types of grape- or raisin-containing products (including grape juice, trail mix, bagels, etc.) can result in this. Even organic, pesticide-free, grapes grown in home gardens can result in toxicity... the mechanism of action is not clearly understood... grapes and raisins can result in anorexia, vomiting, diarrhea, and potentially severe acute renal failure (which develops several days later)... The toxicity is not necessarily dose-dependent, and symptoms can occur with even small ingestions.
2.Merck Veterinary Manual — Grape, Raisin, and Tamarind Toxicosis in Dogs
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Clinical signs include vomiting or diarrhea... Progression to oliguric or anuric renal failure... Treatment includes early GI decontamination and administration of IV fluids to maintain ample urine flow... Cases reported to date have been in dogs; anecdotal reports exist of renal failure in cats and ferrets after ingesting grapes or raisins, although there are no published case reports in these species... Ingestion of grapes, raisins, and Zante currants, all members of the Vitis genus... Ingestion of true currants of the genus Ribes has not been associated with renal injury... One proposed toxic principle in these fruits is tartaric acid... The tartaric acid content of grapes, raisins, and tamarinds varies, resulting in variable effects following ingestion... Other clinical signs include lethargy, anorexia, abdominal pain, weakness... Close monitoring of renal function... Prompt GI decontamination is the recommended treatment
3.ASPCA — Leah's Close Call: A Handful of Grapes Nearly Cost One Dog Her Life
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ingestion of grapes and raisins has been associated with acute renal failure in dogs... cats may also be affected... we don't know which animals are going to develop kidney failure, and if we wait, the animal may not make it
4.Pet Poison Helpline — Signs of Chocolate Poisoning in Cats
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There is no safe way to induce vomiting in cats at home... Depending on the dosage and when it was ingested your vet may induce vomiting
5.Merck Veterinary Manual — Garlic and Onion (Allium spp) Toxicosis in Animals
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dogs and cats have been affected after ingesting raw, cooked, dehydrated, or granulated onions and garlic
How sources are picked: methodology. Spot an error? Email hello@meowledge.app.