How Meowledge Verifies Every Verdict

Source tiers

Every number we publish — a dose, an onset time, a safe portion — comes from a source in one of two tiers:

• Tier 1 (numbers allowed): Merck Veterinary Manual, ASPCA Animal Poison Control, Pet Poison Helpline, Cornell Feline Health Center, International Cat Care, peer-reviewed papers (PMC / journals), WSAVA / AAHA / AAFP guidelines, the FDA.
• Tier 2 (context only — never a number): PetMD, VCA Animal Hospitals, and similar vet-authored educational pages.

We never cite other pet calculators, content farms, forum answers, or our own older articles as a source for a number.

How a verdict is assigned

Every food, plant and household entry carries a verdict — safe, caution, toxic, or deadly — a mechanism where one is known, the signs to watch for, what to do right now, and at least two sources. If a specific dose or onset time is stated with a number, at least one cited source contains the exact line that supports it; where no reliable number exists, we say “no safe dose established” rather than invent one.

What we refuse to publish

A number we cannot trace to a Tier-1 source with a matching quoted line does not go on this site. When authorities disagree on severity, we take the more cautious verdict.

Review dates and corrections

Every entry shows a last reviewed date. If a source updates its guidance, or a reader points out an error, we correct the entry and bump that date — we do not quietly edit a claim without updating when it was last checked. Report a possible error to hello@meowledge.app.

Dataset licence

The can-cats-eat dataset is available for download under CC BY 4.0 — reuse it with attribution.