It’s November! With Thanksgiving around the corner, it’s the time of year that we should all take a moment to sit back and be truly grateful for all the things we have in our lives: friends, family, food, and kitties. That’s what Thanksgiving is all about. While most of us don’t have a place setting for our purry pals at the table, they’re often on our minds when it comes to disposing of the leftovers. It’s true that our cats would love to get their whiskers into a little turkey and stuffing, but these foods may not be the best choices for them and some can be downright dangerous. So what can kitty eat from your Thanksgiving table? We’ve reviewed some leftovers before, but let’s explore a little further this year:

Stick it to the Stuffing!

Bread isn’t a normal component of a cat’s diet, but that’s not the concern over feeding your cat stuffing. Most of us like to add a little flavor in the form of onions, garlic, and turkey juice. All of that makes for one tasty dish but could be very detrimental to your kitty. Aliums, including onions, chives, and garlic, are extremely toxic to cats. Eating one large lump or small amounts overtime can cause red blood cells to break down leading to life-threatening anemia. Even if your stuffing doesn’t contain alium, it usually contains some form of fat to get it to stick together. Whether that’s butter or turkey grease, both can cause digestive upset meaning you might be cleaning up messes instead of enjoying your Thanksgiving dinner.

Move Over Mashed Potatoes!

Potatoes themselves, on a short-term basis, aren’t bad for your kitty. I say short-term because potatoes are high in starch, something that cat’s shouldn’t consume high amounts of over time as it can lead to issues like diabetes. So a spoonful of mashed potatoes here and there won’t hurt, but most of the time, especially at Thanksgiving, mashed potatoes contain more than just potatoes. They also contain butter, milk or cream, and seasonings. The high fat and lactose in butter and milk can be hard for cats to digest and seasonings like garlic and chives are definite no-no’s. Heap those mashed potatoes on your own plate instead of your cat’s dish unless they’re completely naked of all the good stuff.

Get Out of Here, Gravy!

Gravy might be the ultimate ‘topping’ to our Thanksgiving plates as it goes well over potatoes, stuffing, and turkey, but it doesn’t go well in your kitty’s dish. Gravy is made from the juices of meat and what makes those juices so juicy is fat. While a cat’s diet shouldn’t be devoid of fat, in these high of amounts it can cause some digestive issues like vomiting and diarrhea. Wolfing down large amounts of fat can also lead to pancreatitis, a painful and potentially life-threatening disease.

Get Lost, Green Bean Casserole!

If you’re thinking about making your cat’s Thanksgiving feast a little healthier with some Green Bean Casserole, think again. Green beans themselves make great little snacks for your feline friend, it’s the crunchy onion bits that you have to worry about. While cats do love crunchy bits, onions aren’t the way to go as, again, they are extremely toxic to our little buddies.

Ditch the Desserts

As a general rule, always leave your cat off the dessert list for Thanksgiving or any other dinner. Kitties do better with a low carb, low sugar diet and you don’t want to send their blood glucose on a crazy spiral. That being said, if you’re making your pumpkin pie this year with regular canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling, you can absolutely offer them a scoop. It will help regulate that digestive tract for the other niblets coming their way.

Even though kitty’s eyes may weaken your willpower, don’t let them talk you into feeding your cat something potentially dangerous. This year instead of spreading Thanksgiving joy by sharing your feast with your feline friend, be grateful for their continued health and prosperity.