Do Cats Drink Tea?

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Cat owners are aware that their feline companions love tea. Your furball has the inclination to lick and smell any tea left anywhere. It does not hesitate to drink from teacups directly. Do remember that if you love caffeinated drinks like coke and coffee, and tea too, it is essential that you keep them away from your cat.

Tea may kill

Your cat loves tea as it soothes the animal's senses. Not only tea, but your cat will also drink coffee and fanta as well. Excess amount of tea, however, could kill your cat. This is especially applicable for chamomile or earl grey varieties. Herbs attract cats, and they drink only for the scent of the herbs.

Higher caffeine content drinks will cause harm to cats if they drink it in excess quantities. This is as the caffeine has toxins, and these chemicals could be too much for cats to manage. Kitties may be poisoned by caffeine. This has a high probability of happening as it is not possible to monitor the cat all day and night. If your cat has drunk too much caffeine, then the animal will exhibit a few symptoms like vomiting and restlessness. There can also be heart palpitations and diarrhea. Muscle tremors and rapid breathing may happen. Allergies and fits are quite common in such conditions.

Quick treatment is needed

If you observe anyone or multiple symptoms in the cat, take the animal to the veterinarian immediately. Appropriate treatment should be given as quickly as possible. Your cat's life depends on your swiftness. Many of such symptoms could lead to a few other complications like coma, dehydration, and seizures. In extreme cases, death may occur. Some cats, however, can drink large quantities of tea and survive. This is as these cats have been drinking tea from their kitten days, and their body is immune to the toxic effects of the caffeine.

If you have just brought home a kitten, then it is unwise to take risks. The thumb rule in such cases is to assume that all plants kill cats. Concentrated extracts from any flower are poison to most cats. This holds true even if the cat does not drink the tea. Rubbing the liquid on its belly is dangerous enough for some particularly vulnerable kitties. This is as cats do not process the same way as humans do. The liver of a cat is different than a human's. It makes your kitty vulnerable. The kidney lacks the enzymes which are required to break down a number of substances and also the internal pathways to remove them. This is why you must not allow your cat to touch any medicine you eat, including all tablets and vials.