As much as we all love our pets, it is essential for us to note that some foods are notorious for causing pet toxicity despite being perfectly healthy and delicious to us. Some of these foods might even seem to be appealing to cats and dogs who come up and sniff at our plates or beg at the table. Yet as their human and caretaker, you are expected to know better. Here are some of the dangerous people foods that should never be fed to your pet no matter how much they give you those cute doggie and kitty eyes:

1. Alcoholic beverages
Alcohol and pets are like water and electricity; their combination is always disastrous. Still some pet owners are irresponsible, letting dogs lick from their beer pint or even (gasp) putting it in their food dish. No matter how “funny” it might be to see your pet drunk, alcohol has been known to cause pet toxicity much faster than anticipated. In as much as alcohol can cause a drunken stupor in humans, much less can kill your pet. Therefore, it is always a good idea to never let your pet imbibe alcohol.

2. Chocolate
Humans find chocolate very sweet and satisfying, and so do pets. Unfortunately, chocolate so happens to be one of those dangerous people foods that should be kept out of reach of pets at all costs. The culprit lies in the ingredient called theobromine, which is used in the chocolate making process. Moreover, while theobromine may be harmless to humans, it has been known to affect pets, especially dogs, ferrets, and cats and should, therefore, be kept away from them. If your pet does ingest even a tiny amount of chocolate they may suffer digestive upset, vomiting or diarrhea. This is because humans are able to metabolize theobromine while animals cannot, so it can quickly build up to toxic levels in their system.

3. Coffee
The caffeine in coffee, tea, and even soda has a significant impact on the human body. Now try to imagine the kind of effect it would have on a pet. It’s much more severe. That said, you should avoid letting your pet ingest coffee, coffee beans, grounds, or chocolate espresso, always make sure your pet isn’t sniffing around your cup when you take a sip. Just letting you pet lap up 1-2 licks of coffee, tea or soda is adequate caffeine to cause poisoning in most small pets.

4. More toxic foods…
There are plenty of other “people” foods that should be kept out of reach of our pet, these include salt, tomato leaves and stems, moldy grains, hops, grapes, garlic, cherry pits, macadamia nuts, mushrooms, peach pits, onions, tea, yeast dough, apple seeds, avocados, cherry pits, gum, and mustard seeds. If you think your pet has ingested something dangerous, take them to the vet immediately.