Pistachios

Symptoms reported in cats

Most serious first.

1. 1
   Renal Stress / Increased Kidney Burden Chronic (effects compound over time with repeated ingestions). · In a household setting, pistachios are usually encountered as candied, dried, or roasted human snacks that are heavily seasoned with high amounts of salt and sugar1. Feeding these seasoned nuts to a cat provides no nutritional benefit and unnecessarily increases the metabolic burden on their kidneys.
2. 2
   Indigestion and Diarrhea Within a few hours of ingestion. · Cats are obligate carnivores, and their digestive systems struggle to break down the dense oils and high fat content found in nuts.

Important notes

Pistachios do not contain a specific poison that targets cats, but they are still an unhealthy and potentially unsafe snack. Nuts are naturally packed with fats that a cat's digestive system struggles to break down. Eating pistachios can cause indigestion and diarrhea, and regularly eating fatty foods can trigger pancreatitis, a painful inflammation of the pancreas. Another major risk comes from how pistachios are prepared and stored. Store-bought pistachios are almost always covered in salt, which puts dangerous stress on a cat's kidneys. Furthermore, if pistachios are improperly stored and develop a green tinge, they might be contaminated with mold. This mold can produce tremorgenic mycotoxins, which are fungal poisons that cause muscle tremors and seizures. While eating a single plain, unsalted pistachio will likely not harm your cat, it is best to avoid them entirely. Keep all nuts out of reach, especially salted human snacks. If your cat eats moldy pistachios or shows any signs of shaking or stomach upset, contact a veterinarian.

• Not acutely toxic: no known cat-specific toxic compound in plain pistachios
• Fat risk: high fat content can cause pancreatitis, especially with regular feeding
• Sodium risk: salted pistachios contain harmful amounts of sodium for cats
• Mould risk: green-tinged or improperly stored pistachios may contain tremorgenic mycotoxins — these cause tremors and seizures
• A single pistachio nut (plain, unsalted) is unlikely to cause harm; regular feeding or large amounts warrant vet contact