Can Cats Eat Chicken Noodle Soup?

No, don’t give your cat chicken noodle soup. Most recipes and canned soups have onion or garlic, and both can damage a cat’s red blood cells. Cats are more sensitive to them than dogs. Soup is also salty. Cats can get sick from even small amounts of onion, so it is not worth the risk.

Why is chicken noodle soup bad for cats?

Onion and garlic

The Merck Veterinary Manual says cats are the most susceptible animal to onion and garlic poisoning. Cooking does not make them safe. Raw, cooked, dried and powdered forms can all be a problem. Merck says some cats got sick after eating less than a teaspoon of cooked onion.

Garlic is stronger. Merck says it is about 3 to 5 times more toxic than onion. The ASPCA and Pet Poison Helpline agree that these plants, along with chives and leeks, can damage red blood cells. This can lead to anemia, which means the body does not have enough healthy red blood cells.

Soup can hide these foods in many ways. Check the recipe or label for:

• Onion, garlic, chives or leeks
• Onion powder or garlic powder
• Seasoning blends and dry soup mixes

Merck says concentrated forms such as dried flakes, powders and dry onion soup mixes are the ones most often involved in poisonings of cats and dogs.

Salt

The ASPCA says too much salt can make pets very thirsty and make them pee more. Larger amounts can cause vomiting, diarrhea, tremors and seizures. The ASPCA page does not give a safe amount for cats. Soup is usually salted for people, so it is best to skip it.

Cats do not need it

The Merck Veterinary Manual says cats are carnivores, which means they eat mainly meat. It also says to avoid table scraps. A complete cat food gives your cat what it needs.

What are the signs of onion or garlic poisoning in cats?

Signs often do not show up right away. Merck says the red blood cell damage builds over the first few days, and the break-down of those cells usually happens 3 to 5 days after eating. Signs include:

• Tiredness and weakness
• Eating less
• Fast breathing or a fast heartbeat
• Yellow skin or gums (jaundice)
• Dark urine
• Collapse

Pet Poison Helpline also lists nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

What should I do if my cat ate chicken noodle soup?

1. Find out what was in it. Look at the label or recipe for onion, garlic, chives, leeks or their powders.
2. Call your vet or a poison hotline. Tell them what the soup had, how much your cat ate and how much your cat weighs.
3. Follow their advice. Merck says early treatment may include making the cat vomit, which a vet should do. Serious cases may need oxygen, IV fluids or a blood transfusion.

If you are sure the soup had no onion or garlic, the onion risk is gone. Salt is still a worry, so offer fresh water and watch your cat. Call your vet if you see vomiting, diarrhea or odd behavior.

Can cats eat just the chicken or noodles?

Plain cooked chicken with no seasoning is a much better choice than soup. Merck’s advice is to avoid table scraps in general, so keep it to a small extra.

We did not find a source on noodles for this article, so we can’t say much about them. Cats do not need them. If you are curious, ask your vet.

What can I give my cat instead?

Plain cooked chicken or a bit of plain chicken broth with no onion or garlic is a simpler choice. See our guide on whether cats can eat chicken broth for how to check the label. For the full list of foods to avoid, see foods that are toxic to cats.