Can pets eat coffee, tea and energy drinks?
If this has already been eaten, ring your vet or an animal poison control line now rather than waiting for signs to appear — for several of these the window in which treatment works closes before the animal looks unwell. Do not try to make the animal sick at home: home emetics are dangerous for corrosive and petroleum substances and for an animal already showing signs, and salt-based ones have themselves proved fatal.
By animal
| Animal | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Dogs | Toxic | Same class of compound as chocolate, and more concentrated in coffee grounds or a caffeine tablet. |
| Cats | Toxic | Same. |
| Birds | Toxic | Same. |
What it actually does
Caffeine is a methylxanthine like theobromine and does the same things — cardiac stimulation, hyperactivity, tremors, seizures — but faster and at lower doses. A licked-up splash of coffee is rarely a problem; eaten coffee grounds, used or unused, tea bags, or caffeine supplement tablets are a real one, because the concentration is far higher than in a drink.
No reliable dose threshold has been published for this. Anything presenting a specific safe amount is extrapolating.
Body weight decides almost everything here, so what is trivial for a 40 kg dog can matter for a 4 kg one, and a bird is smaller again. Where a real published threshold exists this page gives it; where none does, it says so rather than inventing one.
Drinks
| Food | Worst verdict | Dogs | Cats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alcohol | Toxic | Toxic | Toxic |
Common questions
- Can dogs eat coffee, tea and energy drinks?
- Toxic — treat as an emergency. Same class of compound as chocolate, and more concentrated in coffee grounds or a caffeine tablet.
- Can cats eat coffee, tea and energy drinks?
- Toxic — treat as an emergency. Same.
- What does coffee, tea and energy drinks actually do?
- Caffeine is a methylxanthine like theobromine and does the same things — cardiac stimulation, hyperactivity, tremors, seizures — but faster and at lower doses. A licked-up splash of coffee is rarely a problem; eaten coffee grounds, used or unused, tea bags, or caffeine supplement tablets are a real one, because the concentration is far higher than in a drink.
- What should I do if my pet has eaten it?
- Call your vet or an animal poison control line now, rather than waiting for signs. Do not try to make the animal sick at home.
Related pages
- Can pets eat alcohol? Toxic — treat as an emergency
- Can pets eat chocolate? Also an emergency
- Can pets eat grapes, raisins, sultanas and currants? Also an emergency
- Can pets eat onion, garlic, leek and chives? Also an emergency
- Can pets eat xylitol and birch sugar? Also an emergency
- Everything, for dogs 46 foods
- Everything, for cats 46 foods
Sources
- MSD/Merck Veterinary Manual — Merck & Co.