---
title: "Can dogs and cats eat potato?"
description: "Potato and pets: not safe. What it does, whether the dose matters, and how dogs, cats, rabbits and birds differ."
url: https://atoneplace.net/can-pets-eat/potato/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Can pets eat potato?

**Potato: Not safe**

Dogs: Risky · Cats: Risky · Rabbits: Not safe

## By animal

| Animal | Verdict | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Dogs | Risky | Plain cooked potato is fine. Raw, green or sprouted potato is not. |
| Cats | Risky | Same. |
| Rabbits | Not safe | Starchy and poorly suited to a rabbit gut even when cooked. |

## What it actually does

Potatoes are nightshades too, and solanine concentrates in green skin, in sprouts and in the flesh of a potato that has been stored in light. Cooking reduces but does not eliminate it. Plain boiled or baked potato with nothing added is harmless; chips and roast potatoes bring fat, salt and often onion or garlic with them, which is where most of the actual risk lives.

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.

## Vegetables

| Food | Worst verdict | Dogs | Cats |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Onion, garlic, leek and chives | Toxic | Toxic | Toxic |
| Carrot | In moderation | Safe | Safe |
| Corn on the cob | Not safe | Not safe | Risky |
| Mushrooms | Risky | Risky | Risky |
| Tomato | Risky | Risky | Risky |
| Pumpkin | In moderation | Safe | Safe |
| Lettuce and leafy greens | Risky | Safe | Safe |
| Broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower | Risky | In moderation | In moderation |
| Peas, green beans and sweetcorn kernels | Risky | Safe | Safe |
| Rhubarb | Toxic | Not safe | Not safe |

## Common questions

### Can dogs eat potato?

Risky — depends on amount or preparation. Plain cooked potato is fine. Raw, green or sprouted potato is not.

### Can cats eat potato?

Risky — depends on amount or preparation. Same.

### What does potato actually do?

Potatoes are nightshades too, and solanine concentrates in green skin, in sprouts and in the flesh of a potato that has been stored in light. Cooking reduces but does not eliminate it. Plain boiled or baked potato with nothing added is harmless; chips and roast potatoes bring fat, salt and often onion or garlic with them, which is where most of the actual risk lives.

## Related pages

- [Can pets eat onion, garlic, leek and chives?](https://atoneplace.net/can-pets-eat/onion-garlic/)
- [Can pets eat carrot?](https://atoneplace.net/can-pets-eat/carrot/)
- [Can pets eat corn on the cob?](https://atoneplace.net/can-pets-eat/corn-on-the-cob/)
- [Can pets eat mushrooms?](https://atoneplace.net/can-pets-eat/mushrooms/)
- [Can pets eat tomato?](https://atoneplace.net/can-pets-eat/tomato/)
- [Can pets eat pumpkin?](https://atoneplace.net/can-pets-eat/pumpkin/)
- [Can pets eat chocolate?](https://atoneplace.net/can-pets-eat/chocolate/)
- [Can pets eat grapes, raisins, sultanas and currants?](https://atoneplace.net/can-pets-eat/grapes/)
- [Can pets eat onion, garlic, leek and chives?](https://atoneplace.net/can-pets-eat/onion-garlic/)
- [Can pets eat xylitol and birch sugar?](https://atoneplace.net/can-pets-eat/xylitol/)
- [Everything, for dogs](https://atoneplace.net/can-pets-eat/dog/)
- [Everything, for cats](https://atoneplace.net/can-pets-eat/cat/)

## Sources

- Animal Poison Control Center — toxic and non-toxic lists — ASPCA (https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control)