---
title: "Can dogs and cats eat tomato?"
description: "Tomato and pets: risky — depends on amount or preparation. What it does, whether the dose matters, and how dogs, cats, rabbits and birds differ."
url: https://atoneplace.net/can-pets-eat/tomato/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Can pets eat tomato?

**Tomato: Risky — depends on amount or preparation**

Dogs: Risky · Cats: Risky · Rabbits: Risky

## By animal

| Animal | Verdict | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Dogs | Risky | Ripe fruit is fine. Green fruit, leaves and stems contain tomatine. |
| Cats | Risky | Same. |
| Rabbits | Risky | A little ripe flesh is fine; leaves and stems are not. |

## What it actually does

Tomato is a nightshade, and the green parts of the plant — leaves, stems, unripe fruit — contain tomatine and solanine, which cause gastrointestinal upset and, in quantity, weakness and cardiac effects. Ripening breaks the alkaloids down, so a ripe tomato is essentially harmless. The practical risk is a dog with access to a tomato plant rather than a slice in a sandwich.

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 |
| Pumpkin | In moderation | Safe | Safe |
| Potato | Not safe | Risky | Risky |
| 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 tomato?

Risky — depends on amount or preparation. Ripe fruit is fine. Green fruit, leaves and stems contain tomatine.

### Can cats eat tomato?

Risky — depends on amount or preparation. Same.

### What does tomato actually do?

Tomato is a nightshade, and the green parts of the plant — leaves, stems, unripe fruit — contain tomatine and solanine, which cause gastrointestinal upset and, in quantity, weakness and cardiac effects. Ripening breaks the alkaloids down, so a ripe tomato is essentially harmless. The practical risk is a dog with access to a tomato plant rather than a slice in a sandwich.

## 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 pumpkin?](https://atoneplace.net/can-pets-eat/pumpkin/)
- [Can pets eat potato?](https://atoneplace.net/can-pets-eat/potato/)
- [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)