My cat loves tomato sauce. I found this out one day when I dropped a meatball on the floor. He licked the sauce off of the meatball and left the meat. Is tomato sauce (or tomatoes in general)healthy for a cat?

-- Anonymous, November 29, 2000

Answers

My cats love tomato sauce, too, but only if it has garlic in it. Spaghetti sauce is their very favorite. I was worried that since cats are allergic to onions the garlic in tomato sauce would bother them but I don't think licking off the sauce on the end of my finger is enough to give them trouble. I can't imagine that tomato sauce will hurt him - maybe your cat loved the meat flavoring in the sauce from the meatball? If his diet is balanced over all, I don't think a little tomato sauce now and then is bad. I've never heard of tomatoes hurting a cat. If I'm wrong about this others will respond quickly, I know.

-- Anonymous, November 29, 2000

My MC loves spicy food. I make a taco salad with ground beef, lettuce, tomatos and "hot" salsa and sour cream. If I don't rinse off my plate immediately, he has it licked clean (hot salsa, lettuce, tomato pieces and all). His very favorite though? Canned mushrooms! He gets his face right down on the can opener and fights me for the mushrooms. He won't eat fresh mushrooms, only canned or in a jar. I don't worry too much about being healthy because he doesn't get very much. I don't think mushrooms will hurt him, but how wierd he is. He also likes peas with butter, salt and pepper.

-- Anonymous, November 29, 2000