Can Cats Eat Peanuts?
Neither of the ASPCA’s two lists names peanuts — not the foods to avoid, and not the foods it says you can share. That is not the same as a green light, and we don’t turn it into one.
What the ASPCA publishes
The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center keeps two lists — “People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets” and “Sharing is Caring: Foods You Can Safely Share with Your Pet”. Peanuts is on neither of them. That is checked against both pages every week: if peanuts is added to either list, this page fails its own test rather than going on saying this.
What the avoid list does name is nuts, including almonds, pecans and walnuts, which is not the same question: “Nuts, including almonds, pecans and walnuts, contain high amounts of oils and fats. These fats can cause vomiting and diarrhea, and potentially pancreatitis in some pets.”
Not being on the avoid list is not the same as being endorsed. We publish the gap instead of filling it with a verdict no source supports — a veterinarian who knows your cat can answer what a list cannot.
Common questions
Can cats eat peanuts?
Neither of the ASPCA’s two lists names peanuts — not the foods to avoid, and not the foods it says you can share. That is not the same as a green light, and we don’t turn it into one.
Is peanuts bad for cats?
We don't know, and neither list says. Peanuts appears on neither the ASPCA's list of people foods to avoid nor its list of foods you can safely share — though the avoid list does name nuts, including almonds, pecans and walnuts, which is a different question. An absence from a list is not a verdict, so this page reports the gap instead of filling it. Both pages are re-checked here every week, and this answer changes the day either of them changes.
My cat already ate peanuts — what now?
Call your veterinarian, or the ASPCA Poison Control at (888) 426-4435. Note how much was eaten and when. This page reports what published sources say about peanuts; it cannot tell you whether your cat is affected, and no amount is described here as safe.
Other foods neither ASPCA list names
Every cat calculator
- Cat Age Calculator — Your cat’s age in human years, and why the sources disagree
- Cat Pregnancy Calculator — Your cat’s due date from her mating date
- Cat Calorie Calculator — How many calories your cat needs a day
- Kitten Feeding Calculator — How much to feed a kitten, by weight
- Kitten Age Calculator — How old your kitten is, estimated from its weight
- Kitten Growth Chart — What a kitten weighs at each age, from a published study
If your cat has already eaten peanuts, call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Poison Control at (888) 426-4435. This page reports what published sources say; it is not a diagnosis, and no amount is described here as safe.
Verified on . Based on ASPCA Poison Control (ASPCA, 24-hour emergency line, accessed 2026-07-28) and Kitten Age & Weight Chart (ASPCA Pro, 2023 (golden-test source, not used to build the calculation)). See the method.