Can cats eat Potato?
Caution. Cooked plain potato in small amounts is low-risk. Raw potato, potato peels, and green-tinged potatoes contain solanine (toxic) and should never be fed. Chips and crisps are also problematic due to salt and fat.
Key facts
- Verdict: Caution — some risk involved. See the detail below before giving potato to your cat.
- Category: Vegetable
- Onset: Signs can start 0–24 hours — see the full timeline below.
If your cat has eaten potato
- For cooked plain potato: monitor for GI upset.
- For raw, sprouted, or green potato: call your vet.
- For chips or crisps: consider salt and flavouring content — call vet if flavoured.
What's the full picture?
Solanine is the toxin in the nightshade family (potato, tomato, aubergine). It is highest in green potatoes, sprouted potatoes, and potato skins — particularly the area around any green or sprouting sections. The flesh of a ripe, cooked potato has very low solanine content and is not considered toxic to cats in small amounts.
Plain cooked potato — boiled, baked, or steamed without seasoning — is low-risk for cats if eaten in a small amount. However, cats are obligate carnivores and gain little nutritional benefit from potato. It is filler, not food for them. Most cats are not particularly interested in plain potato, though some will investigate leftovers.
Raw potato is a different matter. Uncooked potato contains significantly more solanine and other glycoalkaloids, and should be kept out of reach. Green-tinged potato, sprouted potato, and potato peel carry the highest concentrations and are genuinely toxic in meaningful quantities — symptoms include excessive drooling, vomiting, diarrhoea, lethargy, and in severe cases, tremors and difficulty breathing.
The bigger risk in most households is not plain potato but potato products: crisps and chips contain high salt levels; roasted potatoes are cooked in oil and often seasoned; mashed potato may contain butter, milk, garlic, or chives; jacket potatoes are often topped with cheese, beans, or tuna prepared with onion. All of these additions make potato dishes unsafe for cats even if plain potato itself would be low-risk.
If your cat ate a small piece of cooked, unseasoned potato, watch for any GI symptoms but they are unlikely to be seriously affected. If they ate raw potato, green potato, or peel, or are showing any symptoms, contact your vet or the Animal PoisonLine on 01202 509000.
Symptoms to watch for
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Questions owners ask
Can cats eat chips (French fries)?
No. Chips are high in salt and fat and often seasoned — all of which are problematic for cats. Even unsalted chips are cooked in oil and are high in calories with no nutritional benefit. Keep chips away from cats.
Can cats eat cooked potato?
A small piece of plain boiled or baked potato (no salt, butter, or seasoning) is unlikely to harm a cat. However, cooked potato offers no nutritional value to obligate carnivores and should not form a regular part of their diet.
Is raw potato poisonous to cats?
Raw potato contains solanine and other glycoalkaloids that are toxic to cats. Green potato, sprouted potato, and potato skins have the highest concentrations. If your cat has eaten raw potato, especially green or sprouted sections, contact your vet.
Can cats eat mashed potato?
Not if it contains butter, milk, garlic, chives, or salt — which most mashed potato does. Plain mashed potato (potato only, no additions) is low-toxicity, but it is not nutritious for cats and should not be given intentionally.
My cat ate a crisp. Should I be worried?
A single crisp is unlikely to cause serious harm but is high in salt. Watch for excess thirst or vomiting. If your cat ate a large number of crisps or flavoured varieties (onion, garlic), contact your vet. See also our page on crisps.
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Related
Sources referenced for this guidance
- Veterinary Poisons Information Service (VPIS) — UK clinical toxicology reference used by vets
- International Cat Care — feline-specific clinical guidance
- BSAVA — British Small Animal Veterinary Association reference materials
- Merck Veterinary Manual — professional veterinary reference
About this guidance
Every entry on this site is compiled from published UK veterinary toxicology sources — International Cat Care, Veterinary Poisons Information Service (VPIS) references, RCVS-registered practice materials, and peer-reviewed feline medicine literature. Where the evidence is mixed, we err on the cautious side because cats are unusually sensitive to many common substances that are harmless to humans and even to dogs.
This is general information written for UK cat owners. It is not personalised veterinary advice for your specific cat, their age, weight, medical history, or the exact exposure you're dealing with. If your cat has eaten something or is unwell, call your vet first. The Animal PoisonLine on 01202 509000 is available 24/7 for a small fee and can tell you whether an emergency visit is needed.
Entries are reviewed and updated as new research emerges. Spotted an error? Let us know — corrections are investigated and applied within 24 hours. For more context on how we work, see about and our full disclaimer.
Last reviewed: · By the What Can My Cat Eat? editorial team