Can cats eat Sultanas?
No. Sultanas are a type of dried grape and carry the same kidney-injury risk as raisins and currants.
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Key facts
- Verdict: No — dangerous to cats. Sultanas should never be given deliberately.
- Category: Fruit
- Onset: Signs can start 0–12 hours — see the full timeline below.
- If it's already happened: Call your vet now, or the Animal PoisonLine on 01202 509000 (24/7, charges apply) — see the emergency steps below.
If your cat has just eaten sultanas
- Move your cat away from any remaining sultanas. Do not try to make them vomit at home — this is dangerous in cats and rarely works.
- Note how much was eaten and when, and keep the packaging or a photo of the plant/substance if you can.
- Call your vet immediately, even out of hours. Tell them your cat's weight, what they ate, and when.
- If you can't reach your vet, call Animal PoisonLine (01202 509000) — paid triage, 24/7 for guidance. They can advise on urgency and route you to emergency care.
What's the full picture?
Sultanas are toxic to cats — they carry the same unknown kidney toxin as grapes, raisins, and currants. Any member of the Vitis vinifera family (including sultanas, which are dried seedless white grapes) can cause acute kidney injury in cats through a mechanism that hasn't been identified. This means there is no established safe dose: even a small amount could be dangerous.
In UK baking, sultanas appear in fruit cake, Bara brith, tea loaf, hot cross buns, mince pies, flapjacks, and many supermarket granolas and cereals. Dried mixed fruit is almost always primarily sultanas. If your cat has investigated any of these foods, treat it as a potential sultana/grape exposure.
Dried sultanas are more concentrated in the toxic agent than fresh grapes because the water content has been removed. This means weight-for-weight, sultanas represent a higher risk than the equivalent weight of fresh grapes. A few sultanas in a scone or fruit cake is a proportionally higher dose than a few grapes from a bunch.
The timeline of sultana/grape toxicity runs in two phases: early GI signs (vomiting, diarrhoea) within the first few hours, followed by kidney injury signs appearing 24-72 hours later. The kidney phase — reduced urination, loss of appetite, lethargy, increased thirst — may not appear until well after the initial exposure, which is why 'my cat seems fine' is not a reliable indicator after eating sultanas.
If your cat has eaten sultanas or any food containing them, call your vet or the Animal PoisonLine on (0)1202 509000 immediately — don't wait to see if symptoms develop. Early treatment (inducing vomiting, activated charcoal, IV fluids) significantly improves outcomes compared to treating established kidney injury.
Symptoms to watch for
Safer alternatives
- Small pieces of fresh blueberry
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Cat owner essentials
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Questions owners ask
Are sultanas less dangerous than raisins because they're golden?
No — the colour difference is from the drying process, not the underlying toxicity. Treat them as equally dangerous.
Are sultanas as dangerous as raisins for cats?
Yes — sultanas, raisins, and currants all carry the same toxicity risk as grapes. They're all dried forms of grapes (different varieties) and share the same unknown mechanism that causes acute kidney failure in cats. A small amount of sultana from a fruit cake, scone, or cereal can be enough to cause serious harm.
My cat ate a sultana from a scone. What should I do?
Call your vet immediately, even if your cat seems fine and even if the amount was tiny. Kidney injury from grape/sultana toxicity can progress silently — symptoms like vomiting and lethargy may not appear for 24-48 hours, by which point kidney damage has already begun. Early treatment (within hours) is far more effective than treating later.
Can cats eat scones, fruit cake, or hot cross buns?
No. These contain sultanas, raisins, or currants — all highly toxic to cats. Even a small piece of fruit cake or a hot cross bun can cause acute kidney failure. Other ingredients like nutmeg (in some recipes) and alcohol (in Christmas cake) add additional risks. Keep these foods completely away from cats.
A cat water fountain encourages drinking, which supports the kidneys — worthwhile for any cat that's had a dietary scare.
Recommended for cat owners
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