Black Beans

**Cats are obligate carnivores, so legumes serve no nutritional purpose**; **raw or partly cooked beans hold lectins that cause severe vomiting and diarrhoea**, and the fibre brings gas, so keep them to a rare small amount, cooked soft and mashed.

Vomiting, loose stools or diarrhoea, poor appetite, gas and lethargy; a swallowed whole bean can bring retching, drooling, repeated swallowing and trouble swallowing, and partly cooked beans may make vomiting and diarrhoea more severe.

Stop feeding and monitor; **contact a vet immediately** for ongoing vomiting, diarrhoea, retching, trouble swallowing or lethargy, and never induce vomiting or give human medicine at home.

At most a rare tiny amount, **cooked soft and mashed into wet food**, never as a protein source; **skip salted canned black beans and seasoned bean dip**; start small and watch for 24 hours, keeping complete cat food as the main diet.

Cooked-soft black beans bring plant protein and dietary fibre at a moderate calorie cost, so crushed or pureed plain beans work as an occasional treat or a small topper.

Feed only a small amount, cooked soft and crushed or pureed, inside the daily treat allowance and within about 10% of daily energy intake, with complete dog food as the main diet.

Rinse dried beans, soak them well, then cook until **completely soft** (**raw or partly cooked beans hold lectins that cause severe vomiting and diarrhoea**), and crush or puree them plain; use water only, with no salt, oil, garlic or seasoning.

**Raw and undercooked beans must never be fed**, so cook them right through; whole beans choke and cause gas, so crush them and keep portions small; **salted canned black beans and bean dip are out**; stop and **contact a vet** if signs persist.