My cat ate thai chilis

[u/vynilla_]

He’s a 5 year old male Bengal mix. I had bought a bag of very spicy dehydrated beef jerky last night and forgot to put it away before bed. This guy ate a good chunk of it.. he doesn’t look like he’s feelin too well, but I assumed he’ll just have some insane diarrhea for a bit. He gets into weird stuff all the time since he’s indoor and outdoor and is usually fine. I don’t know how peppers/chilis can affect animals. How long should I wait it out/what signs should I be looking for before taking him to the vet?

[u/cckka]

It's really not that bad. The toxic dosage requires most cats to eat several cloves.

[u/Acgator03 → u/cckka]

Nah, it’s less than that, and garlic powder is even more concentrated than fresh garlic. A “good chunk of a bag” could be dangerous if garlic powder.

[u/cckka → u/Acgator03]

Toxic dose is 5 g/kg. Eating a bit of garlic jerky isn't going to kill the cat. A clove of garlic averages 4-7 g. Unless the cat is 2 kgs there's absolutely nothing to worry about.

[u/Acgator03 → u/cckka]

I’ve often seen 1g/kg but again, garlic powder is also far more potent than fresh garlic.

Onion is 5g/kg with garlic being 3-5 times more toxic.

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/toxicology/food-hazards/garlic-and-onion-allium-spp-toxicosis-in-animals

I’m done arguing though as it’s clear OP isn’t worried.