Mint is best kept away from cats. Most culinary mints contain essential oils that can upset a cat's stomach, and cats process these plant oils poorly. Mint is also not the same as catnip, even though both are in the mint family — catnip is the cat-safe one, and ordinary garden or peppermint is not a treat.
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Caution — essential oils, and not catnipAmount, form, or frequency matters
Can cats eat mint? 🌱
Mint is best kept away from cats. Most culinary mints contain essential oils that can upset a cat's stomach, and cats process these plant oils poorly. Mint is also not the same as catnip, even though both are in the mint family — catnip is the cat-safe one, and ordinary garden or peppermint is not a treat.
Source-linked record · Last reviewed July 17, 2026 · Not veterinary advice
Why this answer
Garden mints such as peppermint and spearmint are rich in essential oils and menthol-type compounds that cats cannot metabolize well, so they tend to cause gastrointestinal upset. Concentrated mint or peppermint oil is more hazardous still. This is a frequent point of confusion because catnip is a mint relative, yet the culinary mints do not have catnip's harmless, cat-specific appeal.
Watch for
Vomiting or diarrhea
Drooling or loss of appetite
Lethargy after eating a lot of leaves or any mint oil
How much is okay
None needed; keep culinary mint and peppermint oil away, and offer catnip instead if you want a cat-safe plant.
Serve it safely
Keep peppermint and spearmint plants and oils out of reach.
Do not confuse garden mint with catnip when giving a plant treat.
Avoid mint-flavored human foods and candies near cats.
Sources and evidence notes (3)
People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets
ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center — Multi-species veterinary toxicology list covering alcohol, chocolate, caffeine, citrus, coconut, grapes and raisins, macadamia nuts, milk and dairy, nuts, onions, garlic and chives, raw meat and eggs, salty snacks, xylitol, and yeast dough.
Poison List
Pet Poison Helpline — Veterinarian-maintained toxin database for dogs and cats, reachable at (855) 764-7661, with per-substance toxicity levels, signs, and species notes.
Poisons
Cornell Feline Health Center, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine — Feline-specific poisoning overview covering common household toxin exposures in cats, clinical signs, and the need for prompt veterinary care.
Answer card
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Remove access. Take the food away and move your cat to another room.
Note the facts. What was it, roughly how much is missing, and when? Keep the packaging.
Call before symptoms. For chocolate, onion, garlic, grapes, raisins, alcohol, or anything sugar-free (xylitol), call a hotline or your veterinarian now — early treatment is easier and cheaper.
Never do this
Do not induce vomiting, feed milk, salt, or oil, or wait overnight to "see how it goes". Signs of chocolate or Allium poisoning can take hours to days to appear.
Go to an emergency vet immediately if
Your cat is collapsing, twitching or seizing, struggling to breathe, drooling heavily, vomiting repeatedly, or wobbly on their feet.
Outside the US? Call your local emergency veterinary clinic — keep the number saved in your phone.
Effective: July 17, 2026
Can Cats Eat It? provides general educational information for cat owners. It is not veterinary, diagnostic, treatment, or emergency advice.
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