How every TummyCats entry is sourced, written, approved and corrected.
Where answers come from
We only use these publishers for verdicts:
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, including its toxic and non-toxic plant database
- Pet Poison Helpline
- Merck Veterinary Manual
- US Food and Drug Administration, Center for Veterinary Medicine
- Cornell Feline Health Center and other university veterinary schools
- International Cat Care
- VCA Animal Hospitals
Sources written only about dogs are never used for a cat verdict. Each entry lists its sources with the exact words we relied on and the date we read them.
What the verdicts mean
- Safe: fine in the form and amount we describe. Safe always comes with conditions, such as plain, cooked or occasional, and never means unlimited.
- Caution: can cause problems in some forms, amounts or cats.
- Toxic: can poison cats. Every toxic entry tells you what to do and who to call.
- Not checked yet: we haven’t checked it. That doesn’t mean it’s safe.
Our rules
- A toxic verdict needs at least two different publishers. Caution and safe need at least one.
- When sources disagree, we use the more cautious verdict and say so on the page.
- Every claim cites a source. Quotes are 25 words or fewer and are checked word for word against our saved copy of the page.
- No treatment advice, home remedies or doses, unless a source states them. For anything on fur or skin, we only repeat what sources say to do.
- We never claim veterinary review we don’t have, and we don’t publish popularity counts, ratings or testimonials.
How an entry is approved
Entries are drafted with the help of AI tools. Software then checks the sourcing rules above and matches every quote against the saved source page. The site owner approves each entry before it’s published. Nothing is published automatically, and any later change takes the entry offline until it’s approved again. Each page lists its sources and the date they were checked.
Keeping entries up to date
We re-check every entry at least once a year, and sooner if a source changes or someone reports a problem. Helpline numbers, hours and fees are checked on each provider’s own website, and the date is shown next to them.
Corrections
Spotted a mistake? Report it and we’ll check it against the sources. Corrections are listed here with the date.
Corrections log
- 10 October 2026: Twelve plant entries asked “Is it toxic to cats?” and answered “Yes” when they meant “No, it isn’t”. The verdicts were already correct (Safe). We fixed the wording and, on nine other entries, tied each statement more closely to the quotes behind it.