2-month-old kitten sends pawrent into panic after eating whole can of tuna, only for the vet to confirm he was just having a dramatic food coma: 'Hims tummy full'

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Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager
Jul 11, 2026 10:15 AM EDT

Imagine if our cats could call the doctor. After Thanksgiving, they'd be like, "Hello, doc? My hooman ate an entire turkey and is acting lethargic, should I be worried?"

Some cats are calm grazers, and others aren't. Especially the orange ones - in my purrsonal experience, they're the most food-obsessed little maniacs I've ever met. But it's not always the orange ones, any cat can be the biblical incarnation of greed and inhale any food within eyesight. Not even your hooman food is safe. I once had a cat that would pretend to get injured while I was eating, so I would leave my plate unattended, and as soon as I found them (purrfectly fine, by the way), they would run to our plate and try to steal our lunch. The kitten in our video below from Reddit's r/CATHELP community seems like he's going to grow up into one of those kinds of cats.

While his hooman's back was turned, the 2-month-old kitten scarfed down a nearly full can of tuna and started acting lethargic after. Like any pawrent, we would be rightfully concerned and immediately seek veterinary help. However, by the time they got to the vet, their smol kitten seemed to be already recovering. The vet told them that, for lack of a better term, he was just in a food coma. A very dramatic one, but a food coma nonetheless.

By the time they got home, their kitten had already rememebered that he was pawsitively capable of causing chaos. Running, playing, and back to his normal self. Ah, pawrenthood. Isn't it fun?

Every pawrent has at least one of these scares with a young pet. They did the right thing by seeking veterinary help so quickly, but we have a feeling that this might be their first kitten. Why? Because any seasoned feline owner would know never to leave a can of tuna unattended, even if there are only kittens around. Never underestimate a cat and their desire for a scrumptious can of tuna.

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  • 01
    Cheezburger Image 10645773568
    via potionofstar
  • 02
    100% my fault here. left a can of mostly finished tuna on the counter and came home to find it licked clean so he obviously ate the oils and tiny bits left. he can still move around and drink water but everything he does is sluggish and does this look like
    via potionofstar
  • 03
    laboured breathing here? taking him to the vet very soon but is there anything else i can do in the meantime? 2 months old kitten, not neutered yet as he's very young. can afford vet care
    via potionofstar

  • I remember when I adopted my first kitten. I saw little thing as a “symptom” of something wrong. I think I went to the vet around 8 times in the first few months. 9 out of 10 times, it was nothing to worry about. But there's always that worry when it's your first cat. Needless to say, I learned a lot from that kitten. I also got to know the vets at my veterinarian office very well.

  • 04
    Cheezburger Image 10645772800
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  • 05
    update: he's back home and doing normal cat things again. vet didn't prescribe him anything as he became much more active in the short span of time we got him there
    via potionofstar
  • 06
    spydergto dude greedy little sh is going to be fine BUT watch out for the that's gonna stank out that cat box cause it's coming
    via spydergto
  • 07
    B
    via potionofstar
  • 08
    TheGiant Void How long ago? He may have just pigged out and his body is figuring out what to do with "real food" for the first time.
    via TheGiantVoid
  • 09
    traplords8n OP, we can help you a bit better if you post the ingredients on the can. I wouldn't trust our comments like we're vets, but we're caring here and we can help you get an idea of the chances of salt poisoning.
    via traplords8n

  • They were right to seek a vet's purrfessional opinion, especially if the tuna was in oil and not water. The kitten just ate the best meal of his life, but a very, very heavy one. 

  • 10
    That's the biggest threat here. I think the chances of any other problem are pretty low.
    via traplords8n
  • 11
    If the kitten drinks enough water and the symptoms go away, I think they will be okay, but cats aren't known for being very thirsty. Sometimes they naturally don't like to drink much water and you may need a vet to intervene and give them the proper fluids.
    via traplords8n
  • 12
    Sheepherder676 Bros got the meat sweats. Hes gonna be alright just make sure to give him some water and time to rest
    via Sheepherder676
  • 13
    realfakejames He just ate too much, cats and dogs aren't like people who stop eating when they're full, they will keep eating as long as they can. He'll be fine
    via realfakejames
  • 14
    OfficalLockeWilson That baby is purring and trying to digest the best meal he's ever had. He just ate the caloric equivalent of a 200 layer sandwich that scooby doo would down like a champ. Give him a fresh bowl of water and give him some head scritches, he's gonna get through this.
    via OfficalLockeWilson
  • 15
    _MsRobot_ His first food coma
    via _MsRobot_
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    Cheezburger Image 10645773312
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  • 17
    BarbarianBoaz Kitty going into food coma. Tuna is just fine for cats, if it was 'just" tuna and not the flavored kind. just needs to sleep with a belly full.
    via BarbarianBoaz
  • 18
    ArolSazir If you ate a chunk of tuna the size of your head, oils included, you'd be lethargic too
    via ArolSazir
  • 19
    Horror-Soup9541 Hims tummy full
    via Horror-Soup9541
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    via potionofstar

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