garlic

Question
My mom's cat ate a small piece of garlic off of my plate.  Is this dangerous for him?  He is about 10 pounds. He ate probably  1/8 of a clove, just a small hunk.  He seems to be fine.  

Answer
Hi there!  Onions and garlic are two of the items in the long list of toxicities to cats.  I do, however, think that such a small amount would not harm her cat.  To put your mind at ease, I have a kitten that jumped up and stole a huge piece of onion and gulped it down before I had a chance to react...he was absolutely fine.
These things that are considered toxic to our pets are mostly only toxic if a certain amount is ingested. Although, these things aren't healthy for our pets, a small amount would not cause any drastic illnesses.
A reaction to toxicity would occur within a few hours of ingestion.  If the cat seems fine, I would not be concerned. 1/8 of a clove is a tiny amount to 10 lbs. I would rest assured that he will be just fine.
I hope this helps!
Hilary