Since kitties are our best friends, we want to treat them just like us. We want to care for them, play with them, and keep them healthy. Sometimes, we miss understanding whether it is safe for furry friends when we feed them with similar food. We eat different kinds of vegetables ranging from tasty carrots, green beans, and fried onion along with delicacies like seafood. Many of us wonder can cat eat vegetables and raw seafood.
Since a cat’s digestive system is not as complex as ours, there are certain limitations in what we feed and how we feed them. Cat’s internal system is made for digesting meat and there is no replacement for that. However, we can feed vegetables and seafood in the right way in small amounts as a treat to furry beings. Let’s look at various vegetables and seafood types that a cat can eat and cannot eat below:
Vegetables that cats can eat
Vegetables are an important source of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and water. However, there are few vegetables such as onion, garlic, and others that a cat should avoid.
Sweet Potatoes
We all like sweet potatoes. Boiled or steamed sweet potatoes are safe for the cats to eat in moderation. Since they are rich in fiber, it helps your kitty to have bowel movements. However, if fed in excess, your kitty might get diarrhea. Also, avoid feeding raw sweet potatoes as it is harmful to the kitty.
Potatoes
When you prepare cooked potatoes for your meal without skin, you can feed small amounts to your cat. But don’t feed your lovely friend with raw potatoes. The reason is these raw potatoes contain a chemical called solanine which damages the cat’s nervous system.
Spinach
Spinach is a very healthy food. It has a lot of iron, calcium, and vitamins. It is a cat friendly and healthy treat definitely. If your cat has kidney issues or if it has previously suffered from bladder stones, it is better to avoid spinach altogether.
Carrots
Cooked carrots are a healthy treat for your cat. It has beta carotene, a lot of minerals, and vitamins. Vitamin A present in carrots is needed for your cat’s health. However, the quantity offered to the kitty must be moderate like a treat because high amounts can lead to the formation of bladder stones and other kidney issues. Also, please avoid feeding raw carrots since they can choke your cat.
Lettuce
Lettuce is low in calories and contains more water. It is a good treat for cats and it helps in balancing hydration. It also has high fiber and helps in the cat’s digestion. Since kitties usually like to chew plants, offering lettuce for its chew time is one of the best options.
Cauliflower
Cauliflower helps cats having arthritis. It is a good treat that has antioxidants, anti-cancer properties. Offer this to your kitty in moderation as a boiled treat. Also, remove leaves and stem before feeding them to your cat. If you give this in large amounts, it can cause extreme diarrhea so be cautious of the amount.
Broccoli
Steamed broccoli contains antioxidants. It is tasty, safe, good for digestion, and helps in the kitty’s bowel movements. It is usual for cats to have chew cravings and you can bet that this food will satisfy your kitty’s cravings
Peas
Peas are also a part of this list as it is high in fiber, vitamin A and C. It also has proteins in it that are required to build your cat’s strength.
Celery
It has high fiber, a lot of vitamins, minerals. Celery is good for cats and you feed them to cats in moderation. Your kitty will love munching them. Overeating them can cause stomach irritation or diarrhea.
Asparagus
Small amounts of asparagus are good. It has fiber content and helps in the cat’s digestion. Since it is alkaline in nature, adding too much to a cat’s feeding habits can cause bladder stone formation and be detrimental to the cat’s health.
Green Beans
This is a healthy diet for human beings as well as their furry partners. It has lots of fiber in it and if cats are overweight, it is a good food to feed them. It also has oxalates in them and so it must be used in moderation again. If it is canned beans, please check out sodium levels and ensure low sodium levels are fed to kitties.
Tomatoes
You can feed little pieces of ripe tomatoes. However, it is not ripe, it can cause gastrointestinal problems and so best to avoid it. Also, please don’t feed any other part of the tomato plant.
Vegetables that cats cannot eat
Onion
These are dangerously toxic to cats. It contains sulfur-containing oxidants, a compound that causes damage to red blood cells which is called anemia. Other symptoms due to onion intake include lethargy, weakness, reduced appetite. Never try to mix onions, either in raw form or cooked form with a part of your cat’s diet.
Garlic
Garlic is extremely toxic and it is at least five times more toxic than onions and leeks. Even a clove of garlic has the potential to cause organ damage and can prove to be fatal. It damages the red blood cells of cats and causes hemolytic anemia. Avoid any form of garlic such as garlic bread.
Can cats eat raw seafood?
The simple answer is no. But let’s look at what are the side effects and damages it can cause to our feline friend.
Raw fish
Please don’t feed raw fish to cats because of food poisoning due to E. coli or salmonella infection. Also, it has the enzyme thiaminase which is dangerous to cats. The reason is this enzyme can destroy an essential B vitamin called thiamine in cats. This leads to neurological problems in cats and may lead to coma finally.
Raw fish bones
Avoid them at all costs because they are a choking hazard. Even small bones can splinter and hurt the mouthparts and digestive tract of a cat.
Raw shrimp
Being raw, it can have several strains of salmonella, listeria, and E.coil. If eaten, it can cause Stomach upset and constipation.
Raw uncooked prawns
Though prawns have nutrients, your kitty shouldn’t take raw prawns because of toxic bacteria and toxic elements called dioxins that can prove to be fatal. Prawn shells can damage a cat’s internal mouthparts.
Raw Lobsters
Just like above raw seafood, raw lobsters might contain harmful parasites affecting our feline friend’s health.
Can cats eat cooked seafood?
Cooked Fish
Cooked salmon, tuna have omega 3 fatty acids and are rich in protein. Omega 3 is very good for treating arthritis, maintaining eyesight, treating kidney disease, and mitigating heart disorders. These are delicious treats for cats and in moderation will be good for cats’ health.
Also, fish oil is rich in omega 3 and has natural fatty acids. It is good for maintaining a cat’s coat and helps in protecting dry skin in winter.
Cooked shrimp
Boiled or steamed shrimp, if taken in small amounts is fine. Before feeding it to your cat, please ensure that you wash it thoroughly and also remove its head, tail, and shell. Once in a while, treating cats with a delicacy will not hurt.
Cooked Prawns
Cooked prawns without adding onion, garlic or any preservatives is good for the cat’s strength provided it is presented as a treat in small amounts. Since prawn is rich in protein, adding it as an alternative to treat is a good idea. However, if you are feeding for the first time, please observe if your cat is allergic to prawns. Symptoms for allergic reactions include extreme redness, lethargy, loss of appetite, and licking tendency. If this happens, immediately take your cat to the vet and stop feeding prawns
Cooked Lobster
In moderation, you can feed your cat with cooked lobsters which are rich in proteins. However, be cautious when feeding for the first time because sometimes it can cause allergies in cats.
Conclusion
The above information on vegetables and seafood can serve you as a guide if you want to try them for your kitty. However, they can be only taken as a treat which is not more than 10% of daily intake. They can never replace your commercial cat food based on meat and supplements. If you think you need more guidance or if your cat faces some allergic issues, please contact your veterinarian.
If you are interested to read more about cat food, please check out the different types of human food your cats can eat.