As a cat owner, you know your feline friend needs a steady supply of protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals to stay healthy. Feeding them high-quality commercial cat food is the best way to meet your cat's nutritional needs, but did you know that certain human foods are safe for cats, too? While your finicky feline may not be as willing to chow down on unusual foods as a dog would be, they may enjoy things like cooked fish and meat. And foods like pumpkin can even help with hairballs and constipation.
Keeping your cat on a well-balanced diet is crucial to maintaining their overall health. As veterinarians, we are here to provide nutritional counseling if you ever need help determining what and how much to feed your feline friend. In this blog post, we will be discussing some surprising foods that are safe to share with your cat in small amounts. Let’s get to it!
Cooked Fish
When you want to give your cat a tasty snack, it’s hard to beat a little cooked fish. Fish contains omega-3 fatty acids that support skin and coat health, and it’s good for the brain, joints, and eyes too.
Fish that can be shared with your cat in small amounts include:
- Salmon
- Mackerel
- Tuna
- Cooked, plain shellfish such as shrimp
Always cook fish thoroughly before offering it, remove any bones, and serve it plain—no oil, salt, or seasoning. Fish should be an occasional treat rather than a regular part of the diet: fed in quantity, oily fish can lead to vitamin E deficiency and painful inflammation of the body fat, and some larger fish carry higher levels of mercury. Canned tuna intended for people isn’t a suitable substitute for cat food, and cats who become hooked on it will often start refusing their balanced diet.
Lean Meat
As obligate carnivores, cats need meat in their diet. Their regular food should provide it, but there’s no harm in offering a tender morsel of cooked chicken, beef, or turkey once in a while. Raw diets are popular at the moment, but we recommend cooking meat before feeding it to your cat—cooking eliminates pathogens such as E. coli, Salmonella, and Toxoplasma, some of which can also make people in the household unwell. Serve it plain, with no seasoning, gravy, or onion or garlic, and make sure there aren’t any bones.
Eggs
Many cats enjoy eggs, and they are a good source of protein and other nutrients.
Eggs contain nutrients including:
- Animal protein and amino acids
- Biotin
- Vitamins A, D, E, and B12
- Thiamine and riboflavin
- Iron, zinc, and selenium
Scrambled and boiled eggs are both fine, and they’re carbohydrate-free. Like meat, eggs can carry Salmonella and E. coli, so they must be cooked—raw egg white also interferes with biotin absorption. Cook them plain, without oil, butter, milk, or salt.
Pumpkin
Plain pureed pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling, which contains sugar and spices) is a useful source of fiber. Fiber can help with weight control, and it may ease both constipation and loose stools. Canned pumpkin also has a high water content, which is a small bonus for a species that tends not to drink enough.
Cats aren’t as taken with pumpkin as we are with pumpkin pie, but many will accept ½ to 1 teaspoon mixed into their food. If you’re using it for a digestive problem, let us know first—recurring constipation, diarrhea, or hairballs are worth investigating rather than managing at home indefinitely, and there are more effective options if your cat needs them.
Rice
Rice isn’t a necessary part of a cat’s diet, but it is easy to digest and a small amount mixed with plain cooked chicken is a traditional bland meal for a cat recovering from an upset stomach. Use plain cooked white rice, and keep the amount small—cats have little use for carbohydrates, and too many calories from any source leads to weight gain. If your cat has an upset stomach that lasts more than a day, or they stop eating altogether, please call us rather than waiting it out.
Yogurt
Many cats lose the ability to digest lactose as they grow out of kittenhood, which makes most dairy products a poor choice. Yogurt is a little easier on them, because much of the lactose has already been broken down during fermentation—but easier is not the same as trouble-free, and some cats will still get an upset stomach from it.
If you’d like to try it, offer a small spoonful of plain yogurt with no sweeteners, flavorings, or vanilla, and never anything containing xylitol. Stop if it causes any digestive upset. If you’re interested in probiotics for your cat, ask us—there are feline-specific products with strains chosen for cats, which are a better bet than yogurt.
Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Cat
We’ve covered some human foods your cat can eat. Now let’s look at some human foods that cats shouldn't eat. Some of the items on this list are toxic, while others simply aren’t good for your cat.
Foods cats can’t eat include:
- Alcohol
- Caffeine, including coffee, tea, and energy drinks
- Raw bread dough
- Chocolate
- Cooked or raw bones
- Raw meat, fish, and eggs
- Dog food, which lacks nutrients cats need
- Garlic, chives, onions, and leeks
- Milk and cream
- Fat trimmings
- Grapes and raisins
- Mushrooms
- Nuts and seeds, particularly macadamia nuts
- Xylitol and other artificial sweeteners
- Anything containing salt or seasoning in quantity
In addition, you should never give your cat medications intended for humans or other animals. If you think your cat has eaten something on this list, call us or an animal poison control service right away rather than waiting for signs to appear—and don’t try to make them vomit unless you’ve been told to.
Closing Thoughts
Your cat’s regular food is the best thing to feed them and should make up almost all of their diet—treats of any kind are best kept to no more than about 10% of their daily calories. There’s no harm, though, in offering your feline friend a little of the safe foods listed above once in a while. If you’re having a hard time understanding your cat’s nutritional needs, we’d love to help. Please reach out to us to schedule an appointment.