Oatmeal has become a famous breakfast for humans worldwide, but can cat eat oatmeal is the real deal. Cats can eat cooked oatmeal or raw oats as an occasional treat to get health benefits.
But it is not a part of a cat’s diet in the wild and in your home. If your cat wants health benefits from this food, you must keep everything in moderation.
Cats eat oatmeal cookies without any hassle, but in any form, oats cannot replace regular cat food. Milk is not a healthy treat for your lactose intolerant feline friend; you must avoid milk in the bowl when cats eat oats. Oat tea is also great for a dehydrated cat; you can serve it in the water bowl or put it over kibbles.
You must ensure commercial cat foods you choose don’t have oats; if they do, avoid giving oats as a staple food. All the human foods cats eat do not necessarily provide health benefits.
You must consult your vet before giving it to your kitty. If your pet has pre-existing medical conditions like pancreatitis or diabetes, oats are not safe for them.
Read along to know the benefits of oats for felines and the side effects and risks. You will also learn ways to make it the most healthy treat for your furball.
Is oatmeal a good food for cats?
Oatmeal is good food for cats as an occasional treat in smaller amounts. If you ask about the goodness of food for your cat, you must deal with various factors and ingredients. There are two types of good foods for cats: regular food and the other is an occasional treat.
The answer is no when you ask if oatmeal is suitable for cats as regular food. The reason behind this is not that oatmeal lack any nutritional value. But the primary consideration here is the nutritional profile. Oatmeal is rich in minerals and nutrients, but they do not comply with the needs of your furball.
Cats need taurine and essential amino acid to perform daily normal functions and live happy lives. Taurine helps cats create energy by breaking amino acids and lipids into smaller constituents and providing a reservoir to enjoy good growth and backup for daily activities.
Unsaturated fat offers immunity, a stable body temperature, and a good growth opportunity for the cats. Fat also helps cats in having a balanced chemical composition in the bloodstream. The thyroid glands and blood stay at an average level with the help of unsaturated fat.
Oats lack lean protein and unsaturated fat that your cat needs daily. The answer to whether oatmeal is suitable for cats daily is a big no. To explore whether oatmeal is ideal for cats as an occasional treat, read the following section.
Is oatmeal safe/toxic for cats to eat?
According to experts and ASPCA, oatmeal is a safe food for feline consumption. No toxins exist in this food, and you can share it with your pet without hassle. One implication you must follow before making it part of the feline diet.
Do not overdo the feeding, as it will disrupt the gut flora of the feline. When cats eat food that doesn’t comprise protein and unsaturated fat, they get ill. The first effect is on their food motility. This term means the speed of the food inside the stomach and intestine.
Oatmeal is a safe food for your furball occasionally and without any additives. Many people love to have their oats soaked in milk overnight. The use of milk is not safe for cats because they are lactose intolerant. One might get confused by seeing kittens drinking milk and staying healthy.
Well, kittens only need mother milk or vet-prescribed formula. Before weaning, their body produces an enzyme called lactase. This enzyme breaks the complex sugar in milk and provides energy and nutrients to kittens. As the juveniles grow up, their body stops producing this enzyme.
It is just a misconception that cats enjoy milk in cartoons and animated movies. Cats suffer from the pain and agony a lactose intolerant person must bear. Adding any additives except water makes oats an unsafe food for your furball.
Are there any side effects of feeding cat oatmeal?
There are two scenarios regarding the side effects that occur when you feed oatmeal to your cat:
Side effects of oatmeal after occasional feeding
Food allergy
Not every cat can eat oats and process the food without any hassle. Food allergy is real for cats, the same as their human compatriots. According to experts, if you feed oats to your furball for the first time, you must conduct an allergy test.
Offer a small bite to the cat and look for any sign of digestive issues, withdrawal from food, and staying in seclusion.
Diarrhea
When your cat’s stomach doesn’t comply with the texture of oats, the result will be an increased amount of harmful gut bacteria.
The rise in acidity along with these bacteria will result in severe diarrhea. The cat will have a severe stomachache, cramps, and thin stool.
Vomiting
Cats regurgitate their stomach when the food they eat is not safe for their body. In the wild, cats avoid harmful food but stop believing their gut feeling when they live with you.
The gut is also most affected by wrong decisions and eating routines. Oats can cause severe dehydration and weakness in the felines.
Side effects of oatmeal overfeeding
- Stunted growth
- Anxiety and depression
- Prolonged digestive issues
- Vital organ damage
- Inability to jump
How much oatmeal can a cat eat?
You have learned cats don’t need oats daily. They are only safe when you offer this food occasionally. According to experts, there is another catch: you cannot share more than 50 grams of oatmeal with your cat.
Cats need 75 to 80% lean protein in their daily diet and 10 t 15% unsaturated fat. Now you are left with only a 5 to 10% window that allows you to share these treats but not every day.
You must keep changing the occasional treat menu with different fruits and veggies for a better blend of nutrients and minerals.
What are the risks of feeding cats oatmeal?
Many more things can complicate your kitty’s health if you have removed the risk of food allergy. Oatmeal can make your cat suffer from the following risks:
- High cholesterol level
- Diabetes
- Pancreatitis
- Involuntary urination
- Heart attack
- Kidney failure
- Fatty liver disease
Can kittens eat oatmeal?
All of us know that kittens have the most sensitive digestive system. Any negligence or mistake in feeding could result in fatality.
Kittens cannot eat and process oats, and you must avoid giving them oats. Once the kitten has crossed one year, it is time to go for oats or other meals.
Oatmeal Nutrition Benefits For Cats
If you keep oatmeal feeding in moderation, the cat can harbor the following benefits from this meal:
- Antioxidants: Increase immunity and ward off free radicals
- Iron: Wards off anemia, blood loss, and weakness symptoms
- Vitamin B1: Increases bone density and kidney health
- Vitamin E: Is suitable for fertility, eyesight, heart health, and muscle functions
- Selenium: Increases immunity and removes mercury and metals from the body
- Manganese: Enhances thyroid health and regulates hormones
- Zinc: Is for strong hair and a shiny coat
How should oatmeal be served to your cat?
The best oatmeal dish for cats is overnight oats without additives like salt, sugar, and milk. Take two tablespoons of oatmeal and soak them overnight in 4 tablespoons of water.
It will give your cat a good consistency with crunch and easy-to-digest food. Spoon-feed the meal or use it as a seasoning on the kibbles or wet food.
What about oat tea?
Oat tea without sugar and milk is the perfect treat to give your cat a nutritious blend. Oat tea also provides hydration and minerals to cats.
You can use steel-cut or rolled oats to make tea and offer it to the cat. If your kitty is withdrawing from kibbles, you can dip them in oat tea and help them eat the food again with more joy.
Can cats eat cereal?
Cereal is a safe food for cats, but high sugar and gluten can be problematic daily. You can share this breakfast with your furball once a week. But giving them more than this will cause severe digestive issues and vital organ damage.
Can cats eat raw oats?
Cats can eat raw oats but cannot digest this food properly. A cat suffering from any illness cannot bear the burden of raw oats, and the side effects will be worse.
A diabetic cat can suffer trauma and lose life because of pancreatitis or liver issues. Experts suggest that pet owners should avoid giving raw oats to the felines.
Can cats eat steel-cut oats?
Steel-cut oats are good as instant oats, but if you soak them overnight, you will have a sloppy liquid. Cats do not enjoy this strange sloppiness, and you must discard this dish.
Steel-cut oats provide the same benefits to humans, but when you soak them overnight, you remove excessive phosphorus.
Alternative Healthy Snacks
Oats are not as healthier for cats as they are humans. But if you want to replace these grains with other food, you have several options. According to experts, adding fruits and veggies to a feline’s diet gives them a perfect nutritious blend.
The rules and implications are the same for the fruits or veggies as for oats. Never give your cat more than 80 grams of staple food a day. You should keep changing the menu and provide your cat with a balanced diet.
You can choose any of the following food as a healthy alternative to oatmeal:
- Seaweed
- Lettuce
- Pumpkin
- Sweet potato
- Green beans
- Bell pepper
- Banana
- Apple
- Watermelon
Final Thoughts
- Oatmeal is a good food daily if you feed it to your cat without milk, maple syrup, or salt.
- Steel-cut or raw oatmeal is also safe for cats if they do not cause allergies.
- The safe to eat oatmeal consumption is less than 50 to 80 grams once a week.
- Kittens cannot eat oats before weaning as the trauma will take their life.
- Chocolate, salt, and herbs can kill your cat because of severe poisoning; avoid adding them to the oatmeal for cats.
- A diabetic cat or feline suffering from a pre-existing condition cannot eat oatmeal.
FAQs for cats eating oatmeal
Can oatmeal kill my cat?
There are no toxins or toxic elements in oatmeal. For your cat, oatmeal is not a thing you should give daily.
Oatmeal can make them suffer from digestive issues, and some other risks are involved, but sudden death is not the outcome.
Does oatmeal cause obesity in cats?
Once a week, the oatmeal treat is a good blend of nutrients and minerals for cats. But you do wrong when you share your breakfast daily with the cat.
The high carbs and high-fat food are not suitable for your furball. It will result in weight gain, and if you don’t stop early, the cat will become obese.
Are oatmeal and honey safe for my cat?
If you have a healthy adult cat with no pre-existing medical condition, the use of oatmeal is a safe option as an occasional treat. But honey is not suitable for the feline because it contains high sugar and carbs.
Using honey is suitable if your cat is suffering from digestive issues as a medicine. But oatmeal and honey are not what vets suggest for the cat.
Can a diabetic cat eat oatmeal and maple syrup?
A diabetic cat cannot eat food with high carbs and sugar. Oats and maple syrup have both things in abundance.
When you share oats or maple syrup with your kitty, the results will be an elevated blood sugar level. It will dramatically affect the pancreas and kidneys, and your cat could lose its life because of the trauma.
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