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Chances are your cat may have tried making off with a chunk of pineapple or licking your dessert. Sweet as these fruits are for humans, can cats eat pineapples? Pineapples are a great source of vitamins C for humans and help the body ward off ailments by boosting its immunity.
But when your cat eats them, do you need to prepare for an emergency trip to the vet or not? Yes, pineapple is safe for cats. However, cats should eat it in small quantities to avoid any complications. Also, you should ensure they eat only the fruit and not the leaves or skin, and you should cut the chunks into small pieces to avoid choking.
Do Cats Like Pineapples?
Naturally, cats can’t taste sweet foods. Yeap, true to the word, they lack sweet receptors on their tongue, but they’ll still want to taste whatever you’re eating, whether out of curiosity or hunger. As a matter of fact, cats don’t really need fruit to survive.
Surprisingly enough, some homeowners say their cats love pineapples. However, that solely depends on your cat’s taste. If you have never seen your cat go for a pineapple off your plate, don’t assume that it’ll not happen someday.
Pineapples may not mean much for cats, and as so, don’t worry if you serve your cat and it walks right past the pineapple. Usually, they get the needed nutrients from their daily cat food.
Is Pineapple Safe for Cats?
Unlike other citrus fruits, pineapples don’t cause any toxic reaction or poisoning to your fluffy friend unless your cat has a deadly allergy to them. That said, it’s safe to give your cat small chunks of pineapples once in a while; too much can cause diarrhea.
When dealing with pineapples, take caution with the canned ones. They contain a lot of syrup and sugar, which can be dangerous for cats. They can cause diarrhea, a sore stomach, and dental problems when taken.
Although these are minor issues that might not kill your cat, they might make it very uncomfortable. Furthermore, exposing your cat to too much sugar can lead to complications such as diabetes and obesity, shortening its lifespan.
Do you Know?
We’ve done our research for lots of foods and have vetted them if they are safe for your pets. Why not check out this article: Can Cats Eat Peanuts?
Similarly, fresh pineapples are overly sweet; therefore, limit the frequency and size that you feed your cat. Also, be cautious not to provide your cat with the skin, husk, or leaves since they can cause allergic reactions. The husk, in particular, is known to cause swelling and bleeding in cats.
So, feeding your cat small portions of the fresh pineapple once in a while shouldn’t cause any harm. If you notice anything out of the norm, stop feeding it with pineapples and consult your vet.
Health Benefits of Pineapple for Cats
Although cats naturally aren’t built to need fruits for survival since they’re carnivores, they can get a few nutritional benefits from eating pineapples. Nonetheless, you shouldn’t replace their everyday cat food with pineapples whatsoever. Some of the nutrients cats can gain include copper, vitamin B6, manganese, and folate.
In addition, they can get water content which is a good thing since you’ll rarely see cats drinking a lot of water on their own. Pineapple can also be a great way of helping in the digestive process in cats if they’re constipating.
Are Pineapples Safe For Cats?
So, from the above overview, it’s evident that cats can eat pineapples; whether they actually eat depends on your cat. If you’re going to feed your cat a pineapple, ensure it’s a small piece and should only be one in a while. Pineapples aren’t exactly the preferred meals for cats when it comes to their dietary requirements; therefore, it would be best if you could avoid feeding them to cats.