Can Cats Eat Celery and Carrots?
It is common to wonder if cats can eat certain human foods, such as celery and carrots. The answer is that it depends. Cats are primarily carnivores and their nutritional needs should be met by quality-controlled cat food, but some human foods can be snack options.
Celery
Cats can in fact eat celery, as long as it is plain and plain-textured. The celery must be washed thoroughly, as it may contain food-borne bacteria that can make your cat sick.
Benefits & Disadvantages
Celery is a nutritious snack, being high in water and vitamins A, C and K. The key for cats is that celery is low in calories, which helps with obesity prevention. On the downside, cats may develop an upset stomach or even an allergy if they eat too much celery.
Carrots
Carrots can be part of your cat’s dietary options, though they should not replace her cat food. Similarly to celery, carrots can also be washed, boiled and mashed first, as raw carrots may contain too much sugar for cats.
Benefits & Disadvantages
Carrots offer other benefits for cats besides their taste, as they are a good source of vitamins B and C, K, phosphorous and sodium. But, carrots are quite high in sugar content and may cause digestive problems if a cat eats too many.
Overview
In conclusion, cats can neither fully rely on celery nor carrots for nutritional purposes and should be kept as occasional snacks. In order to avoid any stomach issues, vegetablest should never exceed 10% of your cat’s diet as a whole.
Here are some tips to keep your cat safe:
- Wash vegetables thoroughly. As mentioned, this will help get rid of any food-borne bacteria that can make your cat sick.
- Make sure vegetables are cooked. Boiling, steaming or mashing vegetables is the best way to make sure they are digestible.
- Everything in moderation. Too much of any human food, even celery and carrots, can have negative consequences.
