Can I Give My Cat Chickpeas?

Can I give my cat chickpeas?

Can I give my cat chickpeas?Chickpeas, aka garbanzo beans, aka pea beans show up in a lot of different recipes, and can also be eaten all by themselves. You may have thought to give them to your cat. We’re recommending against them.

There are some qualities about chickpeas that are good for humans, but there are also some major drawbacks to eating them. There are specific conditions that you don’t want to subject your cat to, and since often when a food reacts a certain way with people, it also has a negative reaction with cats.

If your cat has the following conditions: rheumatism, arthritis, kidney stones, gout, or hyper-acidity you don’t want to let them have chickpeas because it could end up irritating their condition. This is reason enough to not give them to your cat, since often these conditions are not very easy to diagnose without the help of a vet. Your cat may already have them and you just don’t know it.

Can I Give My Cat Chickpeas? Answer: Not Recommended

Cats wouldn’t be eating chickpeas out in the wild, they’re carnivores so they would spend their time tracking and hunting down animals. They therefore don’t need any of what chickpeas contain, and since they can survive just fine without them there’s really no need to give it to them. They mainly need protein from animal sources. That’s why you should stick to cat food that contains an animal source as the number one ingredient.

There are so many cat foods out there that contain either a vegetable source as their number one ingredient, or a grain source, and this is simply filler for cats. Giving them food that keeps them full but doesn’t really help them is a way to set them up for health problems later in life.

Different Types of Foods
Hummus, masala, falafal, chole, all contain chickpeas in them so it’s a good idea to make sure that they don’t get it. The main reason you want to avoid giving your cat these foods is that they often contain other ingredients like onions, garlic, and chives, and these can cause harm to the cat by effecting their red blood cells. Definitely not something you want to give your cat.

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Canned a No Go
The chickpeas that come in cans has higher levels of sodium, and also has BPA in it has been shown repeatedly to cause problems in humans, especially babies. You wouldn’t want to give this to your cat since their system has the same sort of delicacy. This is more true when you stop to consider that your cat is now used to receiving the same sort of food each day, and a break from this means that you will likely be upsetting their digestive system.

Skin Conditions
Chickpeas are seed pods and they contain oxalic acid, which can irritate the skin if you constantly give them hummus. The foliage in the seed pods has been reported to be poisonous. This oxalic acid can lock up nutrients in your cats diet, especially calcium which can lead to nutritional deficiencies. Cat’s skin is very sensitive usually, and it can break out in rashes and have plenty of problems even without worrying about giving them anything that could irritate it. That’s why it’s a good idea to simply keep them on their cat food so that they don’t have any more reactions to things than they would normally get.

Giving Your Cat Cat Food
Cat food is the most important thing to think about in regards to your cat’s health. This is your main point of control when it comes to improving the longevity of your cat, and making sure they’re healthy their whole life. If you get them cat food that doesn’t have their nutritional needs in mind, you are shortchanging them.

It may cost a little bit more up front, but the savings will add up by your cat not needing as much medical attention later in life, and having a longer and healthier life. This more than makes up for it in the long term, and the bonus is you get to spend more quality years with your cat right now.

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One thought on “Can I Give My Cat Chickpeas?”

  1. I’m growing some chickpea plants indoors as an experiment. I’ve read that the leaves are edible for humans, but I’m concerned that my cat may try to eat them. She has left them alone so far.

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