Blueberries have gotten a lot of press in recent years and make the list of superfoods on many health sites. But is it something that your cat would benefit from, and do they even need to worry about things like antioxidants?
In most cases, it’s easy enough to do the “In the Wild” test. Can you picture a wild cat seeking out and eating berries as a source of sustenance. Unless the cat was starving and in the middle of a blueberry field, they probably wouldn’t think of it as a first choice. Human agriculture and logistics make it so we have access to all sorts of foods, at any time of the year, and from all over the world. It’s just not a natural food for most cats, and not something they’ll miss if you don’t give it to them.
The thing to focus most of your attention on in regards to your cat is their cat food. It will contain everything they need in order to be happy and healthy, as long as it’s one of the premium varieties and not a bulk purchase that has a ton of fillers in it.
Can I Give My Cat Blueberries? Answer: Not Necessary
When thinking of what to feed your cat, you should mostly stick to cat food, and you don’t have to supplement it with anything as long as it’s a reputable brand. In fact, adding things to your cats diet often causes more harm than good. Cats eat to live, and they aren’t worried about eating a variety of foods. We might think it would be dreadful to eat the same thing every day, but that’s only because we view food as an enjoyable part of life and look forward to new tastes and new flavors.
A Superfood
Blueberries are a bona fide superfood when eaten by humans. They contain plenty of antioxidants and have been shown to be very beneficial to long-term overall health. Adding blueberries to your diet makes sense. But cats don’t really need to eat them, as is evidenced by the millions of cats that have never eaten a blueberry their entire lives and lived long and healthy lives.
Cats and Antioxidants
They make antioxidant supplements for both cats and dogs, but first the argument would be need to be made that they even need them. The reason humans take antioxidants is to try to ward off free radicals. Free radicals are thought to be a big reason for aging and disease, and the thought is if you have the antioxidants in place you’ll have a sort of protection against these maladies. But free radicals are caused by things that a cat wouldn’t even worry about.
Common causes of free radicals are the daily stress that humans go through, from work and from the human condition. They can also be caused by smoking, and from eating processed foods. They are also present from both prescription and OTC drugs, and from recreational drugs as well. A large majority of these causes are something that a cat just won’t experience, so they shouldn’t have a lot of free radicals to contend with, and therefore aren’t in need of a daily defense to ward them off.
Cat Food Concerns
One of the best things you can do for your cat if you’re worried about them getting everything they need to be healthy is upgrade the cat food you get them. You don’t have to get them anything extra fancy, but you can ask your vet what they recommend, and they should be able to give you solid answer that isn’t mired by an ulterior motive to sell you cat food. What you’re looking for is a mix of ingredients that more closely resembles the kind of food a cat would get in the wild.
By giving them the building blocks necessary to live their life optimally, you can rest at ease and you don’t have to worry if your cat is being taken care of. They don’t need to eat things like blueberries, and while it might be fun to watch them try them out, they aren’t benefiting from them as much as you think, and veering off the cat food routine can actually cause digestive trouble.