Coconut oil is said to have many benefits for humans, such as healthier hair, skin, cholesterol levels, and more, but are these the sort of benefits that your cat will receive as well?
Obviously, cats and humans are different species, so what is good for one is not necessarily good for another. Humans basically find food sources from anywhere and everywhere. However, cats if left to their own devices only find food from one source: other animals. It is interesting to note that cats do get vegetable supplementation by eating plant eaters. However, coconut oil is something that is not found naturally, and requires human interaction to be extracted from a coconut. Therefore it is impossible for cats to naturally be introduced to this.
If you’re talking about coconut meat, or coconut milk, that would be one thing because if a coconut falls to the ground, cracks open, and a cat stumbles upon it in between meals, they might lap at the milk, or nibble on the coconut flesh. But they aren’t going to be able to eat coconut oil, making it a completely unnatural food item for them.
Can I Give My Cat Coconut Oil? Answer: Not Necessary
Cats don’t need anything that they wouldn’t have in a natural setting. In fact they just need more of what they would get out in the wild. In our modern world, this translates to a cat food that is mostly meat-based, with very few vegetable fillers.
What Some Owners Say
Some owners have claimed that coconut oil has improved the look of their cat’s coat. Others have said that it helps clear up skin conditions. But this is not an across the board generalization, it is one person’s experience with one cat breed, and should not be taken as general advice that can be used by everyone.
High Quality Cat Food
Cat’s are carnivores, and they need a good cat food that provides them high levels of what they crave. As long as you are giving them a café that has all the nutrients and minerals they need, they don’t need anything else aside from that. What is happening with some owners that are giving their cats coconut oil is they’re seeing an improvement because they probably feed them low-quality Food, and then wonder why their cat doesn’t have a nice coat. Then they put on some coconut oil and voila! now their coat is shiny. It would be a much better system if they just fed their cat good food, and didn’t mess around with supplements.
The reason that it is not a good idea to get into the habit of supplementing your cat’s diet is because it is a slippery slope. Once you get started on it, it’s hard not to keep things going until it reaches ridiculous proportions. You could end up giving your cat more supplements than you give yourself. That’s because it’s much easier to keep a regimen for your cat going than is to keep something for yourself going. You have to have willpower for yourself, but you just have to remember to give it to your cat, which is much easier.
Wild Cats
Lions and tigers don’t get any coconut oil, and they seem to do just fine. Sure there has been thousands of years of domestication with house cats but at the very root of their being they are still an animal and still have those animal instincts, no matter how buried they are. If you give your cat the choice between a piece of meat and some coconut oil, they will choose the meat every time.
Some owners have said that they leave a bit of coconut oil out for their cat, and just let it lick some up when it wants some and that seems to be the best way to go about it if you’re going to give it to them. This at least keeps it somewhat natural and let’s your cat dictate when they have it ready then you try and force it on them. If they don’t want it, you shouldn’t make them eat it, and leaving out a little bit and letting them have carte blanche on it, then you create a more natural environment.
I just wanted to know because my kitten keeps licking off the coconut oil I use to moisturize. It is unrefined.