Flax seed might have a lot of healthy benefits for humans, but does this translate to the feline world? Often what’s good for us is not good for cats, and it’s best to just keep things simple, but how about something as natural as flax?
Flax seed is high in Omega 3s, fiber and a bunch of other good things for us, but not a lot of that can make it into a cat’s system because of the way their digestive system is set up. They’ll pass the seeds right into the litter box completely whole like the way they went in the front end. So save your money or put it towards better cat food and call it a day.
Cats wouldn’t eat flax seeds in the wild, it just wouldn’t happen. Even if they did somehow seek it out, they would likely not bother with it, on an instinctive level. They are meat eaters, so unless their prey was munching on flax right before the cat showed up, they aren’t going to know what to do with it.
Can I Give My Cat Flax Seed? Answer: Not Necessary
Your cat shouldn’t need to be given flax seed, as long as you are feeding them a proper cat food. They won’t be able to properly digest the seeds in order to get any of the nutritional benefits, so you’re basically wasting them by giving them to your cat. Flax seeds aren’t the cheapest things in the world, so you don’t want to get into the habit of supplementing your cat’s diet with them, invest the money into premium cat food instead.
How About Linseed Oil?
Linseed oil is made from flax seeds, and has been shown to have many positive effects on the human body. You might think of this as an alternative to giving your cat flax seeds, since they won’t have to worry about digesting the seeds. But it’s still not necessary, so long as your cat is getting proper nourishment from the food that you are giving it.
Cat Treats as an Alternative
You can also give your cat specially designed cat treats. These will have the nutrients your cat needs, and will be in a form that allows them to properly digest it. Cats are notorious for liking treats, and they will absolutely light up when they here the familiar sound of the box or wrapper of their favorite treat. That’s why this is great to have around for times when you want to reward your cat for being so great, or just because. With the extra vitamins contained in many brands, you are also bolstering their health, but in a way that their body can handle.
Being an Awesome Cat Owner
We all want the best for our cats, but at some point we have to know when to stop. There are always new studies coming out that say we should be eating this or that, or adding supplements to our diets to make up for nutritional imbalances. But cats are amazingly simple, and they don’t need all of that. They don’t have to deal with stress like we do. They don’t know that they’re going to die, so there’s no reason for them to run around trying to prevent it the way we do, or prolong their lives as long as possible, the way we want to.
Cats just chill. This means that they don’t have the sort of strain to their systems that we put ours through. They don’t have to worry about deadlines, or living up to their parent’s expectations. They just relax all day, every day. If we lived in an environment like that we wouldn’t need supplements like flax seeds either.
If as an earlier comment specifies ‘the seeds will just pass thru the cats digestive system the same as it goes into there mouth. . . . ‘ then why couldn’t you put “milled” flax into what you give to them, much as people will not get any sort of nutritive value out of unfilled flax seeds.
Supplements 101 and basic common sense can be applied here. Further, if a pet owner wishes to spend their own money to make their pet’s life better using their own money and judgment they certainly have that option.
Can’t cats be given Flax Hull Lignans without any problems?
Flax seeds can be soaked in water and, after a while, the water becomes slimy and the nutrients of the seeds are transferred to the water. Cats can drink that instead of eating the seeds that are not easily digested.
Hello, Can I give my cats chia seeds in their raw diet. I would like to know if chia seeds are a safe nutrient to add?