If you’re enjoying a plate of nachos and your cat is looking interested, is it OK to share?
A furry feline you can depend on as a loving companion might be very tempting for anyone who’s never had a cat as a pet before – however most first-time cat owners have a very difficult time with their cats.
While this mostly has to do with the behavioral habits, which a cat can develop while you raise it, there are plenty of complications from something as simple as the food it eat.
It might not seem like a big deal because the human body can handily digest just about any kind of food, but for a cat it can lead to some difficult situations.
As a matter of fact, without the proper knowledge about what your cat can and cannot eat you are quite literally killing it with every meal. It might take a few years, or even a few months – perhaps even less than that depending on what you are feeding your cat.
This is why cat owners need to be especially diligent when it comes to learning all about what their furry feline can and cannot eat.
Can I Give My Cat Nachos? Answer: No
It is a general rule of thumb that when it comes to your pet, junk food is an absolute no-no.
This goes double for cats, as their delicate digestive tracts cannot break down the processed foods people have become so used to over the years. Even certain home-cooked meals are generally unsafe for cats to eat because of what could be in the meal.
For example, most home-cooked meals have garlic or onions in it (at least 80% of the time), but it is absolutely toxic to cats.
Feeding your cat something like nachos might not seem like a big deal as it is just made of grain or corn, but that couldn’t be any farther from the truth. Even nachos made from scratch instead of the processed food in the grocery store can be quite dangerous.
Why Grain and Corn is Unsafe for Cats
The main reason why cats have such a difficult time breaking down processed foods is because they simply weren’t meant to.
Their bodies were not meant to take in such foods so they almost literally get no nutrition from such things (especially considering how little nutrition humans get from processed foods). As for natural food groups, grain is a complicated food even for human standards, which is the reason why cats cannot digest it at all.
Corn is the same way, and even humans are unable to digest it fully.
The Effects on Cats
With an understanding of how grain and corn might be too complicated for cats to break down, it becomes easy to see why a processed food made of grain and corn – nachos, is extremely unhealthy for a cat.
A cat that happens to be fed something like nachos is actually very likely to enjoy it, but it is also likely that it will vomit it out. If your cat does not vomit it out then it will experience indigestion and will likely be in a lot of pain.
The same effect happens when cats are fed tortilla as it is made of grain.
Nacho Dips and Salsa can be Even Worse
If you thought that nachos were bad enough, during those occasions where you have nachos and salsa out for guests, it is imperative that you keep your cat away from it at all costs.
Cats are very much attracted to the salsa and dips due to the distinct aroma they give out – which might include onions. Most salsa combinations have ingredients that are toxic to a cat, which means you need to keep your pet away from prepared food such as salsas and dips as much as possible.
While it is true that a cat can be very difficult to manage if you want your cat to be as healthy as possible, it is also very rewarding.
The right food choices alone can add many more years to your cat’s life and save you a lot of veterinary expenses. In this case, it most definitely pays to research into all of the foods that cats are able to eat (and the ones that they cannot).