Can I Give my Kitten and Cat any fruits?

Hello everyone,

I have a 3 year old manx and an 8 week old tabby. I was wondering if there are any fruits that I can give them to snack on? I used to let the Manx snack on watermelon when he was younger but I am curious as to any other fruits that I would be able to give them?

Thanks.

Why fruits? They are good snacks for us but not so much for an obligated carnivore who doesn't really benefit from fruits and the sugar in them can be iffy.

I would generally advise against it. Besides being obligate carnivores and high amounts of sugar as @CHWx mentioned, some fruits can have bad effects like diarrhea, and many fruits have pits (or leaves and stems) that contain cyanide - not enough to harm humans, but enough to cause adverse effects in small mammals like cats and dogs. Grapes or raisins, while they've been studied more with dogs, can cause irreversible kidney damage.

Watermelon is pretty harmless, as it's mostly water but I would remove the seeds just in case. If you want an infrequent and small treat once in a while, this page lists some safe fruits; however, it is important to note that it's geared towards dogs and it's just one of many (often conflicting) sources online:

http://www.petmd.com/dog/nutrition/evr_multi_healthy_snacks

When in doubt, ask your vet first.

purrfect1993 said:

 
Hello everyone,

I have a 3 year old manx and an 8 week old tabby. I was wondering if there are any fruits that I can give them to snack on? I used to let the Manx snack on watermelon when he was younger but I am curious as to any other fruits that I would be able to give them?

Thanks.

Click to expand...

i know someone (who owns a privately owned pet store, not a chain store) whose cat loves cucumber. she does give her cat little bits of cucumber as a treat sometimes.

and i know someone whose cat loves raw/uncooked green beans. she only lets her cat have a couple, and only when she's just picked them. the cat does eat the green beans.

They always sniff around fruits and mostly the older one likes to try to snack so I just want to know if there are any safe fruits for them. If they have watermelon I'll make sure it's seedless and I'll talk to their vet next time I'm there thanks everyone

My cat eats any cooked broccoli that winds up on the floor. And she'll eat potatoes too - imagine my shock when I caught her eating my hot chips! I wouldn't actually recommend you try to feed your cats any fruits or vegetables, especially not regularly, because their obligate carnivore digestive system isn't geared towards digesting plant matter. But sometimes they'll do something weird like snack on watermelon or steal your hot chips when you're not looking. Cats... 

Being obligate carnivores means that cats need nutrients from meat to survive and are adapted to digest flesh, but it's not mutually exclusive with eating fruits and vegetables. Believe if or not, there are some people who feed their cats "vegan" diets with essential nutrients added:


While I wouldn't do that to my cat, and I wouldn't try to make plant material a major part of his diet, there's nothing wrong with giving certain vegetables and fruits in moderation as treats, provided they're confirmed as safe for cats.

And now that I've written that, I should confess that I dropped half a potato chip and my cat gobbled it up before I could take it away. If he has any resulting flatulence, I shall report back at once.

People also feed their cats crap like Meow Mix kibble. It doesn't mean they utilize the ingredients or thrive on it. Regardless I wouldn't feed fruit treats to my cat because of the sugar content, that's putting the cyanide issue aside. If fruits are an issue in a humans diet because of the sugar, why would it be any better for a cat? Diabetic cats are on the rise at a ridiculously high rate (Because of inappropriate diets where people think grains, lentils, fruits, veggies, ect need to be fed to cats) and considering I don't like feeding foods that are made up of carbs because they essentially turn to sugar in the body....Why would I feed my cat a sugary/carb laced food like fruit?

My kitten is a notorious thief. Actually speaking of vegan/vegetarian diets, he stole TWO veggie nuggets from me the other night! These are the size of normal nuggets and he managed to shove two at once into his tiny mouth and take off under the bed! He also loooooves spinach. Complete and utter nuisance when I cook it. But him enjoying it doesn't make it an appropriate source of food or even to be used as treats. Especially by the average owners definition of "treat". Giving a blueberry to a cat like once or twice a month isn't likely to be a downfall in their diet....But daily or even several times a week? You'd be better off putting your money towards meat treats that actually benefit kitties diet and health.