Easy to cook and tasty, pasta can be the perfect comfort food for humans. So much so that while eating it, you might have thought… “Can my cat take a small bite and enjoy this meal with me?” So, can cats eat pasta?
Can cats eat pasta?
In short, yes. Pasta is safe for most cats to eat once in a while, unless your feline is allergic to wheat or eggs. However, it’s not the best thing to offer.
What are the health benefits of pasta?
Pasta is full of complex carbohydrates and low in protein, so it doesn’t cover your cat’s nutritional needs.
The basic and more common ingredient it contains is wheat flour. This ingredient is not necessary for a cat’s diet and does not offer any health benefits. In fact, it is considered as empty calories for your feline friend.
The reason is that cats are carnivores, and they process protein into energy (instead of carbohydrates). So, cats do not need carbohydrates, and do not process them efficiently.
If your cat is healthy, occasionally eating a small amount of pasta is fine. However, make sure you do not overfeed them, as it will only result in weight gain.
What should I be aware of when offering pasta to my cat?
As previously mentioned, a small amount of plain cooked pasta is ok to offer once in a while. However, there are some things we need to have in mind.
Uncooked pasta should not be served to cats, because it’s difficult to eat and digest. Pasta cooked with tomato, cream, wine, garlic, onion or other things should also be out of the question.
So, if your cat has eaten some pasta, generally speaking there’s no need to worry because pasta is not toxic to cats. Yet we do not recommend feeding pasta to your cat on purpose, because pasta does not meet their nutritional needs and it does not bring any health benefits.
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Interesting, thanks