Can Cats Eat Olives?
Most of the vitamins we use every day are readily identifiable. Olives contain vitamin C flavor and are bright in color. Most people do not know that olives are fruits and often ask can cats eat olives? Having vitamins makes them beneficial for your cat’s health. Let us find out why you need to include olives in your cat's dieting needs.
First, it’s important to note that we will not discuss nutritional aspects of olives. This is because shockingly there are no nutritional values provided to cats when they take olives. Olives provide vitamin C, which is required by humans. However, the angle the blog post will take is on the number of olives to feed your cat. In addition, it will be discussed that there are medicinal benefits when you give your cat olives as treat due to compounds found in the olives.
Why You Should Not Feed Your Cat Olives?
According to the pet consider website, it is clear that cats belong to the tiger family. Therefore, they get most nutrients from meat and other proteins. As such, a cat does not have a specific need for olives as humans do. The reason is that a cat’s prefers vitamin A and they get this from meat.
Conversely, humans would require vitamin C that they get from vegetable and fruits. However, a cat’s body has the ability to produce its own vitamin C.
Risks of too many olives for your cat pet
The reason for mentioning the above foods is to enable the explanation of why cats need to have olives in moderation and how excess amounts may harm your cat pet. You want to keep your pet healthy and away from danger, therefore, use these tips when considering olives.
Unlike human who manages to eat salty food and only have long-term effects from the salt, cats have short term and long-term effects when they take food that has too much salt.
As such, sodium poisoning can affect the cats in a very negative way to the point of death. Furthermore, you are deteriorating the health of your cat when you feed them with large contents of olives as you may lose your beloved pet prematurely. If you live by yourself with just your cat for company, ensure you feed your cat olives as a treat occasionally.
This will avoid the cost of trying to take your cat to the vet every time they have sodium poisoning. In addition, if you belong to a club of cat lovers and friend or relatives who keep cats spread this information to enlighten them as well. If your friend asks, can cats eat olives? Be quick to inform them to use it as a treat and not fill the cats feeding bowl with the olives.
Why You Should Feed Your Cat Olives?
You may have the lingering question; can cats eat olives? Here is the answer. It is true that there are no benefits acquired by cats in terms of Vitamin C. However, it is imperative to note that an olive every occasionally will benefit your cat in the following manner. These benefits are not nutritional but medicinal.
The antioxidant compounds and anti-inflammatory are essential to destroying free radicals that are dangerous. These free radicals found in the cat’s body can cause cell damage and lead to cancer or any other disease.
Furthermore, the anti-inflammatory food helps ease symptoms such as arthritis in cats. Cats who suffer from arthritis live in a lot of pain and lack mobility. With the use of olives and other anti-inflammatory foods, your cat is pain-free.
Olives are poisonous free fruits. However, it is imperative to note that most olives come in cans. Some of these cans tend to be highly salted. This may be okay for you. As for cats, this is not the case as they cannot manage or handle highly salted food. You will push your cat over the limit of sodium consumption if you give your cat just a few canned olives.
Eventually, this would lead to long-term and short-term problems. Long-term problems include high blood pressure, which may lead to your cat suffering from a stroke or a heart attack eventually. Salt toxicity is one of the short-term problems that canned olives can cause. The symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, extreme urination, and extreme thirst, swelling, loss of appetite, poor coordination in movement, seizure, and even death. Therefore, avoid canned olives if you provide your cat with them on an occasional basis.
It is rather clear from the above argument that olives do not assist cats nutritionally; rather, they provide medicinal assistance for various ailments. Nevertheless, can cats eat olives?
Yes. There is no poisoning involved when you give your cat olives, however, keep the portions small and occasional.
Using olives as a treat
Use the olives as a treat and not part of the cat’s staple diet. Olives provide nothing nutritional for the cat, but as mentioned above, they can save the cat from many ailments due to the anti-inflammatory and antioxidants found in them. Therefore, ensure that you give your cat these olives as treats occasionally.
Also, keep these olives away from your children if they are canned. The child may decide to play with the cat and give him too many treats.
Other foods that cats should take in moderation
- Apples: Cats do not have sweetness receptors on their tongues. Therefore, apples should be given in moderation. Apple seeds also contain cyanide, which may be fatal to cats if they are given in moderation. Additionally, you should watch out for the seed and cut small pieces.
- Eggs: avoid giving your cat any raw eggs. There are substances in raw eggs that may harm your cat. Cook the egg to water down the harm that a raw egg may bring.
- Fish: cats normally suffer from thiamine efficiency when they take much fish on a regular basis. Therefore, provide them sometimes for the purposes of moderation. Also, be sure to observe the reaction of your cat after ingesting, as some cats are allergic to fish.
- Kales: Essential, there is no problem with giving your cat some kale. However, do this in moderation and ensure that you supplement the kales with some protein.
- Other foods to give in moderation include watermelon, quinoa, shrimp, yogurt, and, ham and strawberries.
The discussion has shown that olives are beneficial to cats only if given in small amounts. In case you were wondering about the nutritional benefits of olives, you now have the answer. Humans consider it a fruit, and use it to get vitamin C; however, there is no nutritional value for cats. Nevertheless, when given as a treat sporadically, the article has shown that it will help provide anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds that help give medicinal help to your pet cat.
Finally, ensure that you have that can of olives and keep it in a place where the cat cannot reach or your children would not get and over-feed your pet.