What Can Cats Eat? What is and isn't Safe for Your Cat

What can cats eat? This is one of the most hotly contested discussions on social media cat pages. There are those who advocate raw food, and others who swear by only feeding commercial dry food, and everything in between.

It’s easy to get caught up in the angst and still come away without a clear idea. So, what can cats eat?

Cats are obligate carnivores, which means they must have animal protein to be healthy. A vegetarian or vegan diet can’t give them the nutrients they need. While many commercial foods contain vegetables and grains, the primary ingredient is meat of some kind.

Commercial cat food

The easiest way to ensure that your cat is fed an adequate diet that will see it thriving is to feed them good quality commercial food. These can be purchased everywhere, from supermarkets to specialty pet suppliers online.

Quality can vary, and price points are often indicative of whether you’ve picked up a premium brand or what’s often called a ‘supermarket’ brand. Even within the so-called ‘supermarket’ brands, there can be a range of different qualities. There is also breed specific food and specially formulated food that is geared to cats at different life stages or that have particular medical conditions.

What they all have in common is that they are balanced to provide all the cat requires to maintain good basic health.

Our cat food range offers both dry and wet cat food, as well as prescription vet diet food, to give your cat the nutrition they need.

Home-made cat food

Cats can eat some "human" foods, but it’s important to understand that a diet wholly based on home-cooked foods can end up being deficient in vital nutrients, amino acids and vitamins. Including a commercial dry food alongside home-made wet food, or just giving them occasional treats of home-made food, is probably the best option.

Try to feed your cat meat you'd buy for yourself, as human-grade meat is required to meet the highest processing standards. Things you can give them include:

• Skinless chicken – roasted or poached. If poached, they can also have the broth.
• Lean beef, including mince. Strips of raw beef are good for them to chew to help keep plaque from building up on their teeth.
• Liver – lamb, beef, chicken and other poultry.
• Cooked eggs.
• Just occasionally. If using tinned fish, get human grade sardines, tuna or salmon in springwater.

 Occasional small quantities of natural yoghurt, grated hard cheese, or soft cheese like ricotta and cottage cheese are fine, but not milk, as cats are usually lactose intolerant. Some cats may enjoy occasional fresh vegetables. In fact, mashed pumpkin may help ease constipation. But bear in mind that these should only be very occasional. The same goes for grains and cereals.

Foods your cat should NOT have

Cats are naturally inquisitive, and some are renowned thieves, so you might find your cat helping itself to the odd illicit treat. Most of the time, that will probably not cause the cat any harm. However, there are some human foods that can be dangerous for cats, and should never be given. If they do steal them, especially in a large quantity, a vet visit may be necessary.

• Raisins/sultanas
• Grapes
• Chocolate
• Onions and garlic
• Coffee or caffeinated fizzy drinks
• Bread dough
• Avocado
• Nuts
• Fruit stones – for example, mango seeds or apricot pips
• Fruit seeds
• Corncobs
• Tomatoes
• Mushrooms

Getting your cat’s diet right is essential to maintain good health, so if you have any doubts about what your cat can eat, consult your vet.