Are cats allowed to eat potatoes?
It is well known that cats should not eat cereals, as this can cause food intolerances and associated digestive problems in the long term. But what about potatoes? Are cats allowed to eat potatoes or should they rather do without them? We will give you the answer to this question in the following.
Cats and potatoes: the most important facts at a glance
- Cats are carnivores whose diet must consist mainly of animal proteins and fats.
- Cats may eat a small piece of cooked potato occasionally without hesitation.
- Cats must not eat raw potatoes because of the solanine they contain.
- For optimal digestibility, we use potatoes instead of cereals for our dry food and soft snacks.
Are cats allowed to eat cooked potatoes?
Cooked potatoes are generally not harmful for cats. If your four-legged friend likes them, you can give him a small piece of potato from time to time.
However, it is important to keep in mind that cats are carnivores. This means that their diet must consist primarily of animal proteins and fats.
Eating too much vegetable food exclusively leads to intolerances and dangerous deficiency symptoms. Even if cats are allowed to eat potatoes, they do not provide them with the nutrients they need the most, just like other plant foods. Therefore, always see potatoes only as a supplement that you can occasionally fall back on.
Are cats allowed to eat raw potatoes?
Raw potatoes contain solanine. This is a chemical compound that can cause diarrhoea, vomiting and other symptoms in cats. Cats should therefore never eat raw potatoes. In addition, the potato skin and any green parts must be removed, as the solanine is mainly contained there.
By the way, this does not only apply to four-legged friends, but also to humans. However, please bear in mind that cats are much lighter and smaller than humans. For this reason, even a comparatively small amount of raw or undercooked potato can lead to symptoms of poisoning.
Potatoes in cat food
Unfortunately, cat food very often contains cereals. Especially in cheap dry food, wheat is often the main ingredient. In the long run, this can have serious consequences for the health of cats. The high grain content promotes the development of food intolerances and unpleasant digestive problems.
For our I Love My Cat cat food, we have therefore made a conscious decision not to use grain as an ingredient and we instead rely on potatoes as a more digestible source of carbohydrates in our dry food and our popular soft snacks for cats.
This fact not only has a positive effect on the taste. The use of potatoes instead of cereals also contributes decisively to the fact that the food is excellently tolerated by cats.
Potatoes for cats - our conclusion
As you can see, cats are generally allowed to eat potatoes, as long as they have been cooked before eating them and they are not the main component of their daily diet. Even if they do not provide your cat with all the important nutrients, they are still well tolerated by cats.
For example, we use potatoes in our dry cat food and our soft snacks for cats as an easily digestible alternative to cereals. In combination with high meat and fish content and other carefully selected ingredients, potatoes ensure that both the food and the snacks are particularly tasty and well tolerated by your cat.
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