You are snacking on a granola bar, and being a cat lover, you want to spoil your kitty with the delicious treat. But, does a granola fit in a cat’s diet? Can cats eat granola? The answer is a YES.
“Granola”. The name itself sounds so healthy and yummy. Packed with all the goodies, it is an excellent choice for an energy boost as well as a healthy snack.
You can munch these snacks along with your cat. But you have to remember, “Every choice comes with a consequence and must accept responsibility.” Similarly, it would be best to feed them with real caution when it comes to granola. For, there lies some eye-opening facts about this healthy breakfast snack.
Read along to find out!
Granola is a breakfast snack consisting of rolled oats, nuts, honey, and sweeteners such a brown sugar and puffed rice. While granola is one of the best short-term energy-booster for humans, it might just not be the same case with your feline friends.
Grain of truth
Granola is not complete without grains, and it is the grains that make your breakfast and snack crunchy. And the good news is that granolas are not toxic to cats. But poor thing, our furry friends cannot digest grains, as their digestive system is just not built like us humans. No wonder many cat lovers opt for grain-free diets for better health benefits.
Fruits and Nuts
Many granola brands include dry fruits and nuts to satisfy human palates. Though these fruits and nuts might please our taste, they are toxic to your little ones. These are some of the ingredients commonly found in granola snacks that can be harmful to cats:
- Grapes and raisins- Have toxins in them and can cause sudden kidney failure in cats.
- Peanuts – Peanut is a potential allergen to pets.
- Macadamia nuts- A hazardous type of nut that can cause lethargy, vomiting, hyperthermia, and tremors in cats.
Next time, you might want to read through your snack packet to see any harmful content that might be harmful to your cat.
Chocolate
It is toxically deadly for cats and dogs but finger-licking yummy to humans. Chocolates are highly lethal to cats and dogs, as it contains a toxic agent called theobromine and caffeine, which is hazardous to cats and cats. It increases their heart rate and increases the loss of body fluids, which can prove fatal in extreme cases. If your granola snacks have chocolate contents in them, don’t even think of feeding them to your cat. And that’s on Period.
Watch out for them Carbohydrates
Granola is calorie-dense as well as rich in protein, fiber, and micro-nutrients. An average human will benefit in terms of energy from the snack. But you should know that human’s nutritional need differs from cats’. Cats are carnivores and are not meant to eat large amounts of carbohydrates. Granola snacks contain a lot of carbohydrates which makes it worth questioning its safety for cats.
Studies show that cats that eat carbohydrate-rich food tend to get obese over time than average normal cats. Along with obesity come a lot of other health-risking disorders, including arthritis, pancreatitis, and diabetes.
Talk about the sugar bomb.
Sugar is not poisonous to cats. But it isn’t great for the long-term health of your cat too. The cases of diabetes in cats are now increasing, and it is a matter of worry.
Coming to granola, you should know that granola bars have a laundry list of ingredients like:
- Sugar
- Honey
- Fruits
- Nuts
- More artificial sweeteners
- Salt
- Preservatives, etc
A human body will enjoy it normally and still be healthy if taken on a limit. But these yummy snacks are packed with too much sugar that even an average human would fall sick with time if eaten in unhealthy portions.
So a cat, without any doubt, will face more severe problems if fed granola regularly and in big bites. No doubt, granola is one of the healthy foods. But just like any other food, it becomes unhealthy if consumed in more significant portions.
Firstly, the digestion of the grains is a problem.
Secondly, the allergic reaction to certain fruits and nuts is a worry.
Thirdly, feeding chocolates without realization is horrifying. Lastly, why even let your cats go through the difficulties of obesity.
It is best and wise to avoid granolas. Of course! Granolas are safe, and you can feed them to your cats but feed them only a tiny bite for safety purposes. And if you see any allergic reactions, it is a warning. Consult the doctor immediately.
Always consult your vet before feeding any non-pet foods to your cat. That way, you will avoid many problems your poor kitty will have to go through.
Let’s keep it awesome!