If you are a cat owner, you must have surely witnessed your cat sniffling and walking around the food you are eating. Sometimes, they will take a bite or two if the food seems appealing to them. This little food tasting might become a habit because cats consider something their regular food once they take a full meal of it.
If you witness this habit in your cats and you think that the food is not good for their health, then it’s an alert to change their diet as soon as possible. There are lots of foods that are not suitable and not suitable for cats that you eat.
Imagine you are eating a spicy Bologna sandwich, and your cat steals a bite from it. Your first thought will be, “Is it okay for the cat’s health?” In this article, we will discuss if cats can eat bologna and how it can affect their health.
What Is Bologna?
First of all, let’s look at what bologna is. Bologna meat or sausage, which is also spelled baloney, is a sausage derived from mortadella. It is finely ground pork sausage containing cubes of pork fat. It is originally from the Italian city of Bologna. Bologna is high in salt and fat content, while they might be low in some nutrients.
Some bologna recipes that have added flavors and spices might make your dish tasty but could be harmful to your cats. Bologna is said to have an irresistible aroma and delicious taste, and since cats are highly sensitive to smell, they can easily notice it.
What Does Bologna Contain?
Bologna is not just finely ground pork with pork fat. It is a type of processed food that contains different meat products. It consists of unusable parts of meat, and those unusable parts can be fatty portions or any other part that cannot be used for other purposes. To improve its taste and flavor, there is plenty of salt present in bologna. It consists of seasonings and spices like paprika, coriander, mustard, corn starch, sugar, and black peppercorns, which are not suitable for cats.
It also contains a large percentage of nitrates, monosodium and the ingredient where it has derived its flavor is myrtle berry. Myrtle berry is extremely toxic for cats. Even a small amount can cause some issues in their digestive system or overall health. Bologna that contains corn starch is also not good as corn starch cannot be easily digested.
Is Bologna Safe for Cats? Can Cats Eat Bologna?
While the piece of meat may look healthy, it is not good for cats. Bologna is not safe for cats because of its toxic ingredients. But a small piece is harmless as compared to a whole chuck on bologna. As long as your cat is taking a balanced and healthy diet, a small piece of bologna should not be a problem. Cats find it hard to digest food for humans, specifically processed food. You can treat them with a small amount if they are curious, but try not to get them used to such foods. If they show some adverse reactions, immediately see the vet.
Do Cats Like Bologna?
Since bologna is made up of lots of processed meat and mat fats and spices for added flavor, taste, and smell, cats have high sensitivity to smell, so they are generally attracted to the smell and look of bologna. Also, cats being curious about the food you are eating is quite normal. So if you see your cat roaming around the food you are eating, specifically bologna, and wants to take a bit, then don’t worry.
Some cats may also hate bologna because of their texture or smell, or they might not be the type to curious about what humans are eating. The scent of bologna might annoy them, so be happy if your cat is not interested in bologna because bologna is far from best for the cat’s health. Whether they like it or not, just make sure that your cat never has bologna in their diet as a snack or regular food. It might have bad reactions on their health because of its ingredients.
Can Bologna Kill a Cat?
Cats having a small amount of processed meat that is bologna will not have bad consequences on them except if they have a sensitive stomach. Eating it once in a while with their regular diet is not bad, and it definitely will not kill them. However, it’s still something cats should not have because it can cause long-term issues and health problems.
Reasons Why Bologna Is Toxic for Cats Health
There are several reasons why bologna is toxic, and too much quantity can be bad for a cat’s health.
- Bologna has a high amount of quantity, and the maximum amount of salt a cat can take is 42mg which is much less than humans. Too much amount can lead to salt poisoning, further leading to dehydration, digestive problems, and seizures.
- Bologna also consists of spices, corn starch, and myrtle berry. Myrtle berry is extremely toxic for cats, whereas corn starch is not easily digestible for cats and can cause digestive issues.
- Bologna is rich in fat which can also cause digestive problems, and you don’t want to ruin the quality of your cat’s life.
Bottom Line
On the whole, bologna is pretty unhealthy for cats. If your cat takes a small bite of it, don’t freak out; first, monitor for any reactions. Diarrhea, vomiting, and excessive scratching might be some of the reactions of cats who have a sensitive system. Otherwise, a small amount will not have adverse reactions. But you have to make sure that your cat doesn’t start taking bologna regularly in its normal diet or cause several issues. Keep your cat healthy by giving it proper cat food with nutritious food that is good for its digestive system. Leave the human food for humans only, and if you have given bologna as a snack, don’t worry much.