You’re eating the mouth-watering pickles next to your feline friend while she stares at you, and you question yourself. Can cats eat pickles? The answer is a straight-up NO.
No doubt, these crunchy, salty, sweet, and sour cucumbers are a favorite of many. And people tend to enjoy them throughout every occasion. But it is a shame that our furry friends cannot enjoy this yummy food.
You will be forced to stop thinking about feeding pickles to your cats after knowing what goes in and about while making these mouth-watering pickles.
What are pickles made of?
These crunchy, salty, sour, and sweet pickles are made using cucumbers soaked in pickling juice infused with garlic and many different spices, vinegar, and a desert amount of salt.
Why pickles are a No to cats
You must have seen all those viral videos of cats and pickles. Most cats make faces when they are introduced to a pickle. Yes, cats love to chew on the whole day, and they are very adventurous when it comes to food. But there are certain foods that our furry friends don’t like at all, and pickles happen to be one of them. It shouldn’t surprise you because the following reasons will totally change your perspective on feeding pickles to your cats.
First up, we have Cucumbers.
The star of pickles is, no doubt, cucumbers. Of course, cucumbers are rarely poisonous to any living beings, and unless they are sea cucumbers, you can stay rest assured. In fact, cucumbers contain around 90% of water content that can even quench our thirsts. Besides, the water content in cucumbers can help your cat get the hydration it needs.
Let’s leave the poor innocent vegetable alone because it is not the cucumber that is the problem. It is the other ingredients used that make a pickle ‘pickle’. Now those are toxic to cats, and the worst among them still remains as Salt and Garlic.
Salt
First things first; Excessive salt is toxic to pets! Most pet lovers don’t feed foods with high salt content in them. Studies show that a regular pickle has about 283 mg of Sodium which is around 8 times the quantity of a cat’s average salt intake. In contrast, an average-sized cat should be getting no less than 21 mg of salt in a day and not more than 42 mg. Yikes!
Salt poisoning is a serious matter when it comes to cats and dogs. Like humans, if a cat consumes too much salt, there results in many complications like:
- High Blood Pressure
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Excessive thirst and urination
- Tremors
- Seizures
- Coma
In extreme cases, even death is possible.
They say, “Too much of everything is dangerous.” And it is a known fact that pickles are known for their saltiness. If human beings can too face health problems when consuming an unhealthy amount of salt, there is no reason why it shouldn’t affect these furry little ones.
Moderation is the key, guys!
Garlic
The word itself holds so much aroma and taste. Garlic is a major game-changer when it comes to the taste of food- not forgetting the number of health benefits it gives to humans. But many are still unaware that these pungent cloves are poisonous to cats, and in fact, they are more dangerous than salt.
Garlic -poisoning results in gastroenteritis that comes with complications like breathing difficulties, nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, etc.
More seriously, excess garlic poisoning damages the oxidative to the Red Blood Cells that cause them to rupture, and this is a red flag.
The primary ingredient in garlic is n-propyl disulfide, an oxidant. And cats are extremely sensitive to oxidative damage on their Red Blood Cells. Once there is damage to the Red Blood Cells, it leads to symptoms like:
- Hemolytic Anemia(low Red Blood Cells)
- Lethargy
- Elevated heart rate
- Increased respiratory rate
- Weakness
- Collapse
- Death(In worst cases)
Though unseen to the naked eyes, garlic is there in the pickling juice. Remember. Even a small quantity of garlic can prove to be fatal to your feline friend. Take good caution while feeding these sensitive babies.
What’s the lesson? Garlic is simply a big No.
The bottom line
Pickles are more like poison to your feline friends, as it has all the hazardous kinds of stuff that are toxic to them. It is best advised to keep salty and garlicky foods like that of a pickle away from your cats.
Even if you have a good amount of knowledge about cats, it is best to ask an expert regarding their dietary intake. Always consult the veterinarian before feeding any type of human foods to your four-legged lovelies.
A cat with a Pawfect diet is a Happy cat!