We love some combinations in our diet too much that we love to repeat them as many times as we want, any time of the day. Pancakes with maple syrup or waffles with maple syrup are combinations that we can never get bored of. These are some of our standard Sunday breakfast options. We never feel satisfied until we finish the last drop of syrup on our plates.
Is your cat watching you intently while you relish your breakfast? Are you tempted to feed a little bit of maple syrup for your furry friend, but have doubts about the same? You have come to the right place, in that case. After reading this article, you will know if maple syrup can be given to cats, and if this syrup poses any health risk for felines.
Before getting into the details, here is our short and firm answer to the question, “can cats eat syrup.” You can occasionally give a little bit of syrup to cats if your cat is attracted to the sweet syrup. However, please remember to give only very small quantities to cats. Maple syrup, as you all know, contains sugar. Overconsumption of sugar can increase your cat’s risk of ailments like diabetes, obesity, liver damage, and cardiac issues.
Are the cats interested in maple syrup?
Cats don’t have any taste bud receptors for sweet dishes. They cannot understand the taste of sweet at all. Hence, it may surprise you to find your cat come back for a second helping of syrup, after having the first lick. Curiosity is the main reason for cats to come back running to you for more syrup.
Since you can give only a very little quantity of syrup to cats, that too on rare occasions, cats are quite interested in having as much as syrup they can get in one go. Your cat may give you the cutest expression possible to beg you for more than just a lick. However, please note more syrup only leads to increased weight for cats.
Another important point to remember is that cats are attracted to maple syrup for its fat content, not for its sweetness. The hot butter used in the syrup contributes to the fat content in the food, and cats love the smell and taste of fats. However, they have a very sensitive digestive system, and they cannot handle the fats and carbohydrates predominantly found in maple syrup.
Nutritional content in maple syrup
Though you may have an excellent relationship with your cats, you shouldn’t feed them whatever you eat. Most human foods are not safe for cats. For example, onion and garlic, which you enjoy in your dishes, can prove to be fatal for cats. Hence, it would help if you always drew up a proper diet plan for your cats after consulting with the vet. This diet plan should include only those foods that are branded and compatible with the sensitive digestive system of cats.
Why is maple syrup not recommended for cats? Well, you can understand the answer to this question more, when you know more about the nutritional information found in one cup of maple syrup. In one cup of syrup, you will find about 192 grams of sugar, 850 calories, and small quantities of iron, calcium, phosphorous, manganese, potassium, sodium, etc.
Though it may look like maple syrup has lots of nutritional value for humans, the same cannot be said about cats. The sugar used in maple syrup is mostly refined sugar. Sometimes, instead of refined sugar, some brands also use high fructose syrup. Any type of sugar is bad for cats. So, while it may be okay for your cats to lick away a small bit of syrup from your plate on rare occasions, giving them maple syrup regularly is a strict no.
Syrup and health risks in cats
Your cats may be attracted to eat more than the recommended quantity of maple syrup for various reasons. It would be great if you didn’t introduce syrup to cats all. However, due to their curious nature, cats somehow notice you eating syrup with pancakes, waffles, and other foods. So, you can allow them to lick a little bit of syrup occasionally. If it comes running back to you for more, you should divert its attention with other foods, healthy treats, or toys.
Why is important to keep cats away from syrup?
The sugars and fats in maple syrup can lead to obesity if cats eat too much syrup for a long period. According to experienced cat experts across the world, at least 59% of the world’s cat population is suffering from feline obesity. This is because the pet parents are not focusing enough on the items included in their cat’s diet. As they are obligate carnivores, cats should only be given meat and seafood as their main diet. Even their threats should be foods that vets recommend.
Sugar-rich foods like maple syrup, when ingested in large quantities, can lead to obesity in cats. Lift your cats and check if you can feel their ribs or watch their waists. If you can do both, the felines are of the correct weight. If you can’t, it means your cat is overweight.
Overweight or obesity in cats leads to arthritis, lethargy, kidney damage, liver problems, and diabetes. In severe cases, obesity can also lead to cardiac issues in felines, and the sad part is that cats may not recover from this issue easily. Making cats lose weight is a difficult challenge, indeed! So, you shouldn’t include anything fatty or sugary in your diet. Since maple syrup contains a lot of fats and sugars, we wouldn’t recommend you to give this to cats, even on rare occasions.
Final Word
Maple syrup and pancakes make your mouth water; however, it also triggers your cat’s curiosity. Since cats don’t have the taste bud receptors for sweetness, they are most likely not attracted to maple syrup after getting a taste of it. However, if your cat seems interested in licking more and more syrup from your plate, you should discourage it from doing so. Try to divert your cat’s attention immediately, as the sugars & fats in maple syrup can cause diabetes & obesity in felines.