Can cats eat avocado? Maybe you’ve had this thought if your cat begged for a bite while you were chopping up an avocado to add to a salad or turn into guacamole. If humans can eat avocado, can cats safely eat it too?
There is no short yes or no answer as to whether cats can eat avocado safely. While eating a small amount of the flesh of an avocado is widely thought to be safe for cats, there are issues with the skin of an avocado being toxic to a number of other species of animals.
As always, you must ask your regular vet before sharing any human food with your beloved kitty, including avocados. Here’s what you need to know about avocados and cats.
When Are Avocados Okay For Cats To Eat?
Avocados can be great, healthy foods for humans to eat. They can also confer a lot of nutritional benefits to cats too. They contain a good amount of the vitamins A, B6, and E, along with amino acids.
Avocados are also high in the healthy type of fats. These benefits can all help to keep your cat’s hair and skin in good condition.
If you decide to feed avocado to your cat, make sure that you peel it first and cut the flesh up into smaller pieces. You can either feed avocado directly to your cat or add it to their regular meals.
As with all human foods, it’s best to keep portions on the smaller side when feeding them to cats.
When Are Avocados Bad For Cats?
The main issue with avocados is that they contain the toxin persin. This is found in higher levels in the avocado’s skin. According to the Pet Poison Helpline “dogs and cats are rarely affected by persin,” but for other animals, including birds and some livestock, consuming persin can be deadly.
If your cat ingests too much persin, they might suffer from a range of symptoms that include diarrhea or constipation and vomiting. If you notice these sort of symptoms after your cat eats avocado, call an emergency veterinarian straight away.
Additionally, the pit of an avocado can become a choking hazard, so never feed your cat avocado that is still attached to the pit.
Has your cat ever had a taste of avocado? Did they like it? Tell us all about it in the comments section below!
