Your feline friend just snagged your breakfast toast off the table, and now you may be wondering whether cats can eat bread or if you need to take the little thief to the vet. Well, you can hold off on hitting the panic button, because most cats can eat bread.
Although bread does not hold any nutritional value to cats, it is ok for them to eat it and some cats like the taste. So, if your cat likes to indulge, a little bread as a treat is totally fine for domestic felines to eat. Just be sure your kitty isn’t getting those bread treats too often.
Can Cats Eat Bread Dough?
Cats can eat bread, but uncooked or rising dough is absolutely off limits. The dangers for your cat are doubled. The dough will rise inside your cat causing blockages and swelling in their intestines. The yeast in the dough causes the sugar to ferment and risks the cat developing alcohol poisoning.
These factors combined make bread dough a very dangerous food for your little friend. If you suspect your cat has eaten bread dough, at any time, you should get in touch with your vet immediately. Your cat may need surgery to get the dough taken out.
Can Cats Eat Wheat Bread?
Cats can eat wheat bread and it won’t harm them. But as a rule, always read labels and ingredients first. Most supermarket sliced breads have very high sugar, salt, artificial flavors, and preservative content which can have harmful effects on a cat’s health.
Healthy brands such as, organic, natural, or gluten-free breads are also often high in salts, sugars, unnatural flavors, and preservatives. Look for breads with less salt, sugar, flavors, and preservatives which will be easier for your cat to digest. Baking your own bread is also an option, just make sure your cat doesn’t eat any raw dough.
Can Cats Eat Raisin or Other Flavors of Bread?
Some breads have ingredients that are toxic to cats. A bread with raisins, grapes, jellies, peanut butter, garlic, chives, or onion flavors, and you should keep your cat from eating these breads all the time. Eating too much of the raisin bread or grapes can leave your cat with kidney failure.
Some cat breeds can be prone to kidney failure, so check with your vet. Garlic and other roots in that family can harm red blood cells in your cat’s body and can result in a dangerous form of anemia. Avoid feeding your cat breads with these ingredients.
How Much Bread Can Cats Eat?
Cats can eat bread in moderation if it isn’t a flavored with raisin, garlic, onion, or chives and bread dough is poisonous to cats and very dangerous for them to eat. Bread isn’t a crucial part of a cat diet, but a little taste here and there won’t hurt them. Cats are carnivores and can’t survive on a wheat or grain diet, and bread lacks necessary nutrients like taurine. Putting bread in your cat’s everyday diet is completely useless and bad for their health.