When it comes to whether cats can eat strawberries, the short answer is yes they can. Strawberries are not toxic to your cat as per ASPCA guidelines.
If you yourself love strawberries, it’s completely understandable that you may want to share your love of strawberries with your furry little feline friends. But even though cats can eat strawberries, will they eat them? We know strawberries are packed with health benefits for people, but are strawberries healthy for cats?
Strawberries do contain antioxidants that benefit people and would indeed be beneficial to cats as well. Unfortunately, due to the sweetness of the strawberries, cats won’t eat enough of them to make a difference nutritionally. The tongue of a cat does not contain the receptors for sweetness like many human tongues do. So therefore, a strawberry that tastes deliciously sweet to humans, does not appeal to cats at all.
Can Strawberries Make Cats Sick?
Rarely will a cat eat enough strawberries to make themselves sick due to the taste. But in the rare case that you do have a cat who absolutely loves the taste of strawberries, you do need to take care not to feed your cat too many strawberries. Strawberries aren’t toxic to cats but they could potentially cause other problems. These delicious little berries are naturally high in sugar which could give your cat an upset stomach if they eat too much at once.
Fruits high in natural sugar should not be a part of your cat’s regular diet due to potential risk of diabetes and unhealthy weight gain. To prevent potential issues with rapid weight gain or diabetes, feed your cat a well-balanced nutritional diet and keep them on a regular schedule of veterinarian checkups.
Can Cats Eat Strawberry Leaves?
Believe it or not, the other potential issue with strawberries is that the leaves of a strawberry can sometimes be irritating to cat’s skin. This will be more likely to occur with short-haired cats than long haired cats. But if your cat likes to hide among your strawberry plants and then appears to be itchy or otherwise experiencing skin irritation, the leaves of strawberry plants could be the culprit.
What Other Vegetables and Fruit Can Cats Eat?
As we mentioned above, cats don’t have the right receptors for fruit (sweet). Because fruits are high in natural sugar without much other nutritional benefits for cats, use the following other fruits sparingly as treats for cats:
- Raspberries
- Mango
- Blueberries
- Peaches
When it comes to human food for cats, consider these vegetables.
- Zucchini
- Carrots
- Celery
- Asparagus
- Green Peppers
- Broccoli
- Cucumber
Your cat will be more likely to enjoy them because they have the right receptors for them.
What Foods Are Toxic for Cats?
There are many foods, including some fruits, that are toxic for cats. Grapes, as well as raisins and cherries are toxic to cats and should be kept off the menu for dogs as well. Onion, garlic, avocado, and chocolate are foods that your cat should not eat at all if possible.