I’m sure every cat owner loves to split meals with their pet but is it safe for cats to eat sweets like cookies? Do cats even love sweets?
If you’re not sure whether you can feed your cats with different types of cookies, in this article you’ll find all the needed answers.
Can My Cat Eat Cookies?
On the market, you can find many different types of cookies such as plain cookies, chocolate cookies, shortbread cookies, oatmeal cookies, peanut butter cookies, etc. We all know that people love to have them for a coffee or tea break. But, is it safe to give it to your cat?
Cats actually can eat some types of cookies but there are my reasons why you need to avoid giving them. First of all, cookies don’t have any nutrition use, and that is the main reason why cats don’t need them.
There is a large number of carbs in cookies, and cats can live without them because they’re carnivores.
Cats actually have 470 taste receptors, but guess what? None of them is a sweet taste receptor, so that is the other reason why they don’t need it.
The main reason why you need to avoid giving them cookies is the harmful ingredients that can be found inside cookies.
Why Are Cookies Bad For Cats?
Here is the list of most used ingredients in cookies:
- butter
- white sugar
- vanilla extract
- salt
- chocolate
- walnuts
Those ingredients can cause different types of symptoms, and some of them are extremely toxic and harmful which can even cause death.
Harmful Ingredients In Cookies
If your cat ate a small amount of the cookie, there won’t be a reason for panic. However, you need to know that some ingredients that are added to for example for a flavor, can be very harmful to cats. Those are:
- chocolate
- grapes
- caffeine
- sweeteners
Chocolate In Cookies
Chocolate contains theobromine and this is a very poisonous chemical that can cause bad reactions even in small amounts.
Chocolate can cause body reactions such as abnormal cardiac rhythm, convulsions, tremors, lethargy, and the possibility of death because of symptoms.
Grapes In Cookies
Avoid giving cookies that contain grapes and raisins, they can cause trouble with kidneys.
Caffeine In Cookies
Cookies that contain caffeine cause similar symptoms like theobromine in chocolate, so we recommend keeping them out of your pet’s diet.
Sweeteners In Cookies
You can find many artificial sweeteners in cookies such as xylitol which can cause many symptoms such as seizures, digestive problems, and even death in many cases.
Why Does My Cat Eat Cookies?
The main reason why cats crave cookies is the logical reason – you’re eating it in front of a pet, and you know how cats are very inquisitive creatures.
Different Types Of Cookies
Plain Sugar Cookies
Because cat doesn’t have a receptor for sweets, so there won’t be a difference for them whether cookie contains sugar or not. Cats are carnivores, so they need a low amount of sugar to function normally, and we don’t recommend giving them sugar cookies.
Oatmeal Cookies
We know how oatmeal is one of the healthiest grains for humans, but what is healthy for humans, doesn’t mean it is good for cats. Most of the oatmeal cookies contain different types of dried fruits such as grapes, which are high in sugar and calories.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
As it’s mentioned before, chocolate is very poisoned for cats and can cause different types of symptoms that can lead to coma or even death.
Most of the chocolate cookies are made with chocolate syrup and can contain other harmful ingredients for cats such as walnuts, vanilla or other extracts, butter, and much more.
Shortbread Cookies
Shortbread cookies contain less sugar than other types of cookies, but they contain a lot of margarine or butter which are high in fat. Also, there is flour, salt, or extracts that can contain alcohol which is toxic for cats.
Peanut Butter Cookies
Peanut butter is very high in fat and has a lot of salt. Because cats usually need 200-300 calories per day, there is no reason to have that many calories.
Peanut butter cookies have a few nutritional benefits for cats, but problem is that they have a lot of calories which can easily cause gain weight.
Cookie Dough
We don’t recommend giving cats cookie dough, especially if it’s raw. Keep your cat away from raw dough because the yeast can produce alcohol and carbon dioxide, which are harmful ingredients for cats and can cause death.
How To Keep Your Cat Away From Cookies?
We know how hard it is to keep away your pet while you have a meal or a snack, but make sure you don’t leave cookies where your cat can easily take them. Always keep it away to prevent any troubles.
What To Do If My Cat Ate Cookies Accidentally?
Because cats are carnivores and don’t crave treats like humans, most cats won’t eat them on their own. However, if notice that the cat is eating cookies, move cookies away immediately.
One bite, in most cases, won’t kill your pet but can cause some serious symptoms. Symptoms usually take 2-4 hours to appear, in many cases even longer. If you notice that your cat ate many cookies don’t wait for signs of illness and contact your vet immediately.
To Sum Up
We know how hard is to not share treats with your pet, but there is no good reason to feed your cat with cookies because they are carnivores that can’t taste sweets. Furthermore, sweets can cause many bad symptoms. They are full of refined sugar, fat, and can contain chocolate and grapes which are toxic for cats. One bite won’t kill your cat but make sure to pick human food that is not toxic for cats, for maximum safety.
