Can cats eat banana?
The banana provides a great energy charge to the body. It is a healthy food and rich in potassium, magnesium, vitamins and carbohydrates, that is, a series of nutrients that make it a good fruit for human health. But the suitability of its consumption in cats is much more doubtful, since cats cannot eat any food. In this case, they can eat bananas, but it must be in very small quantities and from time to time.
In fact, the carnivorous nature of cat food and the amount of sugar contained in bananas make this fruit not recommended for cats. Although your kitten does not refuse to eat a piece of banana, it is important that you know all the information about the impact of this intake on your body. to find out if can cats eat bananaits benefits and how to give it to yours, in aHOWTO we recommend that you continue reading this article.
Can cats eat banana or not?
The cats yes they can eat banana. It is not a bad food for your health, but as long as they consume it from time to time and in very small amounts. That is to say, in no case should they eat it daily and even less in a diet that is based solely on fruits and vegetables.
Unlike other omnivorous animals that are capable of absorbing and taking advantage of the nutrients from vegetables, in the case of cats they are carnivorous animals by nature: they only obtain energy and essential nutrients from animal tissue, which is why they are the source proteins. animal the most important part of their diet, followed by fat.
In addition, bananas are rich in carbohydrates, especially when they are very ripe. So much sugar content is harmful to the feline organism, since it is not prepared to assume diets rich in carbohydrates. Therefore, if you eat a large amount of banana or frequently, your body may be affected, being an animal prone to developing diseases such as obesity or diabetes mellitus.
Benefits of giving banana to cats
Bearing in mind that banana consumption in cats must be very little, it is important to emphasize that its benefits in the feline organism are minimal. Even so, if you offer this fruit occasionally to your kitty, it can provide some nutrients such as the following:
- Potassium
- Magnesium
- Vitamins A, B, C, E and K
- Fiber
- Folic acid
- carbohydrates
- tannins
Thanks to its high potassium content, bananas can be good for kidney and heart health of your cat, but if he eats it in excess it would also be harmful in this sense. For its part, the folic acid of this fruit contributes to the creation of new cellsas well as protein metabolism.
The fiber it contains helps improved gut health of your cat, but excessive consumption can cause diarrhea. The banana has tannins that can protect cats from these stomach problems due to its astringent action.
However, the banana hardly provides fats and proteins, that is, the most important macronutrients for a cat. So it’s okay if you offer a little occasionally, but never routinely, because it won’t give you what you need for the good maintenance of their health and for obtaining nutrients.
How to give banana to my cat
Before giving your cat a banana, you should assess the benefits and drawbacks of eating this fruit for the animal. In oneHOWTO we have helped you to get to know them in depth. If you finally decide to give him some pieces, follow these tips to avoid health problems for the feline:
- First, you must remove the entire length of the banana skinalso removing the threads and any element with which it could choke or feel bad in its digestive system.
- After, cut the banana into small pieces so that your pussycat does not swallow them whole without chewing and, due to this, could be damaged. It is an animal that is not used to eating food of this type, so it could be very strange. You may even freak out and choke.
- The approximate amount you should give is a fifth of a banana maximum, whose portion you have to chop into four or five very small pieces if it is an adult cat. It is essential that you carefully observe the animal’s reaction while eating the fruit to detect any possible signs of allergy and, in this case, act quickly.
Being an unnecessary fruit for the correct feeding of cats, you could choose never to give your cat a banana. However, if you decide to offer it to him, do it very occasionally, occasionally as a reward and in small amounts.
Contraindications of giving banana to cats
When a cat eats a banana, it can feel some allergic reaction and expose yourself to side effects such as choking, swelling of the mouth, throat or mucous membranes, wheezing and indigestion (vomiting and diarrhoea).
As it contains carbohydrates, it is a fruit that, eaten in large quantities, is harmful to cats, but especially in the following cases:
- diabetic catssince it can decompensate the sugar levels or worsen your disease.
- cats with overweight and obesity problemsas it contributes to weight gain.
Now that you know if cats can eat bananas, don’t miss these articles on can cats eat watermelon? and Can cats eat cheese?
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