Donuts are hard for anyone to resist – even your cat! The glazes, sprinkles, and jams make a delectable treat, but can cats eat donuts?
No, cats cannot eat donuts. Not only is the donut dough unhealthy, but popular embellishments on donuts can also be harmful or even toxic to cats.
Donuts, while a delicious and irresistible treat, do not rank as an appropriate snack for your feline friend. The fat content will appeal to your cat, but donuts provide no nutritional value for your cat. To promote a healthy diet for your cat, do not feed donuts to your pet.
Can I Feed My Cat Donuts?
Cats do not receive any nutritional value or personal thrill from eating donuts. It is never recommended to feed your cat donuts for several reasons.
Donuts contain mainly fats, simple carbohydrates, and sugar. Donuts do not deliver any significant nutritional value for cats or humans, for that matter. The entire purpose of a donut is to be a decadent dessert for occasional indulgences.
A cat’s diet needs only animal proteins, adequate hydration, and healthy fats. Cats are carnivores and do not need carbohydrates, sugars, and excess saturated fats – the main ingredients of donuts.
The most critical reason not to feed your cat donuts is the potential for poisonous toppings or fillings with donuts. Chocolate features heavily in many donut recipes, appearing in frostings, powders, and fillings.
Chocolate ranks as one of the most toxic foods for cats. Even in small doses, chocolate can prove to be very harmful to felines, resulting in seizures, severe digestive issues, and even death.
Do Cats Taste Sweets?
Another reason cats never need to eat donuts is they do not contain any taste buds that detect sweet flavors.
Cats hold an impressive reputation for having tremendous senses of smell and impressive vision. However, their sense of taste ranks lowest in their senses, with an amazingly low amount of taste buds.
Cats feature a few hundred taste buds, compared to 1,700 taste buds in dogs and more than 9,000 taste buds in humans!
Some cat owners insist their cat has a notorious sweet tooth. However, this is not the case. Cats interested in eating donuts or other sweet treats are attracted by saturated fats instead.
As the saying goes, cats hold a high reputation for curiosity. This also explains your feline’s potential interest in donuts and other sweet treats.
Side Effects of Cats Eating Donuts
Cats eating donuts can experience both short-term and long-term issues when eating donuts and other sweet treats. There are no benefits to feeding your cat or kitten donuts or other related baked goods and pastries.
Short-Term Side Effects
Because cats cannot taste sugar, the harmful effects of sugar and the ability to self-regulate also do not exist. Cats that eat too much sugar will exhibit many of the same symptoms as humans. Dental issues, stomach discomfort, and agitation can result in cats who overdose on sugar.
Donuts contain so many unnecessary nutrients and substances for cats. This results in possible stomach issues for cats as they try to digest and eventually eliminate donuts. Vomiting, diarrhea, and bloating can afflict your donut-eating feline.
Be sure to observe your cat closely if they have eaten a significant amount of donuts. If your cat has symptoms or does not eat regularly over a period of 48 hours, contact your trusted veterinarian.
Long-Term Side Effects
Cats who indulge in donuts gradually develop a high risk for obesity. Today’s pets now face a considerable threat from obesity, with nearly two-thirds of cats and dogs classified as overweight or obese.
Standard weight ranges help pet owners understand if their cat is overweight or obese. Ordinary domestic cats are considered overweight when they weigh more than eight to 10 pounds.
Smaller breeds, like a Persian or Siamese, must maintain a weight between seven to 12 pounds and five to 10 pounds, respectively. Large breeds like the Maine Coon may weigh between 10 to 25 pounds.
Obesity presents a significant threat to cats and can lead to early death. Serious conditions like heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and hypertension often develop because pets are overweight or obese. Feeding your cat treats like donuts on a regular basis will affect the longevity of your feline friend.
Healthy Alternatives to Donuts for Cats
Instead of feeding your cat donuts, explore the exciting world of treats to support a healthy diet for your cat or kitten.
Squeezable Pastes
Bond with your pet while giving them a delicious treat at the same time! Simply snip the top off the rectangular packet, which resembles a miniature squeezable yogurt. Squeeze the paste out of the top little by little, to the delight of your feline friend. These pastes come in meat flavors and other varieties like peanut butter.
Crunchy Biscuits
The classic cat treat, these crunchy biscuits help promote dental hygiene while also serving as a yummy snack for your cat. Be sure to give your cat biscuit in moderation. Treats and other additional snacks should account for 10% of your cat’s or kitten’s diet or less.
Bone Broth
If your cat struggles with hydration or is not attracted to regular water, try this new cat treat trend. Bone/chicken broth imparts numerous healthy nutrients. Ingredients like collagen in bone broth promote healthy bones and a beautiful coat. It is also an irresistible source of moisture for a cat’s diet.
Real Meat Treats
Because animal protein is so crucial for a cat’s diet, choosing real meat treats helps promote a balanced and complete diet for healthy cats and kittens. Explore products like tiny mackerel filets, freeze-dried tuna chunks, and dried bonito fish flakes to offer protein-rich and healthy snacks your pet will enjoy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Read on to learn the answers to the most common questions about feeding donuts and other treats to cats.
Is sugar harmful to cats?
Yes. Cats do not hold the same taste buds as humans or even other animals! Cats cannot taste sugar or sweet flavors. This inability to taste and metabolize sugar can result in short-term discomfort for your cat or long-term issues of obesity and heart disease.
Why does my cat love sweets?
Like the idea that cats love to drink milk, it is a myth that your cat loves sweets. Because cats cannot taste sugar, your cat does not enjoy sweets. What you are observing is natural curiosity within your cat to help themselves to your donut.
Are donuts toxic to cats?
Donut dough is unhealthy but not necessarily toxic to all cats. However, some of the toppings or fillings in donuts, like grapes and chocolate, can be very dangerous to cats. Avoid opportunities for your cat to sample any donut embellishments.
What foods are forbidden for cats?
Onions, garlic, and chocolate provide some of the largest threats to cats. Grapes, and their shriveled friend, the raisin, should never be offered to cats. Also, avoid serving raw meats, bones, and skin to your cat.
How do I know if my cat is obese?
There are two obvious visual indications to use to determine if your cat is a healthy weight or not. First, observe your cat from above to see if the cat’s width exceeds its hips and shoulder widths. Next, check your cat’s sides to see where the stomach tucks into the hips. If you do not see a tuck and your cat is wider than its hips and shoulders, it may be overweight or obese.
