Dates and cats go well together! In fact, you could feed your feline friend a few dates every now and then without worry.
Dates, a perfect example of a sweet fruit, may contribute positively toward your cat’s overall health. But are they good to feed your cat? I’ll answer that question and others in this introductory article.
Can Cats Eat Dates?
Cats aren’t poisoned by dates unless given in large amounts or on an empty stomach.
As foreshadowed above, feeding your cat dates regularly is not a good idea. For starters, dates are a very high sugar snack that lack any protein or good vitamins and minerals.
A cat’s body needs these nutrients to function properly and stay healthy. Providing these nutrients through a daily diet is essential to keeping any pet healthy.
If your cat is overweight or suffers from other health problems such as kidney failure or diabetes, however, then you should not provide dates because doing so might exacerbate the problem.
As long as they are fed in moderation and without excess sugar, the sugars contained in dates will not harm cats.
Due to their high sugar content and the lack of protein in dates, however, giving a date to a cat that is pregnant or nursing may cause digestive problems that may lead to diarrhea and vomiting.
As a result, dates are not part of the feline diet recommendations that veterinarians provide to their animal patients.
Although dates are not a direct poison for cats, they can cause problems if eaten in large amounts or over a long period of time. This is especially true for cats who usually consume less calories than humans or dogs do on a regular basis.
The sugar content of dates is high and can cause rapid changes in a cat’s blood sugar level.
If your cat consumes a date in excess or on a frequent basis, however, he may experience digestive distress or put on weight.
In healthy cats, occasional treats should not be a problem, but they should not be given on a regular basis.
Are Dates Bad For Cats?
No, and this is a very useful answer for anyone wondering about dates.
However, due to the high sugar content contained in them you should administer them as a special treat on occasion instead of making them a regular part of your feline’s diet.
No pet owner wants to jeopardize the health of their pets by feeding them the wrong foods or treats.
As a consequence, adding dates to your cat’s diet is a great way of strengthening its immune system and providing it with the necessary vitamins and essential minerals.
In addition, the date’s pit should not be fed to cats due to the adverse effects that the pit can have on the body as well as the dangerous consequences that it can have on the cat’s health.
Other than that, dates aren’t bad for cats at all.
Health Risks of Feeding Dates to Cats
No matter how healthy and non-toxic dates are, all fruits are higher in sugar than other foods in our diet.
For these reasons, dates are a poisonous and also a choking hazard for cats and are not advised to be fed to cats on a routine basis. Dates aren’t a good meal choice or snack for cats.
Very Sugary, Not So Sweet
Besides being high in sugar and unhealthy for cats, feeding dates could cause gastrointestinal problems.
Even a single date may be a large enough quantity of sugar for a cat to need bile to break it down.
Bile is needed to break down fat too and it can cause problems with intestinal blockage and inflammation if it’s produced too rapidly.
Cats’ bodies have a limited capacity to break down sugar in food, so too much can lead to problems.
Because they’re getting what our bodies deem as excess sugar, it can lead to diabetes and a host of other problems.
Choking Hazards
Every date has a tiny pit hidden at its heart.
Ingesting the pit isn’t too tough on cats either, but it can be slightly unpleasant for them to digest.
If a cat eats a date too quickly or puts too much in his mouth at once, he can choke on it.
Whether or not the cat spits the pit or swallows it whole, this can result in a blockage in his oesophagus and the cat can die quickly from his choking. Eating a date too fast can also cause a cat to vomit, which could choke him further or irritate his stomach lining.
This is never a nice scenario for your cat to be in.
Dental Problems
A cat’s mouth is prone to developing periodontal (gum) problems if the gums are not properly cleaned.
Sugary diets promote tooth decay in cats, just as they do in people and may cause gingivitis and infections in the mouth and gums if fed frequently and in excess amounts.
Cats make things much more complicated by frequently rolling on their backs when you attempt to brush their teeth.
High-Calorie Consumption
Cats should not be fed dates as treats due to their high-calorie content.
Because they won’t be able to taste the somewhat gummy and sweet sweetness of dates, they will be unsatisfied by feeding them to them as treats.
Can Kittens Eat Dates?
The fact that kittens can be fed small amounts of fruit does not make them obligate omnivores or obligate carnivores.
They’re still obligate herbivores and predators.
Kittens can indeed eat dates and other foods high in sugar and fat, and there’s no harm in doing so, but keep in mind that these foods are far higher in calories than most foods containing protein or carbohydrates and should only be given in moderation.
If you don’t want to limit their intake of carbohydrates, you can feed them some dry cat food.
Since dates are rich in energy and carbohydrates, they are ideal for growing kittens. However, it depends on the kitten’s overall diet between which energy source provides the animal a more sustainable energy reserve.
Also Read: Can Cats Eat Sugar Snap Peas?
How Do You Give Your Cats Dates?
Date slices may be used as a garnish for meals or sprinkled over dry food.
Whole dates should make up no more than 10% of a cat’s daily calorie intake to avoid the risk of digestive upset and weight gain due to an increase in calories without a corresponding increase in activity level.
Dried fruit mixtures with dates are best given in moderation since the high sugar content may encourage weight gain and dental problems if their consumption is not monitored.
However, be wary since dates can be toxic if consumed in excess.
Keep an eye on how many dates you give your cat per day and try to stay within the recommended amounts.
