Cats love the crunchy taste of grits.
Some find it irresistible and eat it without even realizing it. However, since grit is a fairly rare ingredient, many pet owners wonder if they can feed it to their pets.
Is this even for cats? Yes. Cats can benefit from eating some grit once in awhile. Cats in the wild eat plenty of grit and sand, which helps to scrub their teeth and keep them clean.
Like humans, cats need their teeth cleaned regularly to prevent gum disease and tooth decay. Grit can also help to scratch an itch, which can relieve some skin conditions in cats.
Regular consumption of grit can also help prevent some gastrointestinal problems. However, cats shouldn’t eat a lot of grit on a regular basis since it can be unhealthy for them.
Too much grit can cause an excessively gritty or sandy stool, which can make your cat’s waste messy and smelly. Therefore, it’s important to monitor how much grit your cat eats and see that their stool isn’t excessively gritty or sandy.
Can Cats Eat Grits?
Some cats benefit from eating some grit now and then, but too much is bad for them and can make them sick.
Cats need their teeth cleaned regularly to prevent gum disease and tooth decay and grit can help them clean their teeth and some skin conditions in cats can be relieved by scratching an itch with some grit.
Cats need their teeth cleaned regularly to prevent gum disease and tooth decay and grit can help them clean their teeth and some skin conditions in cats can be relieved by scratching an itch with some grit.
Grit can also help prevent some gastrointestinal problems in cats.
However too much grit can cause an excessively gritty or sandy stool, which can make your cat’s waste messy and smelly.Grit can also help prevent some gastrointestinal problems in cats.
However too much grit can cause an excessively gritty or sandy stool, which can make your cat’s waste messy and smelly.
While whole grains and meaty protein are the healthiest foods for cats, in moderation they can eat some healthier grains.
What Is Grits?
Grits is the name for some ground and processed cereal grains.
It’s typically made from corn or rice and cooked until it forms a paste or dough. Grits may be served alone or with additional ingredients like cheese or meat.
Grits are popular in both Canada and the United States. In the United States, grits is eaten at breakfast or dinner or as a side dish with a meal.
Grits are also common in the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, where they’re often served with butter and sugar for breakfast. Grits can also be eaten in soups or as a side dish for stews or casseroles.
Grits are sometimes served to pets, who like the texture and taste of the grit, even if you offer plain or dry grits with no additives.
Nutritional Value of Grits for Cats
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Provides A Clean Teeth and Shiny Coat
Grit can help your cat get a clean teeth and a shiny coat.
The cleaning action that comes from eating sand or grit can work well for cats who like crunching and licking their paws and who like eating dry food that has small granules or pieces in it.
Since grit is abrasive in nature, it helps to remove plaque and tartar from your cat’s teeth and helps to keep them clean.
This can help to prevent tooth decay and gum disease in cats that eat enough grit.
It’s also easy to take your cat on walks and provide them with regular opportunities to ingest grit as they groom themselves on walks or after you play with them on carpeted areas in your home.
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Not Necessary But Can Be Beneficial For Cats
Not all cats need to eat grit or sand to keep their teeth clean or to ward off gastrointestinal issues.
Cats in the wild don’t need to eat it either because they don’t need their teeth cleaned or to prevent gastrointestinal problems (which are uncommon in cats).
However, cats can benefit from eating a small amount of grit and sand occasionally to help prevent gum disease and obesity in cats that eat a grain-based diet (which is a fairly common situation in cats).
It can also help scrape an itch in an itchy cat or soothe a sore stomach in a cat that is ill.
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Healthy to Ingest Some Grits
While eating a lot of grit can be unhealthy for cats, occasional consumption can be beneficial for them.
However, it’s important to monitor how much grit a cat eats and see that their stool isn’t excessively gritty or sandy.
Alternative Grits for Cats
If you own a cat and you’re thinking of giving your pet some grit to eat, you’re in luck!
There are dozens of grit products on the market designed especially for cats. However, you don’t have to buy these pricey products if your cat isn’t crazy about them.
There are dozens of safe and nutritious alternatives that you can make at home instead. For example, you can give your cat some plain oatmeal or ground flaxseeds.
You can also give your cat some crushed carob chips or coconut chips for some added flavor. Corn grits and oat groats are two other excellent alternatives, and you can make both of them at home in just a few minutes.
You can also use eggshells to feed them to your cats as treats if you rinse and crush them first to break them up into pieces before giving them to your cat as a treat instead of a food product that provides nutrition.
You can also feed them some cooked egg shells or crushed egg shells if you’re worried about them choking or getting sick from being accidentally bitten or scratched by broken pieces.
Some pet owners even give crushed eggshells to their cats every day as a nutritional supplement, but it’s important to monitor how much grit a cat eats and see that their stool isn’t excessively gritty.
Are Grits Safe for Cats to Eat?
Grit is a type of sand that is found naturally in some foods we eat.
Examples of grit include breakfast cereal and oatmeal, which are both excellent for cats to eat. Grit is also often used in pet foods to help add texture to food that cats may otherwise not want to eat.
Since grit is so common and readily available in many foods we eat daily, many people wonder if it is safe for cats to eat it. For the most part, it is safe for cats to eat grit in moderation.
However, it can be unhealthy for a cat to eat too much grit on a regular basis. Eating too much grit can cause digestive problems and contribute to some health problems in cats over time.
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Can I Feed Grits to My Cat?
Cats love to eat grit and sand.
Many pet owners wonder if cats can eat sand or grit as a treat. Is it safe?
Yes and no—cats can eat some sand and grit as a treat every now and then but too much sand can be harmful to your cat’s health. Cats can eat small amounts of sand and grit without having negative health effects on their body or teeth.
However, eating too much sand or grit can lead to an excessively gritty or sandy stool and can cause some gastrointestinal problems for your cat. Sand and grit can help to scrub your cat’s teeth and help with their dental health.
It also helps to alleviate itchy skin conditions in cats by scratching the itch with sand or grit. In moderation, sand or grit can be healthy for your cat to eat.
However, eating too much can cause health problems over time for your pet and should be avoided as much as possible.