Cats love nuts—walnuts are a delicious treat that often can be found on people’s shelves.
However, it’s crucial to keep your walnut cats away because of their potential for harming your digestive system. If your cat seems to be interested in eating walnuts, don’t try and interpret its behavior.
It may behave differently depending on what it demands. So, can cats eat walnuts?
Cats can’t eat walnuts because of their potential to cause harm to their digestive systems. Walnuts are rich in fat, and this makes them difficult to digest.
Too much fat can lead to constipation and weight gain in cats. On top of that, walnuts contain a substance called juglone that inhibits enzymes that break down plants.
This compound can cause damage to the intestinal lining and disrupt the body’s absorption of nutrients in cats. Walnuts also often contain traces of a toxin called Amygdalin, which can cause anemia in cats.
If your cat eats walnuts and experiences any of these symptoms, you should call your veterinarian immediately.
Can Cats Eat Walnuts?
Cats cannot eat walnuts because the walnut, or Juglans species, tree produces a toxic oil and can cause inflammation to the esophagus and gastrointestinal system.
Cats will not die from eating walnuts, however, it is toxic to cats to eat walnut oil.
If you give your cat a walnut, you might as well just head the vet right away. A nut-eating cat smells like skunk! He or she will likely have problems walking.
Do Cats Like Walnuts?
Cats will react differently depending, as most of us know, on past experiences. Allow your cat to experience a walnut on its own first before feeding it to him. If he enjoys it, you can feed it to him in small portions. A cat’s diet should have variety and the walnut would be a new flavour for him.
Some may pursue them, if only briefly. Others shun them altogether. For certain cats, the walnut is to be avoided at all costs while others seem to find them delicious. Perhaps these cats are not at all what we presume them to be.
Some cats will eat everything that falls to the floor, while most cats are selective and don’t like to try new foods. If you feed your cat walnuts, he will probably eat them.
In summary, there is no clear answer as to whether cats can eat walnuts.
Is It Safe for Cats to Consume Walnuts?
If your cat eats a walnut, it’s most likely the walnut meat and not the oil.
As previously stated, walnuts are not toxic to cats.
In cats, walnuts may induce vomiting and diarrhea.
A nut is the seed of the fruit of the walnut tree that has several varieties such as English walnuts (Juglans regia) and Persian walnuts (Juglans regia). It is rich in fat, protein, and vitamins and is one of the foods that cats love to eat.
However, there is no denying the fact that walnuts are poisonous to cats. Some cat owners often give their pets raw or dry walnuts as treats but if they do this often, this may lead to the poisoning of their pets.
What Can Happen If A Cat Eats Walnuts?
When cats consume walnuts, their systems cannot digest them properly.
It’s possible for a cat to eat enough walnuts to cause vomiting, lethargy, and diarrhea.
The digestive system on the other paw cannot break down the hulls.
If your cat consumes walnuts by accident, it will most likely experience no ill effects.
When cats consume walnuts, the walnut hulls can dislodge from the contents of the shell and get lodged in the cat’s throat.
If your cat consumes a walnut, its symptoms may range from gastrointestinal upset to life-threatening liver failure.
What Should You Do If Your Cat Eats Walnuts?
If your cat ate a walnut, it won’t cause real harm, but walnut oil could cause problems. The risk is greater if your cat eats a lot of walnuts or a large quantity of walnut oil and gets an upset stomach. The overdose treatment will be the same as any other toxin. Treatment will depend on how much your cat has eaten, but in any case, it’s advised that you contact your vet as soon as possible.
If your cat has only eaten one walnut, it could easily be digested with no problems.
If your cat has eaten walnut, you may be able to prevent any potential toxicity.
This is because cats are poisoned when they eat walnut shells.
How Many Walnuts Can I Feed My Cat?
Cats should never consume walnuts.
The risks exceed any benefits.
However, if your cat gets to itself a walnut or two accidentally, it should not cause any real problems for the cat or owner.
A cat should only get a walnut if it’s already on the table or another tabletop surface.
It should not be fed a walnut since it’s not likely to consume it.
This includes walnut milk, black walnuts, and, of course, other nuts and other toxic foods.
If you are worried that your cat may be suffering from eating walnuts, take him or her to the vet.
Your vet will be able to examine your cat and run some tests to determine any potential liver damage or illness caused by the consumption of the walnut.
Also See: Can Cats Walk Backwards?
Conclusion
From all of the evidence we have gathered here, we have concluded that cats can’t eat walnuts.
Walnuts are high in fat, and this makes them difficult to digest for cats. Too much fat can lead to constipation and weight gain in cats.
On top of that, walnuts contain a substance called juglone that inhibits enzymes that break down plants. This compound can cause damage to the intestinal lining and disrupt the body’s absorption of nutrients in cats.
Walnuts also often contain traces of a toxin called Amygdalin, which can cause anemia in cats. If your cat has eaten a walnut, you should take it to the vet as soon as possible to be examined.
In addition, walnut consumption in cats can result in some very severe problems too including vomiting, diarrhea and dehydration that can be very dangerous for the cat’s health.
Walnuts are toxic to cats and can be fatal if consumed in large amounts.
