Well the question in itself is very peculiar in nature, I was amazed to know how important it was. Still, the question really does matter to a lot of the pet lovers who want to make sure their cats get the right kind of food. Since eggs aren’t the most popular food choice especially when it comes to pets, the question arises, can cats eat eggs?
Table of Contents
What Actually Is The Dietary Orientation Of The Cats?
Cats are carnivores; which is easy to tell considering the feeding habits of their relatives, i.e., the big cat. However, at times they feed as omnivores as well. This is because pet cats are very fond of eating bread and other related items.
Similarly, you will find cats lurking around the corner of the streets and eating from the garbage cans. This is where the distinction between them being carnivores or herbivores starts to diminish somewhat. If you ask me how I would describe this, I would say cats are different. This is why their nutritional needs are different as well.
Why The Question?
I did ask one of my friends who has a cat, and he had something strange to say. He said if humans can get a heart stroke, what could possibly become of a cat that eats eggs?
Well, of course, all of this could be traced to the fact that cholesterol causes a heart attack. And high consumption of eggs can lead to very high cholesterol levels. Some people may regard it as a myth, but we don’t have evidence otherwise.
But who said that the internal systems of humans and cats are the same? That’s where I get ready to give eggs to my cats.
Can Cholesterol Levels Cause A Heart Stroke In Cats?
I am no vet, but we can surely look at how cats get a heart stroke. This will single out the possibility of having one because of high cholesterol levels.
There are only two known ways for a cat to get a heart attack:
Hereditary
Some cats have it in their genes, so you can’t really blame the eggs in this case. It is known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy are 35% more likely to suffer from a heart attack
Taurine deficiency
This is the other and perhaps the most common reasons for a heart attack in cats that causes dilated cardiomyopathy. And just in case you are wondering if eggs are involved in it or not, eggs are a top-rated source of taurine.
So we have proven wrong the fact that cats can have a heart stroke by eating eggs. On the contrary, we found that there is no correlation between cats’ heart diseases and eggs. So, let’s move on.
Cooked Or Raw Eggs?
This is a whole new debate as well when it comes to feeding eggs to cats. People often argue as to whether you should feed cooked eggs or raw ones to your cats. This is, of course, only when they agree to feed eggs to their cats in the first place.
According to research, cooked eggs are found to be nutritionally valuable for cats. Thus, you can give some nicely cooked fried or scrambled eggs to your cat (I don’t prefer an omelet if I were a cat).
Raw eggs? You can try it out to see if your cats like it or not. More importantly, monitor their behavior and digestion after they have eaten raw eggs. If they are ok with it, so can you.
How Many Eggs Can You Let A Cat Eat?
This is where you need to be very careful since cats don’t need a lot of calories. Indeed, it makes complete sense since most household cats just lie on the couch.
This is why you should be extremely careful when feeding eggs to them. We aren’t talking about a lot of eggs, but more than 2 won’t go nicely (with the cat’s stomach).
Of course, this is only an opinion. You can feed more eggs to your cats if they are active enough or if their vet recommends it. But if they are the lazy type, just drop the question and go on with the tinned cat food.
The Biggest Question; Would Cats Actually Like Eating An Egg?
So far, we have established that it is safe to let your cats eat eggs and they should have them cooked. Now let’s see where the bulk of the problem lies.
Will your cats be happy with eating eggs for breakfast, lunch or dinner? Of course, you can’t really ask them if they do. According to recent research on the liking of pets towards human foods, it has been observed that they do like it. So if you are planning to feed eggs to your cat, you are good to go.
However, the right way should be to mix it up with something else to balance it out. You can give them a fried egg with some cooked meat. I would say mash the meat and mix with the eggs to make sure they do eat the eggs. Not only will it add more value to it, but you can also change the menu each day for your cats. The eggs will always be there though.
What About The Kittens?
Kittens are lovely and fragile creatures, so you should be very careful in feeding them. Yes, they can also have eggs but in moderation. See if they are the active ones or not and then decide the number of eggs.
From a nutritional perspective, your kittens will grow up quite healthily if they are fed eggs. Eggs are the most abundant sources of protein, and some extra protein will do no harm. The better option is to do it on a trial basis as digestion can vary from cat to cat.
The Bottom Line- Yes Or No?
A big yes! Don’t just feed your cats eggs. The right approach can be consulting a vet or nutritional expert for animals and then moving on. And if something makes you suspicious about your cat’s health, just stop giving them the eggs.
After all, remember that cats are different. They are different from other animals as well as from the other cats also. This is why you should add eggs in the menu on a trial basis.
You May Also Interested In: