Can Cats Eat Broccoli

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can cats eat broccoli

Do you have overweight cats? Are you thinking of making them follow a vegan diet, just like you? Can cats eat broccoli? Or other vegetables?

As a responsible pet owner, it is understandable to keep your cat as healthy as possible. But cats do not require fruits or vegetables to achieve a healthy body. Remember that they are carnivores. That said, they need animal protein to meet their nutritional needs.

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This also means that giving them a quality commercial diet is more than enough to keep them strong.

However, if you want to replace their food intake and provide them with fresh produce, there are safe options that you can go for. Then again, it is still recommended that you check with your vet before you introduce any new food to your cats’ diet.

can cats eat broccoli

Can Cats Eat Broccoli? Do They Like This Vegetable?

It is unlikely that your cats would sniff your dinner plate filled with broccoli. However, if you are wondering whether or not broccoli is safe for your cats, then it is safe to say that this green veggie can be eaten by your cats or dogs.

Some cats may be more experimental than others and take a liking to your broccoli.  If your cat seems to sniff around and try to bite your broccoli, perhaps try to give your cat a small bit to chew on, or a small amount of puree in their kitty kibble.

Broccoli is a non-toxic vegetable that is completely safe for your pets.  In fact, it does not appear on the list of the toxic plant list for pets.  Broccoli is a simple food, non toxic, without seeds and shells, and relatively easy to grow, by, cook, and serve.  Most cat owners probably have a bit of broccoli around and eat the food on occasion.  Sharing the veggie with your pet is not much of a stretch and may benefit him/her as much as the veggie benefits you! Cats do not ‘need’ broccoli in their diet, but if they choose to eat the green flowery food, they will not be at risk of any harm.

Benefits of Broccoli

Full of antioxidants

Broccoli is a type of vegetable that is packed with high amount of antioxidants. Because of these components, this veggie is touted to be a healthy food that can ward off all free radicals in the body, thereby, assisting cancer prevention.  Antioxidants help ward off sickness and disease, boost the immune system, and possibly extend the life of you and your cat when eaten regularly.

The sprouts of broccoli contain 100 times antioxidants. That said, it has the prevention value of reducing your risk of developing a type of malignant tumors in your cats’ body.  By boosting your body’s natural defense against invaders, the anti oxidants in broccoli have the ability to keep your cat hap and healthy longer than if veggies are not added into their diet.  Cats are meat eaters and do not need the addition of broccoli to live a good life, but if broccoli is added to their diet, there may be a higher attribution of health in the long run.

To give your cats some extra nutrients to fight off diseases, you may steam the broccoli sprout for your cat and for yourself.  Offer the broccoli in small amounts at first to ensure your ct lives the food and does not have a reaction.  If your cat seems to be okay with broccoli, gradually raise the serving size but keep feedings to a minimum.

Lowers cholesterol

Another great thing about this vegetable is that it can help lower cholesterol levels in your cats’ bodies. Many cat owners may be unaware that the cholesterol levels in their cats need to be watched just as their own cholesterol is to be monitored.  In the event your cat has high cholesterol or is overweight, offering broccoli into the diet, and switching broccoli for treats, may lower your cat’s cholesterol levels naturally without intervention.

You should cook your broccoli by steaming it, as the fiber components of broccoli can effectively bind with the bile acids in the body if they are steamed. From there, the bile acids can be easily excreted, thereby, lowering your cats’ cholesterol levels.  The best thing about this vegetable is that it is rich in vitamins like vitamin E, thiamin, panthothenic acid, calcium, among others. In addition to being a good source of dietary fiber, it is also high in vitamins K, B6 and folate to provide complete nourishment to your cats.

Helps with digestive process

Broccoli is also great to aid in the digestive process of your cat.  Because of its fiber-rich content, broccoli encourages better bowel movement. It also promotes healthy digestive system for your feline friend. Thus, it is great in alleviating your cats’ constipation if they are experiencing it.

If your cats are constipated, they could be attracted to this vegetable as a way for them to calm their upset stomach. This is the same way they eat grass to pacify their troubled stomach because of what they have eaten.  Cats are naturally inclined to seek grassy, green, roughage to heal their stomachs.

When serving your cat a bit of broccoli, be careful when you feed your cats a plate of the veggie as it may result in causing more discomfort to their stomach. Only small amounts of broccoli are needed to give cats a nutrition boost.  A cat should not have a plate of this veggie, only a few bites and/or a bit of puree.  Perhaps offering a bit of puree in the kibble alongside a piece of whole, unprocessed, cooked meat will be a good balance for your cat to enjoy.

There are cat products with broccoli that you can offer to your felines as a special nice treat.  With these cat products, your cats can also eat some meats and vegetables to make a healthy choice. However, make sure that you choose to treat your cats with grain and filler-free cat product.

The First Time

Your cats may not have adapted to a vegan diet. So, when it is your cats’ first time to eat broccoli, you should exercise extra caution. You should give them a small amount first. There are no toxic ingredients in broccoli. However, your cats’ stomach is quite different from yours. They may respond to this newly-introduced food with complication or without trouble at all.

Felines have a unique digestive system. They can process chemical compounds that cannot be easily digested by the human body. No matter how unique it is, if you feed your cats too much of, it can cause their tummy to get upset. With a new food, their stomach will still have to adjust to its components.

Watch for symptoms when you feed broccoli to your cat for the first time. Vomiting and diarrhea are common symptoms that your cats’ digestive systems did not process broccoli well. If these symptoms continue, you should call the vet.

Conclusion

Coming back to the initial question, yes cats can eat broccoli. When you do serve broccoli to your cats, make sure that the vegetable has not been coated in salt or butter. These added ingredients are bad for your cats’ health. Instead, feed them plain broccoli.

 

Related articles:

Can Cats Eat Turkey

Can Cats Eat Carrots

References:

https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/press/1997/sept/970903.htm

http://lovemeow.com/2010/01/are-broccoli-melon-toxic-to-cats/

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