Cereal is full of nutritious goodness for humans. It is also the most popular breakfast food around the world that can make for a perfect start to the day.
You may want your cat to eat cereal with you at breakfast, so can cats eat cereal? The short answer is Yes, Cats can eat cereal, but it is not considered a healthy treat for them.
Although cats can eat cereal, it does not mean that it is safe for them. Giving cereal to your cat as daily food. It can be toxic to them.
There are many types of cereal that are harmful for your cat.
In this post, we tell you about the different types of cereals. What type is the best for your cat, as well as the benefits and information about cat eating cereals.
Let’s discuss it!
Type of Cereals That Are Safe for Cats
Cats can eat cereal. Cereal will not pose a cat’s health threat after consuming a small amount.
In the following, we have given a few lists about the types of cereals that are safe and stay healthy for cats to eat.
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Cornflakes Cereal
Cornflakes are one the healthier cereal options for your cat. They contain no harm to your cat’s health, but you should not provide them on a regular basis.
Let’s take a look at a few core ingredients that make cornflakes one of the most trusted cereal.
- 90% Corn
- Vitamin E
- Zinc oxide with iron minerals
- Sugar & salt
- Extract of barley malt
Since cornflakes contain 90% of corn. Corn is not harmful to your cat. It can help to supplement its diet with fiber. Barley extract works excellent as a laxative.
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Cheerios Cereal
If your cat is craving cereal, Cheerios are a good choice. It contains a very low sugar and a low calorie.
Although cheerios will not be toxic to your cat, their nutritional value is zero. Making it a regular part of your cat’s diet could make them sick.
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Rice Cereal
Rice cereal contains rice as its main ingredient. It is commonly used as a kitten. It is safe for cats if it is moist to avoid choking hazards.
However, rice cereal must be free from dangerous substances such as trans-fat and artificial sweeteners.
Type of Cereals That Are Toxic for Cats
There are a few cereals that actually contain high sugar and can be dangerous or toxic to your cat.
Check out types of cereal that are dangerous or harm to your cat’s health.
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Special K
Cats should not eat Special K. Even though it is good for humans, it is pointless to your cat. Special K contains high grain, salt and sugar. It should be avoided for your cat.
The core ingredients in the special K:
- Sugar
- 33.2% wheat
- 36.2% Rice
- lodized Salt
The nutrients above,it is not a cat’s need. Cats require a lot of protein, fat, and extremely low or no carbohydrates.
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Chocolate Cereal
Chocolate is highly toxic to your cat. It contains an ingredient called theobromine. The sweeteners containing chocolate irritate the cat’s stomach and wreak havoc in their blood sugar level.
You can check them in the following sing:
- Diarrhea
- Increased heart rate
- High body temperature
- Increased breathing
- Vomiting
- Restlessness.
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Fruity Loops Cereal
Fruity loops contain a large amount of sugar, processed oil and flour. This cereal is extremely harmful to cats and humans. They can cause to your cat such as:
- Blood clotting
- Digestive system
- Lead weight gain
- Diabetes
Can Cats Eat Cereal? How to Serve Cereal to Cats?
If you want to give your feline to eat cereal for breakfast, you should prefer such as:
- Sugar-free
- Fewer calorie
- Aim for a high-fiber
To be sure, you can check the nutrition label to see how much sugar is in the product before you feed them.
If you think, it is ok for them to eat. You can provide them with small pieces of cereal so they can digest them easily.
However, some cat owners often think cats love milk. As a result, they provide their cat a large bowl of milk and some leftover cereal in it.
But it is a problem for your feline. Since cereal contains sugar and milk is almost guaranteed to hurt your cat’s stomach. So, better avoid milk cereals for your cats.
Can Cats Eat Cereal? Nutritional Value of Cereal
Nutritionally speaking, cereal does not offer much nutrition for your cat. Cereals contain grains. Cats are obligate carnivores, so grains have no nutritional value for them.
However, a small amount of cereal is non-toxic to cats. There is no need to seek medical attention, if your cat eats cereal.
In addition, nutritional cereals can help to boost your cat’s energy levels, blood circulation, digestion, and fiber intake.
What You Should Do If Your Cat Eats Much Cereal?
Well, as we have mentioned several times above, cereal is not toxic or harmful to your cat and it is OK if your cat eats them with leftovers.
However, if you prepared it with milk and your cat licked the entire bowl of cereal, it is a problem. So what should you do?
Here are a few thing that you may can do:
- Keep an eye on your cat for 24 hours
- Check them with signs such as diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, or constipation.
- If they have any signs above, ask your vet for some advice to help them.
- If your cat’s symptoms worsen, immediately visit your vet and have proper treatment.
- If no sign is seen, you do not have to do anything.
Can Cats Eat Cereal? All In One Summary:
So, Can cats eat cereal? Yes, cereal is not toxic, but they should have a specific amount with less sugar. Avoid cereal with high in refined sugar, which leads to obesity for your cat.
However, keep in mind that cereals have no nutritional value for cats. So I don’t think you should feed it to your cats. It may not cause immediate harm to your cat, but it could have long-term consequences.
