Have you noticed your cat wandering around your feet while you are cooking cream cheese?
Most cats enjoy cream cheese, but Can Cats Eat Cream Cheese? “Yes”, it is non-toxic to your cats.
A small piece of cream cheese won’t hurt your cat. While it is not harmful to your cat, you should not make it a regular part of their diet. Since it is very high in fat and your cat may be unable to digest it properly.
In this post, we will discuss more details regarding the question of whether cats can have cream cheese, as well as the pros and cons of feeding cats cream cheese.
Keep reading to learn before giving your cat cream cheese!
Should I Feed Cream Cheese To My Feline?
Cream cheese is perfectly fine to feed to your feline. Cream cheese is a dairy product. It is not harmful to the cat in moderate amounts.
However, you should consider whether your cat really needs to eat cream cheese.
Cats are obligate carnivores, it means they are required to have nutrients on their diet to keep their bodies and minds healthy, it is only found in meat.
Therefore, dairy products are not a natural part of the cat’s diet. It contains very high fat levels and it does not offer any nutritional benefits for them.
Reason Why You Should Never Feed Cream Cheese To Your Cat
While a small amount of cream cheese is ok for a cat to eat, eating too much of it can be a problem such as vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, and flatulence. As you are a cat owner, you should be careful before giving to your cat.
In the following 4 reasons that you should not feed cream cheese to your cats.
1. High Calorie
Cream cheese is very high in the calorie content of fats. If cats eat cream cheese on a regular basis, they could quickly become overweight. As a result, it may cause a number of secondary health problems.
2. High Salt Content
Cream cheese contains a high quantity of salt. An abundant volume of salt might lead your cat to hypertension, kidney illness, or heart disease.
Your veterinarian may not recommend you to feed cream cheese to your cat if they have a health concern like kidney illness or heart disease.
3. Lactose Intolerant
Cats are lactose intolerant. They cannot digest dairy products like cream cheese very well.
Feeding your cat cream cheese can be poisonous to your cat, who is lactose intolerant. It will display symptoms of diarrhea, or vomiting around 8 to 12 hours of consumption.
4. Harmful Additives Ingredients
Some components in cream cheese can be harmful to cats like onions, chives, and garlic. They are members of the allium family that can break down your cat’s red blood cells and lead to anemia.
Pros Of Eating Cream Cheese To Your Feline
1. Source Of Energy
Cream Cheese is a great deal of energy. It also provides your cat with vitamin A. Vitamin A has many health benefits as it helps the immune system for your cat.
2. Protein & Calcium
Cream cheese is a dairy product. It contains the most appropriate source of protein and calcium. It is especially important for your cat, who requires much more protein. Calcium is also necessary for your cat’s bones and teeth.
Cons Of Eating Cream Cheese To Your Feline
1. Poisonous
Cream cheese is possible for cats to be allergic to. As we told you before, some of it contains garlic and onion. It is the main cause of the decline of your cat’s health.
2. Digestive Issues
Giving your cat much cream cheese will cause digestive issues. In this case, your cat may have stomach pain, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. It may also cause severe dehydration.
Why Does My Cat Love Cream Cheese?
We won’t have a specific answer from our feline, but experts believe that most cats are interested in the fat and protein components of dairy products.
Since it has a good smell that can attract your cat. It is strange that your cat may never have had cheese before like ice cream or yogurt.
That’s why they are interested in adding it to the new menu.
How Much Cream Cheese Can a Cat Have?
Cream cheese is a source of protein, but it is not an ideal source for your cat. Cream cheese is ten to be higher in lactose, which can lead your cat to an upset stomach or diarrhea.
Instead, if you are going to allow your cat to have cream cheese, you can give them some types of cheese with low-lactose and harder cheese in a small amount.
You should never exceed more than 5% to 10% of the regular part of their diet.
However, you should consult with your veterinarian before giving cream cheese to your cat. Remember cream cheese is not beneficial for your cat at all.
Can Cats Eat Cream Cheese? Bottom Line:
All in all, Can Cats Eat Cream Cheese? Yes, it is possible to feed cream cheese to your cat in small amounts. Your cat might enjoy cream cheese.
However, if you allow your cat cream cheese, keep an eye out for bad reactions such as vomiting, upset stomach, and diarrhea.
In fact, cream cheese tends to be high in lactose. It’s not recommended by vets to feed cream cheese to your cat. Giving much cream cheese can be harmful to your cat’s health.