You might have these questions in your mind which brought you here; can cats eat marshmallows? Are marshmallows harmful to your cat? What to do if your cat eats marshmallows? Continue reading to find out all the answers to your questions.
Is your cat bugging you while you’re eating marshmallows? Stop! Don’t give it to her just yet. Cats, being the cute little munchkins they are, are quite picky about their food. Let us find out whether marshmallows are edible for cats or not.
Marshmallows are everyone’s go-to, especially during bonfires; or even if you’re enjoying yourself at home. If you own a nosy cat like mine, she’ll drive you nuts until she finds out what it is that you’re eating.
You may also wonder Can Your Cats Eat Pancakes? or have you ever thought Why does your cat lick your nose?
So Can Cats Eat Marshmallows?
Sadly, cats are not supposed to eat marshmallows. Besides the fact that cats do not have a sweet-tooth as we do, marshmallows can seriously harm your cat’s health. So if you have been feeding your cat marshmallows, it’s best to stop now than face the consequences later.
The ingredients present in this harmful snack are the primary reason why it’s harmful to your cat. Most probably, it can also result in a choking hazard for your cat.
There are many reasons why marshmallows should be avoided by cats as well as humans. Marshmallows are nothing but junk food, and junk food, as we know it, does nothing but damage you internally.
Don’t stop reading now; there’s much more yet to learn about marshmallows and cats.
But Can Cats Eat Herb Marshmallows?
I regret to inform you that they can’t eat herb marshmallows either. Although it is organic, it is still not worth taking the risk.
Herb marshmallows contain natural ingredients such as calcium, iron, iodine, B-complex, sodium, vitamins A and B, and many more. But still, some of these ingredients can affect your cat’s health.
In short words, no, they are unable to eat any sort of marshmallows, be it herb marshmallows or even marshmallow fluff.
5 Reasons Why Cats Can’t Eat Marshmallows
Although you might have read above about the major reasons, there are still plenty of other reasons why they are bad for your cat. Let’s find out!
1) Marshmallows Contains Sugar:
The first and most important cause is the presence of sugar in marshmallows. As I mentioned earlier, cats don’t really have a sweet-tooth like ours.
Similar to humans, sugar can also cause obesity in cats. Keeping aside the fact that they look cuter when they’re fat, obesity can be a significant risk to your cat’s internal condition.
No proud cat-mom or dad wants their cat’s life to be on the line and be a victim of feline obesity.
2) Eating Marshmallows Might Result in Choking Hazard:
You might notice on the back of the marshmallows pack that it is not suitable for children under the age of 3. This same statement is also applicable to your cat.
The size and shape of a marshmallow can easily get stuck in your cat’s throat if you feed it a whole chunk. So put that marshmallow away!
Many cases have been reported regarding this same choking issue. I repeat, it is not worth risking your cat’s life.
3) Marshmallows Contains Many Calories:
Each marshmallow piece has 23 calories, which again can result in feline obesity. As we’ve read above, obesity is a risk you don’t want to mess with.
Other than that, unlike humans, the intakes of a cat’s average calories are about 200-300. Humans, on the other hand, can devour more than 2000 calories.
4) Marshmallows Has No Nutrition Value:
Cats are carnivores and depend on the nutritional values of carnivorous foods and proteins. Marshmallows have no such nutritional values, which make them absolutely unnecessary for a cat to eat.
Marshmallows have a minimum amount of protein present in the ingredients. Even then, it is not enough or necessary for a cat to devour.
5) Cats Are Carnivores:
Carnivores are those animals that devour meat, fish, or chicken. Cats are full-on carnivores and depend only on the intake of protein.
They depend on the flesh of prey only. Marshmallows are carbohydrates, while cats require extensive levels of protein. Hence, there is no need to feed your cat marshmallows.
Ingredients In Marshmallows That Are Harmful To Your Cats
Before feeding your cat any type of marshmallows, always remember to check the ingredients on the back first.
Following is a list of some of the ingredients that can affect your cat’s health.
Sugar (The Main Reason Why Cats Can’t Eat Marshmallows):
As we’ve read above, there are high levels of sugar present in marshmallows. Sugar causes obesity in cats. Obesity must be avoided when it comes to the sensitive and delicate anatomy of a cat.
Sodium:
Other than that, sodium is the second most harmful ingredient in marshmallows. Regular marshmallows have about 6 mg of sodium. You should know that cats are known for being sodium intolerant.
This is because sodium can affect the density of a cat’s bone. It can also affect the regular and smooth function of your cat’s heart, blood pressure, and kidney.
Chocolate:
If chocolate is a part of your marshmallow pack’s ingredients, then stop feeding it to your cat immediately. Chocolate marshmallows are much sweeter yet worse than regular marshmallows.
Xylitol:
Some marshmallow manufacturing companies use xylitol as their sweetener. Xylitol is a type of sweetener that contains zero calories. This can be an advantage for humans.
But for cats, this can be dangerous. Cats have a low tolerance for xylitol. If you have fed your cats marshmallows that contain xylitol, contact your closest vet immediately.
How Does Marshmallows Harm My Cat’s Health?
Since there are zero benefits to feeding your cat marshmallows, this means there are many risks of doing so.
Let us revise how exactly feeding marshmallows can affect our cat’s health.
- Sugar can cause obesity not only in cats but also in humans and other animals
- The calorie intake of a cat is far lesser than that of humans. This can also cause obesity based on the number of calories present in marshmallows
- A marshmallow can regain its shape and size after being consumed. This can result in a choking hazard.
- Xylitol can be a risk to your cat’s well-being if present in marshmallows.
- Exposure to sodium (in marshmallows) affects bone density, blood pressure, and heart and kidney function
- Your cat can be a victim of diabetes if it eats marshmallows more than usual.
Hence, marshmallows can act as a huge risk in ending or decreasing your cat’s life. Besides knowing that cats have 9 lives, I’m sure no cat parent wants to risk even one of them.
My Cat Ate Marshmallows, What do I do?
Whether you’ve been feeding your cat marshmallows intentionally or it ate one without you knowing. First things first, do not panic.
If you spot your cat eating marshmallows, first off, check to see whether it’s choking or not. If your cat’s not choking, it’s probably just nibbling on it for fun. However, If you see it choking, call your closest vet center immediately.
Act wisely and obediently on the advice given by your local vet regarding any issues.
If your cat is very calmly snacking on your marshmallows, politely grab the marshmallows pack and put it where the cat is unable to reach it.
Eating marshmallows won’t cause immediate harm, but if done repeatedly, watch out for your cat putting on some weight.
If A Cats Eat Marshmallows, Will It Immediately End The Cat’s life?
There is no need to panic or cause a hassle if you see your cat eating marshmallows. If you’re wondering and worrying that marshmallows can kill your cat, don’t!
Immediate consumption of marshmallows cannot end your cat’s life. Chill, relax, and just don’t let it happen repeatedly.
Although they don’t contain any dangerous or toxic ingredients, you should still not let it be your cat’s habit. Keep in mind that they cause nothing but slow and gradual harm to your cat’s life.
Make sure you remember that daily consumption of marshmallows can be deadly for your cat. The toxicity of a marshmallow for cats depends highly on the amount of marshmallow your cat is eating or playing with.
Is it Normal If My Cat Likes To Nibble on Marshmallows?
There’s no major harm if your cat likes to play with marshmallows or just nibble on them for fun.
The reason why cats like marshmallows so much are because of their soft and smooth texture. This soft texture makes them want to lick the marshmallow and have fun with it. The soft texture is also one of the reasons why we, humans, like it so much too!
If you, being your pet’s parent, are sure that your cat likes the texture of marshmallows, feel free to let your kitten play with it. But keep checking your cat every now and then, so it doesn’t choke.
Another thing that recently came to my notice was that the texture of marshmallows was the same as that of peanut butter. Since some cats are fond of peanut butter, they also find marshmallows quite fun to nibble on.
Can my Cat Eat Other Sweets?
Since cats are carnivores and depend only on the intake of protein, don’t be disappointed when sweets are not their first choice.
The main reason that cats don’t like sweets is that there is no actual need for them to consume sweets.
If you were used to feeding them marshmallows as a form of treats, switch to healthier options. By healthier options, I mean fruits like mangoes, apples, or carrots. But really, it all depends on your cat’s preference.
There are various benefits of using healthier options. Other than being an excellent source of vitamins, they can also help increase the well-being of your cat.
So, in short, hide these yummy yet deadly treats from your cat. It is best not only for them but will also be a relief for you.
Furthermore, avoiding marshmallows and using fruits are a much safer and wiser alternative. Since cats are known to be nosy, hide the marshmallows pack where your cat is unable to reach them.
As a cat parent, you should know these delicious treats are a total no-no for your kittens. Other than that, as mentioned previously, cats do not have such sweet cravings, unlike us.
Is there any Benefit of Marshmallows After All?
For cats, there are literally zero benefits to eating marshmallows. This is because neither do they contain any nutritional value and nor do they contain essential protein ingredients.
Although they don’t have any immediate harmful effects and are not as toxic as a whole, marshmallows should still be avoided.
On a side note, they are quite beneficial for you if you’re fond of carbohydrates. Although this is not widely known, marshmallows can help reduce inflammation.
Besides that, for veins in your legs called Varicose Veins, marshmallow root can be used to make it feel better. It can also help in treating blood poisoning, burns, wounds, and bruises but only when mixed with cayenne in a poultice.
Sweets as a whole are not beneficial for not only cats but also humans. But keep in mind that there is a major difference between the diet of humans and cats.
Humans rely more on the intake of carbohydrates, whereas cats depend on the intake of high levels of protein only.
There are lesser benefits compared to the damage marshmallows can cause. So it will be better and safer to just avoid these treats, rather than taking a risk and affecting not only your cat but also you.
Conclusion:
After reading all this, not only I but also you will have come to the conclusion that marshmallows aren’t a wise decision at all. Not only are they unhealthy for cats, but they can also risk the fitness of human life if regularly consumed.
So instead of injurious foods and snacks, try healthier alternatives such as fruits. Fruits, being a healthier decision, are not only good for your cat’s health but can also be used as a treat when training your kitten.
Since cats are known for being sensitive, be very careful of what you’re feeding them. Look for foods that do not have any negative side effects.
On the other hand, if your cat is unique and likes to try new things, a little nibbling never hurt anybody. Just keep a check on your cat and don’t leave it unsupervised, so it doesn’t swallow the marshmallow whole and end up choking.
It is clear that marshmallows are not recommended at all, but still, you’re the parent and do what you think is right for your kitten. But it is suggested to keep such harmful treats out of your cat’s way, or it can lead to a disaster.
If your cat still bothers to have marshmallows, feed them to your cat in tiny chunks. Just make sure you’re not feeding it marshmallows daily. If you feed your cat marshmallows regularly, it can end up having feline obesity.
Every pet parent knows what is best for their pet. A responsible and caring parent also keeps track of what his/her cat likes and doesn’t like. Furthermore, a caring cat owner needs to know what is good for his/her cat and what is dangerous and harmful to his/her cat.