Can I Give My Cat?

Can I give my cat lentils?Animals will eat anything they like, even lentils if they have the chance. You can’t force them to want something, but when they do, there is no stopping them. This can only be stopped if you get in the way and prevent them from doing so.

In the case of cats and eating lentils, some of them do like to eat the vegetable. For a lot of them, they really go bonkers over the stuff. Cats are referred to as obligate carnivores which means they need meat to survive. However, there are plenty of nutrients from vegetables that can be beneficial for them.

Can I Give My Cat Lentils? Answer: Yes

The simple answer is yes. Lentils are not poisonous or hazardous for felines but it is quite unusual since we all know that cats survive on either meat or the cat food that we feed them. It is unusual, but not unheard of among cat lovers. In fact, a lot of owners try to mix in greens with their cat’s diet in order to get various sources of proteins and nutrients, and lentils are one of them.

One of the questions is: will my cat eat lentils? Surprisingly, yes. You never can tell what a specific cat would eat or not eat. Some would prefer meat and cat food alone, while a select number will chomp on lentils as well as other greens. What you should never do is force your cat into a vegan diet. A feline’s digestive system does not work the same way as ours do. Cats still need protein in order to survive. Lentils are just a good addition to their diet in which they could get carbohydrates as well as some other nutrients. On the other hand, if you believe your cat can survive on lentils and vegetables alone, consult a veterinarian first.

The Benefits for Cats
Like most vegetables, there are many benefits of feeding your cat some lentils every once in a while. For one, they have a high concentration of protein. As a matter of fact, lentils contain the most protein among all the vegetable food known to man. So, if you wish to feed your cat a lot of protein other than meat as a protein source, lentils are a great substitute. Take note of the word “substitute” and not use the food as a replacement for the cat’s need of meat.

B Vitamins are also found in lentils. So if you wish to increase the amount of these vitamins that your cat eats, feed it lentils and you’ve got a great source of B vitamins right there. Notably, lentils contain Vitamin B3 and folate. Another benefit of lentils for cats is that they are loaded with iron. Of course, iron can be found in meat products but lentils are a great substitute as a source for the nutrient.

How to Prepare Them
There are many ways in which lentils can be prepared for cats. Most cat lovers will tell you their own version on how they prepare the vegetable for their pets. However, there are accepted procedures in which lentils should be fed to felines. Some would prefer to feed them raw, but this would cause indigestion for most cats. Remember, their digestive system is way more sensitive than humans so you need to be careful on how you feed them the vegetable.

The best way to prepare lentils is to cook them by boiling them slowly until they become soft. This way, your cat won’t have a hard time eating them and will be digested properly. Otherwise, they might end up with loose bowel movement as well as indigestion, which is something you do not want to happen to your cat.

A Word of Caution
Never force your cat to eat anything it does not like. You may think you are doing it a favor, but you’re actually making it worse. If you try to feed it lentils and your cat likes them, that’s well and good. However, if he it repulsed by the idea, don’t force your cat into it. Otherwise, train your feline buddy to eat lentils as a kitten so it will get used to it as part of its normal diet.

Add Your Own Answer to Can I Give My Cat Lentils? Below

Leave a Reply
