CAN CAT EAT STRAWBERRY? Many people who own cats as pets usually wonder if it is safe for their kitty to eat strawberries. Strawberries contain a lot of fructose and should be avoided by all other pets besides felines.
Cat owners are often concerned about their kitty’s strawberry intake. The fruit may be fine for your cat, but you should also keep in mind that the fruit contains sugar which can cause stomach problems.
Strawberry plants have long been recognized for being poisonous to both animals and humans with the leaves being particularly dangerous. This comes from a compound within them called malvin that causes hemolysis – or the rupturing of red blood cells. While this occurs typically in horses, smaller animals like cats can still have negative reactions to ingesting the compound.
Malvin is also known to be a cumulative poison which means there isn’t a large amount in any one single strawberry, however, when eaten over time this can cause problems. In horses, it has been shown that ingesting 25% of their daily diet of red clover hay containing malvin will result in death overtime, but smaller amounts can cause illness and disease.
While there are no studies conducted on cats and strawberries specifically, it would be a good idea to keep an eye out for symptoms such as weakness, drooling, swelling around the face and eyes, and other unusual behavior after feeding your cat strawberries or foods containing high levels of malvin.
This being said, while it’s not advised to feed your cat large quantities of strawberries, the fruit is likely not harmful in small amounts. It is still possible that your cat can have an allergic reaction to the fruit or develop stomach problems, however, this would more likely occur with any other type of food you might be feeding your cat.
Cat owners who are particularly nervous about their pet’s strawberry intake should either consult their veterinarian for further information on whether strawberries are safe for cats or simply avoid giving them to their feline friend.