Your cat is your baby. But if you recently brought a human bundle of joy home, you may be tempted to share some nutritious baby food with your feline friend. But can your cat safely consume baby food? It depends. While cats can eat meat-based baby food, ones that contain veggies could be potentially harmful, and even lethal.
Here's everything you should consider before dishing out a bowl of baby food to your kitty.
Can Cats Eat Baby Food?
While cats are natural carnivores, even in the wild, they do eat trace amounts of vegetables from the stomach contents of their prey to obtain essential vitamins. Also, eating whole prey with the bones contains minerals not found in the meat alone. Domesticated housecats acquire their daily dose of nutrients through their diet of commercial cat food.
While you can treat your cat to small portions of meat-based baby food every once in a while, it should never be used as a substitute for cat kibble. Baby food lacks enough taurine for cats, which will lead to malnutrition if cats are only fed baby food as their daily diet.
If you have a sick or senior cat that can't comfortably consume regular cat food, you can feed her small helpings of meat-based baby food. However, wet cat food is always the healthier option.
Image Credit: MapleHorizons, Pixabay
Is Baby Food Bad for Cats?
Babies are extremely fragile little creatures. That's why most baby foods are crafted with sensitive stomachs in mind. But just because a baby can safely eat baby food doesn't mean you should be feeding it to your cat.
This is especially true if the baby food contains any onion or garlic powder. These two ingredients are extremely toxic to cats.
Never feed your cat baby food that contains:
Garlic
Onion
Salt
Veggies of any kind
Fruits of any kind (except for infrequent pumpkin as it promotes gut motility)
Added sweeteners or sugars
Dairy
Canola oil or vegetable oil
When looking for baby food to feed to your cat, always opt for meat-based baby food with no seasonings. A teaspoon of turkey-, chicken-, or lamb-flavored baby food makes a tempting treat for kitties.
When is It Okay to Feed a Cat Baby Food?
All-natural, meat-based baby food makes good supplemental food for cats if:
They suffer from a reduced appetite because of a disease, such as liver disease, CKD, and cancer
They're elderly and have periodontal issues or a painful mouth
They've had their teeth extracted and can't eat firm cat kibble
They have temporary digestive sensitivity
They're feral cats that you want to entice into a trap
You can also offer healthy cats a small helping of meat-based baby food as the occasional treat. However, baby food should never make up a large portion of your kitty's daily diet.
How Long Can a Cat Eat Baby Food?
A cat can consume baby food as its main meal for only about two to three days. After that, you'll need to slowly start transitioning them back to normal cat kibble or wet cat food.
Baby food doesn't contain taurine. This is a vital amino acid that cats can only get from commercial kibble, raw meat, supplements, or wet cat food.
Image Credit: aprilante, Shutterstock
Baby Food Alternatives for Cats
If you don't want to feed your sick or elderly cat baby food, some good alternatives are:
Kitten food
Raw or boiled chicken
Egg yolks
Remember, these options should never replace your cat's normal kibble or wet cat food.
You might also like: Can Cats Eat Chickpeas? What You Need To Know
The Bottom Line on Baby Food
A small helping of meat-based baby food that doesn't contain any additives is perfectly okay to feed your cat. It may even be helpful for elderly or ill cats that can't consume normal kibble.
Never feed your kitty baby food that contains garlic or onion. This can be fatal. Also, never use baby food as a substitute for your pet's regular cat food for prolonged periods.
Yes, your cat can enjoy a small spoonful of meat-based baby food! She'll love the full flavor and yummy aroma!
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