Can Cats Eat Bacon?

You might already know that cats are pure carnivores. In fact, their bodies demand meat so if you try to feed a cat anything that doesn’t have meat in it, their bodies are going to falter. Many consider cats to be obligate carnivores, which means that they must absolutely eat meat.

On the other hand, dogs are considered by most to be scavenging carnivores, which means that while they should eat meat, they might be able to survive on plants if there is no other option. However, dogs also require their daily dose of meat; otherwise, they are likely to suffer from serious diseases or defects.

But can cats eat bacon? Before we answer this question, it’s important to understand exactly what’s found in bacon.

Understanding Bacon

Bacon is a staple food in countries all around the globe. Bacon is a part of the pork family, which is widely regarded as one of the most versatile foods included in standard meal planning.

However, you need to understand that bacon is loaded with large amounts of sodium. This is not something that you would want to feed a cat. Even if you do, you have to make sure that the quantity is relatively small.

Now, should you feed a cat bacon? Probably not, but can the cat eat it? Absolutely. But, you need to understand that feeding the cat an excess amount of bacon is likely to make the animal quite ill very quickly. However, while this may seem to be a short-term problem, you should know that feeding bacon to your cat could also have long-term effects.

The Adjustment

A vast majority of the domesticated cat breeds are usually kept indoors and instead of hunting or playing around, they tend to spend most of their time simply sleeping and resting. As a result, you need to tailor their nutritional intake to match their reduced movement around the house.

As they age, the sleeping schedule of cats continues to increase. In most cases, cats tend to sleep anywhere between 16 and 20 hours in a day. Needless to say, this doesn’t leave around much time for the cat to burn off the dense calories that it receives throughout the course of the day.

You need to understand that bacon contains a large amount of sodium and fat. It’s definitely not good for cats and it’s also not good for humans. If you are thinking of going on a clean diet and want to avoid heavily processed foods that are loaded with dense calories, bacon might be the first thing that you would want to cut out from your diet.

Problems

Feeding bacon to your cat can lead to a myriad of different problems. Let’s discuss a few of these.

• High Blood Pressure: Cats that eat a high amount of bacon on a daily basis usually have an elevated heart rate, which increases their blood pressure. High blood pressure is a bad sign and your feline companion might be at an increased risk of cardiac arrest. In order to avoid this, you need to make sure that you avoid feeding dense foods to your cat.
• Obesity: Obesity brings with it a myriad of other health problems, such as an increased pressure on the cat’s joints. Not only that, but it will also cause serious problems for the cat in the long run. You need to avoid feeding foods that may cause the cat to become obese and lethargic.
• Dehydration: Bacon absorbs a considerable amount of fluids from the cat’s body, which can lead to dehydration. Dehydration has a drastic effect on the cat’s kidneys and may lead to serious issues in the long run, including renal failure as well.
• Clogged Blood Vessels: The fat in the bacon may clog up the blood vessels of the cat over time, which can create serious heart problems. There is a chance that your cat might suffer a stroke and die as well!

What About Other Kinds of Bacon?

Now, many people wonder whether cats can eat other kinds of bacon, such as turkey bacon. Again, it’s not really healthy for your cat and should only be fed in very small doses. These are heavily processed meats with lots of salt and preservatives added to them. They are definitely not good for your cat.

Also, avoid feeding raw bacon to your cat as it may lead to a parasitic infection in its stomach. However, because bacon is usually sold pre-processed, you can feed a few bits and pieces raw to the animal. Just don’t make a habit of it as the animal might suffer from serious problems.

Ideally, you should only give bacon or ham to the cat as treats; even then, the quantity should be as low as possible. You don’t want to spoil the cat or cause problems later on so using bacon as a treat is a great idea. If it eats more than necessary, the cat is probably going to vomit.

What About Other Foods?

Many people are confused about other foods that humans eat. For instance, what about almonds? Almonds are a fantastic, nutritious snack that many people eat on the fly. But can cats eat almonds? The answer to that is no. The vitamins and minerals that are found in almonds might be beneficial to humans but they aren’t as useful for cats.

As mentioned above, cats are carnivores and have very little interest in nuts. If you take a look at most of the foods that are available for cats, you will realize almost all of them contain some form of meat and gravy. That’s what you would want to feed the cat on a daily basis.

Furthermore, you should avoid giving any kind of heavily processed item to your cat. For instance, can cats eat jelly? Again, you need to understand that cats cannot eat jellies because they contain artificial sweeteners such as xylitol. These are incredibly toxic to animals and it can lead to a major drop in the animal’s blood sugar.

What to Feed the Cat

Thankfully, there are a whole bunch of different kinds of cat treats available in the market that you can buy. These are completely safe for the animal and you don’t have to worry about any kind of nasty reaction. Again, make sure that you do not turn them into a daily thing; only give these treats on rare occasions.

Furthermore, when it comes to normal feeding, there are a bunch of different brands available that you can choose from. These are packed foods that contain all of the nutrition required by your cat during the course of the day. If you want, you can also feed the cat boiled chicken and other forms of meat, though you should make sure that there are no additives in them.

These are just a few things that you should know about feeding things such as bacon and almonds to your feline companion. Make sure that you avoid feeding the cat anything that can cause serious harm!