Can cats be given sweets, and if not, why?

Physiology of taste in cats

When a cat receives a piece of chocolate or caramel or ice cream from the owner’s hands, it, at first glance, eats the sweets with pleasure. In fact, she is attracted to the fats and dairy products found in treats. But the taste itself remains uncertain for the pet; it does not feel it and does not receive the pleasure characteristic of a person.

The reason for this phenomenon is explained by the absence of the Tas 1r2 gene in cats. It is its content in the blood of mammals that is responsible for the craving for sweets.

For cats, animal proteins, found in large quantities in meat, are a treat, and sugar and all its derivatives are just a by-product found in ice cream and chocolate.

A cat can recognize any protein with amazing ease. It is noteworthy that wild feline predators are able to determine by smell whether the prey they hunt is alive, injured, or already dead.

And since cats are not able to recognize sugar, they do not feel and do not control the amount of its consumption. Therefore, they can easily exceed the safe dose, which is actually very low. There is only one way out - do not give sweets to cats at all.

If in tiny quantities sweets are simply useless for cats, then at the slightest excess of the norm it becomes very dangerous.

Signs associated with cats

According to popular observations, cats intuitively sense change. They say that by observing the behavior of your pet, you can predict the weather, the arrival of guests, an impending illness, a change for the better or misfortune:

a cat sleeps with its belly up - to the heat;
the cat curled up into a tight ball - it will soon get colder;
the cat washes its face all day - wait for guests;

A cat washing itself means the imminent arrival of guests
a cat reaches out to a person - for a new thing;
a cat rubbing against a person’s ear means an increase in money;
The cat sneezed three times - someone in the house will get sick.

By the way, it is believed that if a cat lies on a sick person, then it cannot be driven away, since the animal takes the illness upon itself.

It is believed that a red cat in the house attracts money, a black one wards off evil spirits, a white one protects the health of its owners, and a tricolor one is responsible for peace in the family.

What is the harm of sweets for a cat?

The most dangerous sweet for cats is chocolate. The content of the alkaloid theobromine in cocoa beans is very high. When it enters the cat's body in small doses, a jump in blood pressure occurs, the animal develops tachycardia, and abnormal agitation appears.

If a cat consumes chocolate excessively, poisoning quickly occurs, which most often ends in death. Since the animal’s kidneys and liver accumulate this alkaloid, but are not capable of decomposing it and removing it from the body. But any product containing sugar is no less harmful to the cat. The carbohydrate content in it is very high; the cat has no need for such concentrations in the blood.

The carbohydrate that an animal receives from dry food or natural healthy food is quite sufficient for the normal functioning of the body. And the excess is deposited in the form of fat reserves - subcutaneous and, what is much worse, on the walls of internal organs, which leads to obesity of the liver, kidneys, and other body systems.

It is especially dangerous to give sweets to young animals, elderly pets, pregnant and lactating females, and animals with chronic diseases.

In old animals, sweets will sharply increase the fragility of blood vessels. And eating chocolate by pregnant cats can lead to miscarriages, the development of fetal pathologies and the birth of stillborn kittens.

Poor eating behavior

When you give your pet sweets and other treats from the table, you disrupt normal regular food intake and the animal develops a behavioral disorder. Not only does the dog's correct diet change, but it also develops the habit of constantly hovering around the table, begging for food. And a harmful tendency arises: when the dog does not get what it wants, it begins to snap or show aggression towards the owner. The dog wants to get a treat to which it is already accustomed, and for the animal this behavior becomes the norm - the dog does not understand at all why it is deprived of the opportunity to eat from the table with its owners.

Sweets and cat diseases

The first thing that can happen to a pet when eating sweets is a decrease in immunity and the development of many serious diseases.

Immune defense disorders

Even a small piece of chocolate can cause severe poisoning in a cat. And if everything seems to have gone well, the consequences may be distant.

The immune system was damaged in any case. And against the background of this disorder, allergic reactions may occur, diseases of the oral cavity may appear, numerous redness, ulcers and sores form on the gums, itching of the skin, hair loss begins and the development of alopenia.

Chocolate, sweets, and cakes can also cause a deterioration in a cat’s vision, including blindness, as well as cause diarrhea and vomiting, and increased salivation.

Decreased immunity undermines the cat's body's defenses. The animal becomes susceptible to colds and viral diseases, otitis media and conjunctivitis, fungal infections of any organs.

The digestive system also suffers, the animal develops a false feeling of fullness, and the digestibility of animal protein deteriorates. Oxygen saturation of tissues decreases, and the aging process of the entire organism as a whole accelerates.

Urolithiasis disease

Cats' kidneys are the first to suffer when they eat sweets. Due to intensive work (after all, this is a purification system that unsuccessfully tries to remove harmful products from the body), they significantly increase in size.

The animal's organs are subject to wear and tear, and the acid-base balance is disturbed. And sweets can lead to this just as much as salty foods.

Depending on the type of sweets, either excessive oxidation or alkalization of the body occurs, which in any case leads to the development of kidney failure. Urolithiasis, when eating sweets in large quantities, occurs even in cats that do not have a predisposition to it.

Diabetes

A cat's body is not designed to process large amounts of glucose. Insulin begins to be produced in concentrations that greatly exceed the permissible norm in the blood.

The cat quickly loses sensitivity to this substance, the level of glucose in both the blood and the animal’s urine always remains at high levels, diabetes mellitus quickly develops and the pet becomes a hostage to the “sugar” diet.

Excess carbohydrates

A person often eats a piece of chocolate when he needs to quickly increase energy levels, relieve fatigue, improve the ability to think and make decisions instantly, during heavy mental or physical work. And after even a small dose of chocolate, you feel a surge of strength and acceleration of thought.

By offering the same piece of treat to a pet, the owner causes him great harm. Especially for a cat in a small apartment, where she does not have the opportunity to move enough. All excess carbohydrates, even if they do not lead to serious illnesses, will certainly be stored in the form of excess fat.

Nature provides for the consumption of large quantities of proteins by predators, which is the key to their health and longevity. Carbohydrates are needed in minimal quantities; exceeding the required level means dooming your pet to illness and early death.

Feedback from cat owners

Taste is the quality of a substance entering the oral cavity; information about it is transmitted to the central nervous system. This happens thanks to special sensitive receptors that are “built-in” into the cat’s tongue. They, in turn, are “hidden” in such elements of the tongue as papillae. Different groups of papillae on the tongue of a tailed pet have their own purposes:

Thread-like (conical) ones serve to lick fur, hold food on the tongue, and also to perceive pain and the temperature of food.

It is the filiform papillae that create the feeling of roughness when a cat licks our hand; she needs them to groom her fur and hold food in her mouth.
Mushroom-shaped - located along the perimeter of the tongue, named after the shape they have.
Leaf-shaped - along the edge of the tongue, the largest of all papillae.
Grooved - at the root of the tongue. A cat does not have many of them, much less than a dog or a person.

The taste buds include mushroom-shaped, leaf-shaped and grooved papillae. Scientists suggest that with the help of mushroom-shaped and leaf-shaped papillae, animals distinguish between sour and salty tastes, and with the help of groove-shaped papillae, bitter.

Taste buds have only mushroom-shaped, leaf-shaped and circumvallate papillae

Newborn kittens are already able to distinguish the taste of food.

Cats are better at smelling than humans. But we have much more taste buds - 9000 versus 473 in cats.

A cat's tongue is sensitive to temperature. Pets will not eat food from the refrigerator. True, not because they fear for the health of their throat. It’s just that their food in the natural environment has a body temperature of 30–45 ° C. Moreover, this food is alive. Carrion has a much lower body temperature, and cats do not eat it (this applies not only to our purrs, but also to the more formidable and wild representatives of this family). That is, instinct tells the animal that the food from the refrigerator has been “dead” for a long time, and it is not worth eating due to the threat of poisoning by toxins.

My Thai cat Sonya really loved melon and persimmon pulp. Always well-mannered, she brazenly climbed onto our hands or the table if we were going to eat these foods. True, she ate the softest and juiciest. My other backyard cat loved peanuts and chocolate. It was simply impossible not to share Snickers with her.

Our cat is on dry food, but we recently found out that he loves watermelons... and kiwi... He just eats watermelon in pieces: omg: Although, I still agree with watermelon, but kiwi is sour and eats it anyway. We are also crazy about beer (beer alcoholic :gy:) Well, he doesn’t drink directly, but my husband dips his finger in the beer and lets him lick it. Now he simply doesn’t let his husband pass with a bottle of beer - he runs after him until he lets him lick him

We just recently got a little kitten. We didn’t know what to feed, but it turned out that he was eating zucchini – it was cracking behind the ears. And I was worried about where they had grown this year)

My cat loves melon, watermelon, cucumbers, fresh cabbage and canned olives. This may not be normal, but it doesn’t seem to cause any harm; every day, in addition to dry food, there are also fresh vegetables.

A domestic cat does not know what is harmful and what is beneficial. If she was constantly fed meat and offal, she will be reluctant to eat ready-made food or fish. Therefore, kittens from 4 months must be accustomed to a variety of foods. By receiving a balanced diet, your furry pet will be active and healthy for a long time.

There are only a few hundred taste buds in a cat's mouth, which is incomparable to the nine thousand in humans. And at the same time, she will unmistakably distinguish a desired treat from an unloved one. Incredible! It turns out that her sense of smell is much better developed than one would expect.

What motivates an animal when it chooses a treat? Does it rely on smell or taste?

The sense of smell is extremely important in attracting an animal to food. A cat's nose is many times more sensitive than a human's. This is thought to help cats differentiate between tastes.

But representatives of the Feline family have something special - Jacobson's organ of smell. This is part of the nose area, which became isolated during the process of evolution, and is connected to the external environment through small holes in the roof of the mouth behind the front teeth. Meowing pets use it to understand tastes and aromas. Although the function of this olfactory organ is still debated.

At the tip of the tongue, on its underside and on the sides, the cat has taste buds.

And yet, what is the best way to attract your pet to a bowl of food? A big piece is better for him than crumbs. And soft food is preferable to hard food. They say that even the shape matters and it is better if the large pieces are not the same from day to day. Warm food will attract you more quickly than food fresh from the refrigerator.

In addition, these animals remember the taste for a long time. And they will establish the connection between the food eaten and its consequences for the body quite quickly. If some food leads to an upset stomach, the pet will refuse it in the future. And vice versa, what you like will be readily consumed.

There are features that are common to all representatives of the cat world. And you need to know these features of the behavior and attitude of pets, then you can try to understand your cat and become true friends.

When does a cat need sugar?

But still, in some cases, the pet needs additional sugar. They are very rare and are the consequences of serious illness or recovery in the postoperative period. And only when the level of glucose in the blood is much lower than the norm acceptable for the cat’s body.

In no case does the owner of the animal have the right to make such an appointment if he does not want to cause irreparable harm to him. Only a veterinarian, after a thorough analysis, can decide on a special “sweet” diet.

But even in this case, cats are prohibited from chocolate, cakes, pastry buns, cookies and sweet yoghurts, and especially carbonated drinks. Surprisingly, many pets are very fond of Coca-Cola and Fanta, sweet tea.

In these cases, the veterinarian prescribes a strictly dosed intake of glucose solution or sweetened water. If a sick animal refuses to drink the medicine, it is forcibly administered into the mouth using a syringe without a needle or as an intravenous drip in a hospital setting. Sometimes a specialist prescribes subcutaneous administration of drugs with a high content of monosaccharides at home.

Therapy is carried out under strict control with regular testing. As soon as the sugar level in the cat’s blood and urine returns to normal, glucose intake must be stopped.

Favorite treats

Some of the sweet preferences of cats include chocolate, ice cream and sucking candies (on a stick, caramels). Most owners admit that they can sometimes give their cats sweets, but very little, as a treat. The difficulty is that sweets do not cause immediate harm, that is, the cat does not feel ill immediately after eating a piece of ice cream. Any experienced owner and veterinarian will tell you that giving them chocolate is a big mistake. Real chocolate is poison for cats and dogs. For poisoning, which leads to liver failure, a large dog needs to eat a chocolate bar (100 grams), while a cat needs 30–40 grams. Naturally, we are not talking about a surrogate treat, but about real chocolate, which contains cocoa and caffeine.

Warnings about the dangers of chocolate are based not only on experience, but also on research. Veterinarians monitored the dynamics of poisoning and the rate of its progression. Anamnesis collection and autopsy testimony allowed us to draw clear conclusions - the animals died from chocolate poisoning.

Even special chocolate treats sold in pet stores are not as harmless as they say on the packaging. As mentioned above, there is no point in such treats, because cats cannot like sweets due to the fact that they do not feel this taste.

The favorite treat of adults, children and cats is ice cream. It would seem that a dairy product should not be harmful, but everything is not so simple. Firstly, there is sugar in ice cream, and secondly, the store-bought product hardly contains milk. Even if we take ice cream as an example, which was once produced according to GOST, it contained cream and butter - extremely harmful products for a cat’s liver. A cat that has received too much sugar suffers from intoxication, in other words, from poisoning.

Another favorite treat is condensed milk. The logic of the owners is similar, although the milk may be sweet, it means it cannot be harmful. The warnings are the same: condensed milk contains a lot of sugar, and the store-bought product includes preservatives, flavors, unnatural sweeteners and exclusively powdered milk. The cat does not feel the sweet taste, powdered milk is not beneficial, so is there any point in treating it with such a treat?

What could be healthier than fermented milk products for cats who love milk? Every guide to feeding four-legged animals recommends diluting the cat’s diet with yogurt, kefir, fermented baked milk, etc. However, not every guide specifies that the products must be natural and not store-bought. Only in this case can we talk about real benefits.

When consuming store-bought dairy products with sweeteners, a cat may suffer from chronic conjunctivitis, and this is not a coincidence. Many owners didn't know how to eliminate bad odor from their cat's ears, and it can also be caused by eating sugar.

The owners of sweet dogs can only wish patience in re-educating their charges. Try to balance the diet, take a vitamin course and gradually wean your cat off sugar. If your nervous system cannot withstand the onslaught of pleading eyes, offer your cat a piece of dried apricots (no raisins) or peanuts. These products are not healthy for the cat and contain a lot of carbohydrates, but are safer than sugar.

Another safe alternative is special treats (sweet) for animals, which are sold at the pet store. However, be careful, many owners have weaned cats from eating sugar in favor of treats, but they cannot exclude them from the diet. It is important that any additives to the main diet are strictly rationed.

Cats' taste buds do not recognize the taste of sweet foods. However, many furry pets show serious interest in various desserts. An owner who wants to pamper his pet with a tasty treat must first figure out whether cats can eat sweets and what consequences can arise from eating foods containing glucose.

In our article we will talk about sweet dishes for animals and, of course, we will answer the most important question - is it possible to give sweets to cats and discuss the harm such food brings to the health of the animal.

It’s clear what causes cats’ passion for chocolate, but why not give the cat a piece of another? Any veterinarian will categorically answer that chocolate is a real poison for animals, including cats. It contains components such as theobromine and methylxanthine, an excessive amount of which in a pet’s body can cause the death of a four-legged friend.

Again, it is worth focusing on the fact that a cat, without a sense of taste, does not have the opportunity to independently limit the consumption of a harmful product and may well eat a large amount of chocolate. Consuming large amounts of theobromine can lead to a number of dangerous symptoms:

rapid heartbeat (tachycardia);
neurological manifestations;
uncontrollable convulsions.

Ice cream is a favorite dessert of many cats; at first glance it may seem like a completely harmless treat, because it is based on dairy products - milk, cream, butter. However, do not forget that even the highest quality product contains sugar. Once in a cat's body, it can cause an overdose of sugar, which often leads to severe intoxication. The pet may suffer from vomiting, diarrhea and other unpleasant symptoms.

Condensed milk, although it is essentially milk, contains an excessive amount of sugar. Such a combination of components can cause diarrhea and vomiting in the pet, the cat becomes lethargic, refuses food, and inflammation of the conjunctiva develops, which manifests itself in the form of copious purulent discharge along the edges and corners of the eyes.

It is worth remembering that not all fermented milk products are healthy for cats. If you can give kefir or yogurt, then it is better to avoid cheese curds, fruit curds, and yogurt with various additives. Such food with a high carbohydrate part should not be present in the animal’s diet. It is not recommended to treat your cat with sweet nuts and dried fruits, as they contain a high level of carbohydrate components.

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What sweets can a cat eat?

During the summer heat, many owners, showing false concern for their pet, give it ice cream. It seems that both the dairy product itself and cooling the body should only bring benefits. But in fact they do a lot of harm to the cat.

Ice cream for a cat, if necessary, can be easily made independently by freezing unsweetened natural yogurt, fermented baked milk or a mixture of cottage cheese and kefir. Almost all pets love these impromptu treats.

You can give cats a little corn and bell pepper, they have a sweetish taste. The sugar content in them is minimal, and there is a lot of healthy fiber. Almost all cats like these products.

It’s only better if the vegetables are boiled and the peppers are peeled. Under no circumstances should these products be consumed in canned form.

For some a cutlet, for others a candy. Do cats have different tastes?

Taste is not a guide to taste - who likes watermelon and who likes pork cartilage. The catchphrase applies to our cats as much as it applies to ourselves. In terms of exotic taste preferences, kote can compete even with pregnant women. Some people run to the kitchen as soon as they smell the squash caviar, others can’t be pulled away by the ears from watermelon, others go crazy over cheese cookies.

I wonder what guides the mustachios when choosing the most desired treat? Do cats discriminate tastes or are they guided only by smell?

It turns out that they feel it, although not as keenly as people do. For example: owners have nine thousand taste buds, while pets have less than five hundred. At the same time, there is an opinion that the palette of taste sensations in cats is richer than in humans. Thus, they feel much better the so-called meat taste, or “umami”, for which the receptor of the same name is responsible - this helps them distinguish between types of meat, its fat content and the freshness of the product.

How sugar can harm you

An excess of sweets can cause stool disorders (diarrhea or constipation), gastritis, various types of colitis, and even inflammation of the pancreas. These troubles take a long time to treat, it is difficult, and the animal will have to be on a strict diet.

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Development of diabetes

When a cat eats sweets, even in small quantities, the pancreas gets severe overload. If this happens regularly, inflammation develops, leading to organ destruction. Insulin production stops and the cat’s blood sugar rises. By the way, sweeteners (for example, xylitol), added by manufacturers to sweeten foods, also contribute to the development of diabetes. Without maintenance therapy, the life of a diabetic cat is shortened.

If a cat loves sweets, the risk of urolithiasis increases - the load on the kidneys increases, the acid-base balance is disrupted. KSD causes frequent painful urination and sometimes requires surgical intervention.

Irreversible changes occur in the liver - working tissues are replaced by useless fatty layers. This means that the organ will not be able to remove toxins and waste products as well as before.

When sugar enters the intestines, the number of protective cells decreases many times, which has a bad effect on the animal’s immunity. The cat becomes unstable to bacterial and viral attacks, even if it is vaccinated. In severe cases, disruptions occur in the endocrine system.

Fat deposits

Pets do not use as much energy as outdoor pets. As a result, fat deposits accumulate, both subcutaneous and internal. The latter envelop the organs, as a result their performance decreases.

Obesity leads to a lot of health problems: from diseases of internal organs to arthritis and arthrosis.

The cause of microcracks in tooth enamel is sweetened food. It also provokes the appearance of caries, tartar, bleeding gums, and tooth loss. The main problem is that sugars wash out calcium in the body, which has a bad effect on the condition of teeth and bones. And treating dental problems in animals is complex, difficult and very expensive.

The liver and pancreas process and utilize carbohydrates in the body. If an animal consumes a lot of harmful treats, these organs do not have time to process sugar and, as a result, a lot of glycogen accumulates in reserve. At one point, the body begins to react to excess carbohydrates as an allergen. So if your cat starts itching or has discharge from her eyes, immediately stop giving her harmful treats.

What sweets should you not give?

As we have already said, cats should never be given chocolate, which is regarded as a real poison for the animal, as well as ice cream with an excess of sugar, which will lead to serious poisoning and intoxication of the body.

Fermented milk products are recommended for feeding cats, but not all. The ban includes glazed cheese curds, sweet yoghurts, curds with various fillings, the Snowball drink and other products containing sugar, dyes and additives harmful to the body of cats.

Sweets, sweets and confectionery products are prohibited. All these products provoke serious diseases that shorten the life span of a pet.

What harm does sugar have on cats?

destroys healthy cells and leads to oxygen deficiency in tissues;
weakens the animal's immunity;
leads to kidney failure;
causes the development of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
provokes the development of diabetes mellitus and obesity;
high risks of developing allergic reactions;
problems with teeth and gums appear.

If you want to keep your furry family member healthy and live longer, eliminate all foods containing glucose from your diet! The sweet life will result in very “unsweet” consequences for your cat.

Physiological characteristics of taste buds

If we take into account numerous reviews from owners, we can conclude that their cats are crazy about sweets. They eat chocolate, ice cream, cakes and other delicacies. Looking at this whole picture for the first time, it may seem that the cat really enjoys this kind of meal.
However, in reality things are a little different. Cats by nature are carnivores whose taste buds are not adapted to sweets. They simply don't perceive them. When such a treat hits the tongue, the pet feels the taste of vegetable fat, milk, nuts, but not the main sweetener (sugar).
This feature is explained by the fact that the cat’s DNA line lacks the gene responsible for the perception of sweet taste. Humans have this gene, so people can enjoy various sweets and detect even the most hidden notes.
If we are talking about an omnivore or herbivore animal, they need this gene. Because according to their characteristics, such individuals must receive carbohydrates, which are abundant in sweet dishes.
But since cats are carnivores, they do not have a wild need for carbohydrates. Rather, four-legged pets require protein compounds. Sugar in this case is not beneficial, so there is no need to feel the sweetish taste.
Cats need to be able to identify squirrels, and in this they can be envied. Animals are able to determine its presence not only by taste, but also by smell. When it comes to prey, cats sense how many hours ago it died.
When looking for an answer to your question, you should start from the opinion of zoologists. As a result of lengthy and numerous tests, they came to the conclusion that cats cannot taste sweets, and therefore are not able to determine the amount of sugar consumed. That is, they can eat it immensely, so they often harm their body.
For example, a pet enjoys ice cream because it smells notes of cream or milk. But in reality, she receives not only these components, but also a decent portion of sugar, which is not always safe for the body.
Why can't cats eat sweet treats? Because it will absorb harmful carbohydrates, this will lead to poisoning and a significant deterioration in well-being.

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In what form is sugar allowed?

Sweets should not be given to cats, but this does not mean that sugar is prohibited in absolutely any form. There are many natural gifts that contain natural sugar - fructose, glucose. Such components will not harm the cat's health. Often, pets living in the private sector themselves beg their owners for a fresh portion of sweet berries or vegetables in the garden beds. Dried and ripe fruits are a real storehouse of healthy sugars. Some of the treats you can give to cats include:

Apples. Ripe apples contain not only useful vitamins and minerals, but also such a necessary component as fiber. Its fibers have a positive effect on the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, and also cleanse the animal’s teeth of plaque.

Pears. These fruits also contain a lot of fiber, vitamins and minerals.

Plums and apricots. Everyone knows the taste of these fruits. But they can only be given to cats in small quantities.

Melons

Such products should be given to pets with caution. So, watermelon usually puts a lot of strain on the kidneys, and melon is difficult to digest, so you shouldn’t overdo it with such treats, or even not give it to your pet at all.

Dates, dried apricots, figs

These fruits can be given to mustachioed friends on rare occasions. Fruits can be either dried or dried. Some cats love these treats.

Blackberries, blueberries, raspberries. These fruits can also be included in the cat's menu. True, this can be done if the animal is not allergic. Otherwise, the animal may suffer from an allergic reaction.

Another well-known natural product containing natural sugar is honey. However, it must be handled with the utmost care. It can be given to cats, but literally a drop at a time, added to already prepared food. This way, you can immediately see if your pet is allergic to this beekeeping product.

What products to replace sweets with?

Carbohydrates, which sugar contains in large quantities, are, of course, a source of energy and in order for pets to be active and energetic, they must receive carbohydrates. Fortunately, sugar is not the only source of carbohydrates in living organisms; meat and vegetables also contain these organic substances.

If, nevertheless, due to sugar abuse, the pet has developed diseases, then in this case the animal must be put on a strict diet and forced to move more, for example, by playing outdoor games with the pet. Diseases caused by eating sugar are treated only under the supervision of a veterinarian, while strictly observing all his instructions and medication regimen.