Can Cats Eat Cake? What You Need to Know!

Cats are adorable. We understand why you’d want to share a piece of cake with your kitty. Since cakes are often found in the kitchen, your cat may have had some. So, is cake bad for cats? While a small piece of cake won’t kill your cat, don’t make it a habit. Cats should not regularly consume the sugar, salt, baking powder, and other ingredients in a cake.

Cats are carnivores, and the meat-based cat food in their feeding dishes have all the dietary essentials they need. Read on while we break down the components of cats eating cat.

Is Cake Bad For Cats?

Cake does not contain vitamins or minerals that cats need to thrive. Although it may contain some protein, it is negligible compared to excessive fats, sugars, and calories it holds. Cake is essentially junk food with no crucial proteins, minerals, vitamins, and phytochemicals that cats need. The vet will recommend better snacks than cake for your kitty.

Also, most cakes contain cream and butter, both of which are harmful to cats. Furthermore, most adult cats do not tolerate lactose well, and any dairy product might trigger an upset stomach and diarrhea, causing dehydration.

Did you know that a cat’s tongue cannot savor sweet tastes? Since they won’t perceive the cake’s taste as we do, they will probably not appreciate it as we do. Going by a cat’s nutritional profile, cakes have little to offer.

Can Cats Eat Sugar?

Sugar isn’t generally suitable for cats. However, consuming sugar occasionally won’t have any health concerns unless cats consume them for prolonged periods. Grains and even fruits contain some carbs that can be broken down into sugars, but it is not clear if cats have enzymes to digest and absorb them. Therefore, it will be best to limit your cat’s consumption of sugary human food even if they show interest.

Can Chocolate Cake Kill Cats?

Cakes flavored with chocolate are a no-go zone for cats. We all understand that dark chocolate is particularly harmful to dogs and cats.

Naturally, cats do not like sweet-tasting food. Should your cat consume chocolate cake in undesired amounts, keep an eye on them as they may develop symptoms of chocolate poisoning like diarrhea, vomiting, fever, drop in blood pressure, weakness, convulsions, palpitations, and panting. Other symptoms include muscle stiffness, heightened reflexes, and death in extreme cases.

Chocolate also contains small amounts of caffeine and a more significant amount of theobromine called methylxanthines. Both of them are toxic to cats. Although dark chocolate is more dangerous than white chocolate, both have shown clinical symptoms following ingestion.

Vanilla Cake and Cat Health

Vanilla, on its own, is not bad for cats; we discourage vanilla cake because of the large quantity of sugar and calories that will only lead to weight gain for your pet.

Can Cats Have Cheesecake?

Cats can eat cheesecake, but again, it is packed with fat and sugar. Thus, we recommend this as a very small portion as an occasional treat that should not replace their recommended primary food.

Can Cats Eat Nuts

Nuts are a good source of proteins, fiber, and fats but are careful about feeding them to your cat. Macadamia nuts are particularly poisonous for cats since they contain too many fats that might precipitate diarrhea and vomiting that can cause life-threatening dehydration. Some other nuts like almond nuts, Brazil nuts, and walnuts do not cause severe diarrhea and vomiting.

If these nuts are incorporated as ingredients in cakes, it would be best that you don’t give them to the cat.

How Do Excessive Calories Harm Cats?

One of the biggest threats to cat health is excessive sugars and calories. Taking sugary foods like cakes every once in a while is okay. However, excessive feeding will predispose the cat to conditions like obesity.

An obese cat can quickly develop weakness and breathing problems. The weight gain will reduce the cat’s mobility and as well as their ability to do physical activity. Obesity will also increase the risks of diabetes, cancer, and other dangerous illnesses.

Weight gain will compromise heart function, which may lead to premature death.

Diabetes in Cats

Disparities in insulin production cause diabetes. Insulin is a hormone that regulates the movement of sugars from the bloodstream into cells. Cat diabetes resembles human type two diabetes in which the body’s sensitivity to insulin is reduced.

Sugar builds up in the bloodstream leading to excessive urination and thirst, which, if left untreated, can lead to life-threatening complications. Although the exact cause is not known, diabetes tends to affect old and obese cats. Obesity in cats can be due to excessive consumption of sugary food like cake.

Diabetic cats should only feed on high protein content and very low carbohydrate content food. Excessive carbohydrates can elevate blood glucose to dangerous levels. Your work as a cat owner is to ensure that your cat gets meat as its primary food.

Cakes for Special Occasions

As a cat owner, you can buy or bake your cat cakes for occasions like their birthdays. Ensure the cake is of nutritional benefit to the cat. These special cakes should contain healthy ingredients like fish, eggs and not harmful sugars, nuts, and chocolate.

If you insist on giving traditional “human” cake to your feline, make sure it meets these criteria:

Conclusion: Can Cats Eat Cake

Cats eating cake occasionally is not harmful to their health. However, don’t allow your cat to overindulge since cake has a lot of sugars and calories.

See Also: 

• Can Cats Eat Cheesecake? Vet-Reviewed Nutrional Facts
• Can Cats Eat Frosting? Nutritional Facts & FAQ

Featured Image Credit: Pixabay