Can Cats Eat Cashews? Is It Safe To Feed It To Your Cat?

If you own a cat, one of the questions that might run through your mind is if you can feed your cat with the fruits you eat and what would happen if you did. The internal structure of a cat is very different from humans, so some foods that are beneficial to us are harmful to cats. It is imperative to know what you can feed your cat and what you cannot.

Yes, cats can eat cashews; when a cat munches on a piece of cashew, there are no hazardous effects on the cat. It is only safe to feed your cat with cashews when it is just a bite or two, occasionally. However, giving it to your cat in large quantities often can lead to health issues. 

One mistake most pet owners make is feeding their pets the same food they consume. It is wrong to think a human’s diet is suitable for pets, especially a cat. Cats are small and fragile animals; before feeding a cat with any food, you must check with the veterinarian if such food is suitable for the cat.

Are Cashews Toxic For Cats?

Cashews are generally not toxic or harmful to cats; however, when a cat feeds on several pieces of cashew, it can result in serious health issues. Although cashews have several benefits to the human body and provide several nutrients like Vitamin K, fiber, protein, Vitamin E, calcium, Folate, sodium, and Magnesium, they are not beneficial to a cat.

Cats are carnivorous animals by nature; so, their diet should mostly contain protein. Cashew is an herbivorous food, so it is not suitable for cats; however, you can occasionally give your cat a piece of cashew. If you have a kitten, you must never feed it with cashew as it is still growing and does not have any teeth to chew cashew; it can easily choke on them.

Mature cats are also likely to choke on cashews, especially when eating several at a time. Cashew contains 44 percent of fat, 18 percent of protein, and 30 percent of carbohydrates. Cats require a meal high in protein, moderate in fat, and low in carbohydrates; hence, cashew has all the wrong combinations for a cat’s diet.

The high-fat content in cashews can result in an upset stomach, leading to vomiting or diarrhea. Cashew milk is another form of cashew that should not be offered to cats; unlike other milk, it is high in fat, which is not a good idea for a cat.

When you give your cat cashew milk, you feed it with sugar, and cats are not supposed to consume sugar because their digestive system cannot break down sugar easily. It can result in some health complications. Although it is okay to give your cat a piece of cashew, you should not make this a habit as it will gradually affect your cat’s health.

What Would Happen If Your Cat Ate A Cashew?

If your cat ate a piece of cashew, nothing would happen to your cat. However, if it feeds on several cashews at a time, there are some consequences. First, due to the high-fat content in cashews, when a cat consumes too much, it can result in obesity or pancreatitis.

When your cat becomes obese, it can result in several other health conditions like diabetes, limited mobility, arthritis, cancer, and heart issues. These conditions can eventually lead to the death of your precious pet cat. Hence, you should watch out for the symptoms of obesity and immediately take your cat to the vet if any symptom is found.

Pancreatitis is a medical condition in which the cat’s pancreas becomes swollen and is unable to perform its functions. The pancreas secretes digestive juices and releases them into the digestive tract. When this function is not done, the fat content in the juice becomes digested, which can cause inflammation.

When a cat has pancreatitis, some symptoms are loss of appetite, fever, and lethargy. When you notice these symptoms in your cat, you should visit the veterinarian immediately. Another effect of giving your cat too much cashew is dehydration; cashews are high in sodium, and a cat does not need sodium in its diet.

The digestive system of a cat cannot easily process sodium contents; hence, when a cat eats a high sodium meal, it results in dehydration. If you give your cat a piece of cashew, you must make sure it drinks a lot of water after, or you give it the lowest sodium cashew you can get.

Other effects of high-level sodium in a cat’s diet are excessive urination, disorientation, vomiting, decreased appetite, tremors, lethargy, diarrhea, coma, and seizures. If any of these symptoms are noticed in a cat, that cat should be taken to the veterinarian immediately for medical treatment.

Cashew is very easy to chew for humans; however, it is different for cats because they do not have the same teeth. Cashew might seem to be small, but it is quite large for a cat. When a cat eats a large cashew, the cashew can get lodged in the cat’s airway and be stuck, which can lead to choking.

If you give your cat a piece of cashew, make sure you cut it in half or even break it into smaller pieces. Cashews are one of the foods that cause allergic reactions; so, if a human can be allergic to cashews, a cat can also be. There is a high chance that your cat might have an allergic reaction to cashews.

If your cat is allergic to cashew and consumes it, it can result in breathing problems, rashes, gastrointestinal problems, and rashes. When a cat eats too much cashew, it can result in vomiting, which is a sign of toxicity. If you notice that your cat is looking like it wants to throw up, you should immediately take it to the hospital for medical attention.

How To Feed Your Cat With Cashew

Since there are some adverse health effects of feeding your cat with cashew, you must know how to properly feed your cat with cashew, especially if your cat likes them. When giving your cat cashews, the first thing you must remember is that you should not give them regularly. Cashews should be fed to cats once in a while.

Another thing you should keep in mind when feeding your cat with cashew is to break the cashew nuts into halves or quarters so that the cat can easily swallow them. If you feed it to them, there is a huge possibility that the cat will choke. Also, you should not give your cat more than one piece of cashew to prevent it from craving the nuts daily.

If you give cashews to your cat, make sure not to mix them with any other food. This is because it can increase the risk of choking as they might not be chewing the food they are eating at the time and can easily swallow the nut, which will make the cat choke. If the cat is not treated immediately, it can die.

Final Thoughts

There are times you can be eating cashew, and if you have a cat as a pet, the idea of feeding it cashew will come to your mind. Although it will not be harmful to give your cat cashew occasionally, you should not make it a habit. As a responsible pet owner, you should be careful not to give your cat too many cashews. Cashews should be offered to cats as a rare treat.