Can cats eat peas? You might have considered this if your cat sneaks a bite while you’re preparing some fresh peas in the kitchen to add to your lunch or dinner. If humans can eat peas, can cats safely eat them too?
The short answer is yes, cats can eat peas. There are a number of health benefits that peas provide to a cat. In fact, you might have noticed that many commercial cat food brands add peas to their formulas.
As always, you must ask your regular vet before sharing any human food with your beloved feline, including peas. Here’s what you need to know about peas and cats.
How Are Peas Good For Cats?
Peas are not toxic or poisonous for cats. They have a number of health benefits for cats, including being high in the vitamins B1, K, and C, along with containing good amounts of iron and potassium.
Peas are also a high fiber food, which means that they can be a useful addition to the diet of a cat who might have digestion troubles.
Due to peas being a low calorie food, they can also work as a great little snack to give to any cats currently struggling with a bout of feline obesity.
When it comes to the type of peas you can safely feed to a cat, feel free to select from snow peas, sugar snaps peas, or garden peas. In fact, as long as they are not too hard, you can also feed frozen peas to your cat as a crispy treat!
How Can I Safely Give Peas To My Cat?
Firstly, only feed fresh or frozen peas to your cat. Avoid the temptation to feed canned peas to your cat because they usually have a high amount of sodium added to them.
Secondly, it’s best to avoid feeding peas in their pods to a cat. This is because, while some of the pods can be safely digested by some cats, they could also risk becoming choking hazards. Stay cautious and only feed shelled peas to your cat.
Finally, while peas can be a great, healthy treat for cats, remember that due to felines being obligate carnivores, the majority of their diet still needs to come from meat protein.
Does your cat love to snack on peas? Do you ever use them as treats? Tell us all about it in the comments section below!
