{"id":239,"date":"2017-08-05T02:55:48","date_gmt":"2017-08-05T02:55:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/?p=239"},"modified":"2023-04-07T17:38:18","modified_gmt":"2023-04-07T17:38:18","slug":"can-cats-eat-peanut-butter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/can-cats-eat-peanut-butter\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Cats Eat Peanut Butter?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Looking for a healthy and tasty treat for your cat? If you\u2019re hoping to deviate from classic meaty treats, peanut butter may come to mind as a delicious alternative. And why not? Dogs are well known for their love of peanut butter, and many dog treats on the market include this delicious nut butter. The truth is that cats tend to be a bit pickier than their canine counterparts, though some kitties will happily lap it up. But the real concern is this: can cats eat peanut butter?<\/p>\n<p>In this article, we\u2019ll cover the following;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cats and Peanut Butter What You Need to Know<\/li>\n<li>Can Cats Eat Peanut Butter?<\/li>\n<li>Can Kittens Eat Peanut Butter?<\/li>\n<li>Benefits\/Negatives of Feeding Cats Peanut Butter<\/li>\n<li>Alternatives to Peanut Butter for Cats<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Cats and Peanut Butter, What You Need to Know<\/h2>\n<p>Cats are carnivores, and their bodies, from their teeth down to their toes, are built specifically to ingest and metabolize meat. While <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/6380542\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">cats fare best on a strictly carnivorous diet<\/a>, many enjoy a non-meat treat once and a while.<\/p>\n<p>This cat is certainly enjoying his peanut butter.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Kccj4eQVQmw?ecver=1\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Some human foods, such as chocolate and grapes, are poisonous for cats. Thankfully, peanut butter is not on that list! If your cat likes peanut butter, you can feel free to give them a little taste once and a while, as long as you do so in moderation, much like the way you <a href=\"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/can-cats-drink-almond-milk\/\">can give cats almond milk<\/a>. However, there are a few things to keep in mind before opening that jar.<\/p>\n<h2>Can Cats Eat Peanut Butter?<\/h2>\n<p>Peanut Butter is a delicious and relatively healthy human food. But the same vitamins, proteins, and minerals that make peanut butter nourishing to humans don\u2019t do very much for cats. In fact, peanut butter is pretty much nutritionally useless to our feline friends. Moreover, the high-fat content in peanut butter can actually be detrimental to our cat\u2019s health.<\/p>\n<p>You could pretty much compare it to how nutritious <a href=\"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/can-cats-eat-nutella\/\">Nutella<\/a> is for humans.\u00a0 Which, obviously, isn&#8217;t all that much.<\/p>\n<p>If your kitty really enjoys it, it\u2019s fine to give them a few licks (no more than \u00bc of a teaspoon) once and a while, but remember that it has no nutritional value for cats and can be dangerous in high quantities.<\/p>\n<h2>Can Kittens Eat Peanut Butter?<\/h2>\n<p>Kittens, unlike their adult counterparts, should be given a consistent and <a href=\"http:\/\/amzn.to\/2v5wIqu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">healthy diet of high quality kitten food<\/a>, and not much else. Kittens are still in their <a href=\"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/kittens-stop-growing\/\">growing stage<\/a>, and rely on you, their human parent, to give them only the best nutrition. There is really no reason to give a kitten peanut butter, as it contains no nutritional benefit and it\u2019s sticky consistency and high fat content can pose problems for a tiny kitten.<\/p>\n<p>If you want to give your kitten something special, stick to a <a href=\"http:\/\/amzn.to\/2v7yoOM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">high-quality treat created specifically for kittens<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Benefits\/Negatives of Feeding Cats Peanut Butter<\/h2>\n<p>Some cats may take a liking to peanut butter and beg for it every time you open the jar! If your cat is like this, you may feel tempted to give in to their begging and give them a taste.<\/p>\n<p>There aren\u2019t really any benefits to giving your cat peanut butter, at least not health-wise. If they really like it and if you decide to treat your cat with peanut butter, there are a few things you can do to make sure they stay safe:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Give your cat a taste of a <a href=\"http:\/\/amzn.to\/2v5qVBp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">natural peanut butter<\/a>, preferably organic and one that doesn\u2019t contain a lot of sugar.<\/li>\n<li>Only give them a tiny taste! A lick or two is more than sufficient, and any more can cause digestive problems such as diarrhea or vomiting.<\/li>\n<li>Make sure your cat doesn\u2019t choke. The sticky consistency of peanut butter can make it hazardous for cats. Just a tiny taste shouldn\u2019t create any problems, but keep an eye on them anyway to make sure they swallow it without problems.<\/li>\n<li>Monitor your cat\u2019s reaction to peanut butter. Some cats, even if they like the taste, might get diarrhea or vomit after consuming peanut butter. If your cat shows any signs of digestive issues, don\u2019t give it to them again (no matter how much they beg!)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>Alternatives to Peanut Butter for Cats<\/h2>\n<p>If your cat really loves the taste of peanut butter but you aren\u2019t comfortable giving it to them off a spoon, there are some treats you can make for your cat at home that contain small amounts of peanut butter. Just enough for them to enjoy the taste, but not too much that it poses a danger!<\/p>\n<p>Keep in mind that there are many other cat treats on the market that your cat might even like better than ones with peanut butter. <a href=\"http:\/\/amzn.to\/2v7vBoR\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Meaty treats <\/a>that contain chicken, fish, or even beef are generally popular with our feline friends and come in a variety of textures, shapes, and sizes.<\/p>\n<p>Some cats are very serious about their treats!<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/C_yTa2TudJQ?ecver=1\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>\u00a0So, Can Cats Eat Peanut Butter?<\/h2>\n<p>While peanut butter doesn\u2019t have much nutritional value for cats, and most cats don\u2019t have a taste for it anyway, there are some kitties that just can\u2019t get enough. However, it isn\u2019t dangerous for cats as long as it\u2019s given in small quantities and only as a treat. If your cat is a peanut butter lover, here are a few final tips to keep in mind so you can satisfy their sweet tooth without sacrificing their health:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Only give your cat a natural, <a href=\"http:\/\/amzn.to\/2v5qVBp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">low sugar peanut butter<\/a>. Avoid high sugar peanut butter or peanut spreads, and take care not to give them too much of the oil from the top if the peanut butter separates.<\/li>\n<li>Offer your cat tiny licks of peanut butter, never give them big globs of it! Less than half a teaspoon is appropriate, and that may even be too much for a small cat. Offering them a tiny bit on your finger is a good way to make sure they don\u2019t ingest too much.<\/li>\n<li>Make sure your cat doesn\u2019t have any trouble swallowing peanut butter. The sticky texture may make it hard for them to eat.<\/li>\n<li>Monitor your cat after they eat peanut butter. If your cat experiences diarrhea or any other sign of intestinal distress such as vomiting, don\u2019t give them peanut butter again.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Another nut that people may wonder about is <a href=\"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/can-cats-eat-cashews\/\">cashews, and if cats can eat them<\/a>?<\/p>\n<p><em>Is your cat crazy for peanut butter? Tell us how you manage their peanut butter cravings in the comments! <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Looking for a healthy and tasty treat for your cat? If you\u2019re hoping to deviate from classic meaty treats, peanut butter may come to mind as a delicious alternative. And&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":283,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":5,"label":"Nutrition"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/can-cats-eat-peanut-butter-final.gif",800,578,false],"author_info":{"display_name":"Amanda Kutner","author_link":"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/author\/kutner_amanda\/"},"comment_info":3,"category_info":[{"term_id":5,"name":"Nutrition","slug":"nutrition","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":5,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":108,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":5,"category_count":108,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Nutrition","category_nicename":"nutrition","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=239"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55302,"href":"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239\/revisions\/55302"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=239"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}