{"id":37236,"date":"2019-01-01T22:40:21","date_gmt":"2019-01-01T22:40:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/?p=37236"},"modified":"2023-03-17T22:00:03","modified_gmt":"2023-03-17T22:00:03","slug":"can-cats-eat-olive-oil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/can-cats-eat-olive-oil\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Cats Eat Olive Oil?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">People have been using olive oil for thousands of years. Olives and olive oil are often considered to be a health food and are part of the Mediterranean diet that is associated with decreased heart disease in humans and longer life.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What about <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">your <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">cat? Would olive oil be something they might enjoy? Could olive oil even be a healthy addition to your cat\u2019s diet?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As you will see, olive oil can make a fun and interesting treat for your kitty even if it isn\u2019t exactly a health <a href=\"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/best-food-for-cats-with-hyperthyroidism\/\">food for cats<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this article, the following will be covered:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cats and Olive Oil, What You Need to Know<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Can Cats Eat Olive Oil?<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Can Kittens Eat Olive Oil?<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Benefits\/Drawbacks to Cats Eating Olive Oil<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Healthy Alternatives to Olive Oil<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<style>.kt-info-box_ce71ab-0d .kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap{border-top:2px solid var(--global-palette1, #3182CE);border-right:2px solid var(--global-palette1, #3182CE);border-bottom:2px solid var(--global-palette1, #3182CE);border-left:2px solid var(--global-palette1, #3182CE);border-top-left-radius:10px;border-top-right-radius:10px;border-bottom-right-radius:10px;border-bottom-left-radius:10px;background:var(--global-palette9, #ffffff);padding-top:15px;padding-right:15px;padding-bottom:15px;padding-left:15px;margin-bottom:40px;}.kt-info-box_ce71ab-0d .kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap:hover{background:#ffffff;}.kt-info-box_ce71ab-0d .kadence-info-box-image-inner-intrisic-container{max-width:101px;}.kt-info-box_ce71ab-0d .kadence-info-box-image-inner-intrisic-container .kadence-info-box-image-intrisic{padding-bottom:100%;width:300px;height:0px;max-width:100%;}.kt-info-box_ce71ab-0d .kadence-info-box-icon-container .kt-info-svg-icon, .kt-info-box_ce71ab-0d .kt-info-svg-icon-flip, .kt-info-box_ce71ab-0d .kt-blocks-info-box-number{font-size:50px;}.kt-info-box_ce71ab-0d .kt-blocks-info-box-media{color:#444444;background:#ffffff;border-color:#eeeeee;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;margin-top:0px;margin-right:20px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;}.kt-info-box_ce71ab-0d .kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap:hover .kt-blocks-info-box-media{color:#444444;background:#ffffff;border-color:#eeeeee;}.kt-info-box_ce71ab-0d .kt-infobox-textcontent h2.kt-blocks-info-box-title{padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;margin-top:5px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:10px;margin-left:0px;}.kt-info-box_ce71ab-0d .kt-infobox-textcontent .kt-blocks-info-box-text{color:#555555;}.kt-info-box_ce71ab-0d .kt-blocks-info-box-learnmore{background:transparent;border-color:#555555;border-width:0px 0px 0px 0px;padding-top:4px;padding-right:8px;padding-bottom:4px;padding-left:8px;margin:10px 0px 10px 0px;}.kt-info-box_ce71ab-0d .kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap:hover .kt-blocks-info-box-learnmore{color:#ffffff;background:#444444;border-color:#444444;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kt-info-box_ce71ab-0d .kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap{border-top:2px solid var(--global-palette1, #3182CE);border-right:2px solid var(--global-palette1, #3182CE);border-bottom:2px solid var(--global-palette1, #3182CE);border-left:2px solid var(--global-palette1, #3182CE);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kt-info-box_ce71ab-0d .kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap{border-top:2px solid var(--global-palette1, #3182CE);border-right:2px solid var(--global-palette1, #3182CE);border-bottom:2px solid var(--global-palette1, #3182CE);border-left:2px solid var(--global-palette1, #3182CE);}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-infobox kt-info-box_ce71ab-0d\"><span class=\"kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap info-box-link kt-blocks-info-box-media-align-left kt-info-halign-left\"><div class=\"kt-blocks-info-box-media-container\"><div class=\"kt-blocks-info-box-media kt-info-media-animate-none\"><div class=\"kadence-info-box-image-inner-intrisic-container\"><div class=\"kadence-info-box-image-intrisic kt-info-animate-none kb-info-box-image-ratio kb-info-box-image-ratio-square\"><div class=\"kadence-info-box-image-inner-intrisic\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/guarantee-f-e1676260441883.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" class=\"kt-info-box-image wp-image-37684\" srcset=\"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/guarantee-f-e1676260441883.png 300w, https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/guarantee-f-e1676260441883-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"kt-infobox-textcontent\"><p class=\"kt-blocks-info-box-text\">This content has been reviewed and approved by our in-house Veterinarian for accuracy.<\/p><\/div><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cats and Olive Oil, What You Need to Know<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Olive oil is the liquid obtained from pressing olives, which are the fruit of the olive tree, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Olea europaea.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> There\u2019s archeological evidence people were extracting olive oil from olives as far back as 6,000 BC.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An evergreen tree or shrub native to the Mediterranean, olive trees rarely reach 25\u201350 feet in height. Olive trees have been cultivated by people for thousands of years, and evidence suggests they were grown commercially grown in Crete by as early as 3,000 BC.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In fact, a number of trees are determined to be at least 2,000 years old and are alive and producing olive. Ancient shipwrecks have even been found containing jars, called amphorae, that still have intact olive oil that is over 3,500 years old. &nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While thousand year old oil probably shouldn\u2019t be your first choice, olive oil is generally considered to be very healthy for you. As far as people go, many of these health benefits can be attributed to the polyphenols contained in olives. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These polyphenol compounds also give olives and olive oil their bitter taste. Because of this bitterness, olives can\u2019t be eaten straight from the tree, but must instead cured and fermented in a brine solution for a few months before they are ready to eat.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Olive oil is considered non-toxic for cats. What is perhaps most interesting is that some cats, like the one in the next video. go crazy for olive oil almost like they do to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/cats-and-catnip\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">catnip<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Cat goes crazy over olive oil\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ojnwNGfwMfw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It turns out that olives contain an aromatic compound that belongs to a class of chemicals known as iridoids. Scientists have determined that catnip also contains one of these iridoids, nepetalactone.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It makes you wonder how a cat would react to some <a href=\"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/can-cats-eat-pasta\/\">pasta soaked in olive oil<\/a>, but we couldn&#8217;t find a video of that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although the exact reason some cats flip out over olives is uncertain, it\u2019s possible that the similar chemical in olives elicits a catnip-like response in our feline friends. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Can Cats Eat Olive Oil?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some olive oil is made from primarily green olives which are picked after they have reached full size, but before the ripening process has begun. &nbsp;This olive oil can be more bitter and some cats might be put off by the taste.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nonetheless, some cats still seem to like licking olive oil, as we can see in the following video:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Popeye - Olive Oyl Feet Lickled\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8vgqCbFEsIs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ahem\u2026 I guess that one is actually of Olive Oyl. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your cat does like olive oil, let them have at it. Just make sure they are only having small amounts and the bulk of their diet comes from high-quality cat food like <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2Rqm1uI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Taste of the Wild Grain Free High Protein Natural Dry Cat Food<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This contains a variety of fruits and vegetables along with venison and salmon, so your cat can eat a healthy and balanced diet.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Can Kittens Eat Olive Oil?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is nothing in olive oil that is harmful to kittens. However, kittens tend to be more susceptible to getting sick from things than a healthy adult cat because they are tiny and have not yet fully developed.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cats are also susceptible to food allergies, and kittens are no exception. If you decide to give your kitten some olive oil, start with just a few licks.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If everything goes okay, you can always give them a little bit more the next time. The main problem with letting a kitten have larger quantities of olive oil is that eating too much could cause them to not eat enough of the foods they really need.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instead of olive oil, why not try giving your kitten a healthy kitten food, like <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2SHGoRe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Blue Wilderness kitten food<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">? This type of food has everything your kitten needs to grow up big and strong without anything that could cause harm.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Benefits\/Drawbacks to Cats Eating Olive Oil<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even though cats can eat olive oil, is olive oil good for cats?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The main thing to remember is that <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/feline-nutrition.org\/answers\/answers-what-exactly-is-an-obligate-carnivore\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">cats are obligate carnivores<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, meaning all they really need to eat is meat. Since cats derive the vast majority of their nutrition from eating meat, there is generally not a huge health benefit for your cat from eating olive oil.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nutritionally, olive oil is high in fat. Fortunately for cats, they can enjoy a diet <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">proportionately<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> higher in fats than humans without developing heart disease.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All of this doesn&#8217;t mean olive oil is good for them. The main problem with cats eating a high-fat diet is they&nbsp;could become <a href=\"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/best-dry-food-for-overweight-cats\/\">overweight<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Interestingly enough, cats suffering from <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/22005428\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">obesity-related inflammatory disorders<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> might benefit from the polyphenols contained in olives. However, before you start giving your cats olives as medicine, make sure you talk to you veterinarian first.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Healthy Alternatives to Olive Oil<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Olive oil can be a fun, healthy treat for your kitty and an interesting change of pace from their normal food. Even so, there are many healthy alternatives to feeding your cat olive oil. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2H2NIG6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Zesty Paws Pure Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil for Cats<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a natural fish oil supplement with vital nutrients that supports you cat\u2019s skin, coat, hips and joints, heart, and immune system health.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><b>So, Can Cats Eat Olive Oil?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cats are fine to have a small amount of olive oil from time to time. They might even have a catnip-like reaction to olive oil, which can be fun for you and your cat.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As long as your cat&#8217;s diet is primarily well-balanced, a little variety with people foods, like olive oil, can be a fun way to spice up your cat&#8217;s life!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have any questions or would like to share a story about your cat and olive oil, please tell us in the comments below. We\u2019d love to hear from you!<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>People have been using olive oil for thousands of years. Olives and olive oil are often considered to be a health food and are part of the Mediterranean diet that&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":37239,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","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\/2019\/01\/Can-Cats-Eat-Olive-Oil.png",800,578,false],"author_info":{"display_name":"Phil Ruth","author_link":"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/author\/ruth_phil\/"},"comment_info":5,"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\/37236"}],"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\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37236"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37236\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55048,"href":"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37236\/revisions\/55048"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37239"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37236"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37236"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catkingpin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37236"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}