How Often Is It Okay To Feed My Cat Pumpkin?

catalinacat

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My cat loves pumpkin. I give her like a tablespoon of puree of it every once in a while and seems to be good for digestion according to articles, but I don't know how often is too often?
Can she get too much Vitamin A if it's given too often and cause problems?
Thanks in advance for any advice!
 

cheesycats

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My childhood cat ate a teaspoon a day of raw pumpkin for the last ten+ years of his life for constipation issues. He lived to 21 so I don’t think it’s that big of an issue. It’s good fiber for them.
 

Kieka

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A teaspoon a day is fine for most cats. Just keep an eye on the litter box and adjust if needed. And make sure you are using just pumpkin purée (not pie filling). You could get the really big cans and freeze it in teaspoon portions to save money (or make it at home).
 

movinintime

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I use ONLY Organic cans that are BPA free. Just my preference but I error on safety & feed a tiny bit ever other day in morning in raw food. Any good Organic brand is better than store bought regular non-Organic cans, I think. I'd avoid BPA if you can & try to go Organic to insure a bit more safety in food.
 

Libby.

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Pumpkin contains beta carotene as a precurser to vitamin A. Cats don't have the ability to convert beta carotene to vitamin A. They must have vitamin A from an animal source to utilize it. So you don't have to worry about your cat getting to much vitamin A from pumpkin. They can and do absorb the carotene which is antioxidant but it is excreted out via urine.

Cats Absorb β-Carotene, but It Is Not Converted to Vitamin A
 

MoonstoneWolf

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I have to say I never heard of giving pumpkin to cats until I came on this site. Although I have seen the "big cats" at Big Cat Rescue on cams tear into pumpkins I just thought it was something only the big cats (meaning lions, lynxes and tigers) could digest.
 

Azazel

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I have to say I never heard of giving pumpkin to cats until I came on this site. Although I have seen the "big cats" at Big Cat Rescue on cams tear into pumpkins I just thought it was something only the big cats (meaning lions, lynxes and tigers) could digest.
The nutritional needs and digestive systems of many big and small cats are very similar. :)
 

MoonstoneWolf

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The nutritional needs and digestive systems of many big and small cats are very similar. :)
I'm really needing an answer but do we have to cook the pumpkin from the can (it's 100% pumpkin and pureed) before feeding to the cats or is it ok. They are desperately in need of this for hairball and I just purchased us (yes no leftovers from can as I'll make smoothies out of the rest for me) to last several weeks.
 

Azazel

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I'm really needing an answer but do we have to cook the pumpkin from the can (it's 100% pumpkin and pureed) before feeding to the cats or is it ok. They are desperately in need of this for hairball and I just purchased us (yes no leftovers from can as I'll make smoothies out of the rest for me) to last several weeks.
I just take a little teaspoon out of the can and mix it directly in their food. No need to cook.
 

Hey therr0789

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My childhood cat ate a teaspoon a day of raw pumpkin for the last ten+ years of his life for constipation issues. He lived to 21 so I don’t think it’s that big of an issue. It’s good fiber for them.
did you notice it actually help with constipation?
 

lisahe

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did you notice it actually help with constipation?
Even in tiny amounts, around 1/8 of a teaspoon a day, pumpkin really helps our slightly constipated cat.

We've also cut back on the cats' bone intake since bone can cause or contribute to constipation.
 

Penny O

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I have to say I never heard of giving pumpkin to cats until I came on this site. Although I have seen the "big cats" at Big Cat Rescue on cams tear into pumpkins I just thought it was something only the big cats (meaning lions, lynxes and tigers) could digest.
We gave our cat pumpkin purée, 1tsp 3X a day while she was on antibiotics for a UTI because she was constipated. We froze what we didn’t use in ice tray. Now we give her a regular diet of the organic pumpkin purée just less each day.
 
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