I know it has been discussed on this site a lot about cats being obligate carnivores and not needing vegetables, but do all the vegetables in some canned foods really damage a cat's health? I am asking because my weird cats blatantly reject 99% of canned food that I offer them, but they love and gobble up the meat AND whole peas, carrot chunks, and green beans in one of the foods that they have decided to like. If cats don't go nibbling on vegetables in the wild, why are they so tasty in canned food? Do vegetables provide ANY benefit for cats? I asked my vet about the vegetables, and she just said they "wouldn't hurt anything."
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Are vegetables in cat food that horrible?
- Thread starter tabbysia
- Start Date
I feel like everybody makes vegetables sound horrible but they won't hurt our cats. Sure they can eat them (and will eat them!) but it's highly recommended to keep them on mostly protein. My vet said that they're okay once in a while but they mostly need protein.
Also I've read before that cats have a hard time digesting fruits and vegetables and get little nutritional benefit out of them because their body isn't designed for it. That seems to be the majority consensus. You have to remember that just because us humans need plenty of veggies, that doesn't mean your cats do. Also remember that sometimes in cat food, fruits and veggies act as "fillers".
For me, I don't mind feeding some canned food that has little chunks of vegetables - Nature's Variety and Wellness (two of the many brands I feed my cat) does have some carrots, peas, and broccoli in it along with some fruits.
Also your cats may not be eating certain canned foods because they're picky eaters and will only like certain canned brands - some may just like dry food as well and will rarely touch canned. I don't think they're eating it because of the veggies but rather the meat in it because they'll eat anything in the meat regardless. I suggest you keep trying and record the ones they like. The wide range of likening could have something to do with how the food/meat is...minced, cubed, ground up, loaf texture, etc and the kind of meat in it. Also please stay away from fish.
Also I've read before that cats have a hard time digesting fruits and vegetables and get little nutritional benefit out of them because their body isn't designed for it. That seems to be the majority consensus. You have to remember that just because us humans need plenty of veggies, that doesn't mean your cats do. Also remember that sometimes in cat food, fruits and veggies act as "fillers".
For me, I don't mind feeding some canned food that has little chunks of vegetables - Nature's Variety and Wellness (two of the many brands I feed my cat) does have some carrots, peas, and broccoli in it along with some fruits.
Also your cats may not be eating certain canned foods because they're picky eaters and will only like certain canned brands - some may just like dry food as well and will rarely touch canned. I don't think they're eating it because of the veggies but rather the meat in it because they'll eat anything in the meat regardless. I suggest you keep trying and record the ones they like. The wide range of likening could have something to do with how the food/meat is...minced, cubed, ground up, loaf texture, etc and the kind of meat in it. Also please stay away from fish.
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- #3
I do try to stay away from fish for the most part, but one of the cats does get salmon food sometimes. It makes the other one sick. They eat mostly a combination of dry duck food and lamb and rabbit wet food.
Since cats are obligate meat eaters, it stands to reason that any vegetables will have a degree of carbs. Cats shouldn't be eating carbs. That said, I ran to the pet shop to buy some Tiki Cat canned. It has zero carbs and their Chicken Puka Puka Luau has 18% protein. Sadly my kitties are already used to eating a canned food which is high quality, but has potato in it and they prefer it over the better brand.
We lost many cats to CRF and cancer because we fed them dry most of their lives till we found out how bad it was. We tried raw for the first year of our new kitties, worked well, but was too much work following them around begging them to eat; as the food goes bad in 30 minutes. So we settled on giving them canned with SOME carbs and stuff that has no carbs like Tiki cat on top. Tiki cat is the one I would feed if we got a brand new kitten. However, once a kitten is raised on a certain kind of food, not all will transition to a new food.
We lost many cats to CRF and cancer because we fed them dry most of their lives till we found out how bad it was. We tried raw for the first year of our new kitties, worked well, but was too much work following them around begging them to eat; as the food goes bad in 30 minutes. So we settled on giving them canned with SOME carbs and stuff that has no carbs like Tiki cat on top. Tiki cat is the one I would feed if we got a brand new kitten. However, once a kitten is raised on a certain kind of food, not all will transition to a new food.
I totally agree when you say that some cats are picky eaters as we have one male persian who refuses to eat canned. He used to eat raw and canned as a kitten and made up his mind that the only thing he will eat is dry. Yikes! So the only food he eats is Orijen. Of course it has carbs and.....is dry. But there is nothing we can do.
I think it's the starchy, carby vegetables that need to be avoided. I feed our cats Primal raw foods, which have vegetables, but the carb levels are still very low because most of the vegetables are things like kale that don't add many calories or carbs. I resisted Primal for a long time because of the vegetables but it's turned out to be a great food for our cats. That said, I won't feed potato or peas because of the starch.
The simple answer is no, a small amount of carbohydrates isn't going to damage your cats' health. Even mice are 3% carbs.
You might want to read these (vets') articles:
Dietary Carbohydrates and Cats: It’s the Calories!
Nutrition for the Adult Cat
Q & A: Should High Protein, Low Carbohydrate Diets Be Fed to All Cats?
You might want to read these (vets') articles:
Dietary Carbohydrates and Cats: It’s the Calories!
Nutrition for the Adult Cat
Q & A: Should High Protein, Low Carbohydrate Diets Be Fed to All Cats?
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Do they need them? No. But I don't think they'll do much damage either. You're feeding canned and that alone has plenty of health benefits for kitty. While I personally try to stay fruit, veggie and grain free on my canned foods, it wouldn't matter in the end if my cats didn't actually eat it. (Thankfully they do!) If your kitty knows what it likes and it keeps it eating canned then go for it. My boy Pinball, love love LOVES spinach!! He will pester me whenever I cook it because he wants a bite. :lol3: He's such a weirdo! My cats also eat some kibble so they're getting starch and carbs in anyways, no issues to report though.
