Can cats eat almonds?

[sandsoftime]

I never give Otis table scraps, excepting the occasional taste of tuna, and some crumbs from sourdough bread. However, he is crawling all over me to get to these roasted almonds that I have. I don't plan on sharing these. Am I right that it would be a bad idea?

 

[yosemite]

I don't know if they would be bad or not, but I personally wouldn't give them to my cat.

 

[njangel021]

I don't see the harm in it but then again I share my food with my cats and nothing has ever hurt them I just wouldn't let them have really salty things

 

[debblogo]

ALMONDS are a DANGER to cats. Do not give them to your kitty. My cat ate about 3-4 of them while I stepped away from the jar. That evening he was vomiting,  eyes were dilated and his body felt stiff. We took him to the vet where x-rays indicated an obstruction in the stomach. Surgery had to be done to save his life. The surgery revealed the almonds. Almonds cannot be digested by a cats system ~so the nuts became lodged between his stomach and intestine. I am thankful we were able to get him to the vet on time. I've got a big bill to pay however Mingo is fine now and recuperating from this awful ordeal.

 

[Columbine]

Almonds are harmful to cats. Don't give in - no matter how much he begs![article="30181"][/article]

 

[samus]

What about sunflower seeds (without the shell)? My cat discovered them a few weeks ago and stole a few... hmmm, maybe that's part of her problem... She isn't normally interested in human food, but for the past month she's been not so interested in her own food and stealing random stuff (like bread while I'm sleeping).

 

[Columbine]

I wouldn't recommend it. If she's suddenly wanting all kinds of odd human foods, a vet check might be in order. She may be trying to compensate for some physical issue/imbalance.

 

[samus]

She's been to the vet a lot in the past week (she's currently barely eating at all). I was actually wondering if sunflower seeds could be used in cat food, since I see so many other random ingredients these days (peas, coconut....).

 

[Columbine]

:doh3: Of course she has. Sorry samus :anon:

I think the oil is sometimes used, but not the seeds themselves. A lot of nuts and seeds contain traces of cyanide - but it's in the 'flesh' rather than the oils.

Getting into some seeds could well explain why her gi tract is so inflamed and unsettled. If it WAS that, then she'll hopefully improve as her system removes the toxins.

 

[amandad]

 
She's been to the vet a lot in the past week (she's currently barely eating at all). I was actually wondering if sunflower seeds could be used in cat food, since I see so many other random ingredients these days (peas, coconut....).

Peas, where as they are a type of "filler" in cat food, still have some benefits. They are fiber rich (which will aid in digestion and help for those who have tummy troubles) and provide a good source of nutrients to your animal (Such as iron, Vitamin K, etc...) and have antioxidants. As for coconut, I have never come across a food or treat that has coconut in it. What brand has this in it? I wouldn't think that coconut would be in animal food (besides some fruit eating reptiles and small animals) since it is a drupe and other drupe type fruits are typically absent in animal food (with the exception of AvoDerm which has avocado meal in their cat foods) for some reason.

Though I could be 100% completely wrong here. I'm only fairly new to getting to know the nutrition part of animal/cat foods. 

 

[fyllis]

According to the ASPCA, almonds, in and of themselves, are not 'toxic' to cats, but they can have some negative effects.  

One main concern would be Cyanogenic Glycocides, which are natural toxins in almonds which could cause cyanide poisoning- symptoms could include dialted pupils, upset stomach or hyperventilating. Severe cases could be fatal.

Obviously, if they are salted or have other toppings on them, like chocolate, they can cause some harm - chocolate IS toxic to cats and salt can be hazardous in too large of amounts resulting in sodium toxicity, which can be fatal. The most likely thing to happen would be digestive issues due to the fat in almonds. It could cause tummy upset leading to vomiting or loose stools. 

Uhmmmm, with those potential results, I'm not quite sure how they would be considered 'not toxic' to cats? 

I would play it safe an avoid allowing your cat to consume almonds in any amount. Each cat is different and I am sure the size, weight and age, as well as overall health of your cat, and the amount eaten would bear a factor on it's reaction to consuming almonds.  

 

[samus]

 
Peas, where as they are a type of "filler" in cat food, still have some benefits. They are fiber rich (which will aid in digestion and help for those who have tummy troubles) and provide a good source of nutrients to your animal (Such as iron, Vitamin K, etc...) and have antioxidants. As for coconut, I have never come across a food or treat that has coconut in it. What brand has this in it? I wouldn't think that coconut would be in animal food (besides some fruit eating reptiles and small animals) since it is a drupe and other drupe type fruits are typically absent in animal food (with the exception of AvoDerm which has avocado meal in their cat foods) for some reason.

Though I could be 100% completely wrong here. I'm only fairly new to getting to know the nutrition part of animal/cat foods. 

The coconut is in Terra Faelis, and I have a feeling it's only in there because of how popular coconut is in health food these days. I think it's a terrible idea, but it's one of the only foods with low-ish phosphorous without the standard chicken/fish proteins that are in everything. (Some flavors, anyway.)

 

[Columbine]

I can't see coconut in the Terra Faelis ingredients lists :confuse3: I know they have some slightly random additions, but coconut doesn't appear to be one of them :dk:

 

[samus]

In the turkey and the beef, "Kokosmehl." Are you seeing a different ingredient list somewhere? They recently changed the recipe and I've been trying to figure out what the changes are (because my cat's issues might be related), so if you're looking somewhere with the old ingredients that would actually be super helpful to me.

Straight from their website:

Putenherzen (51%), -mägen (24%), -leber (15%), Zucchini (5%), Kokosmehl (2%), Katzenminze (0,5%), Leinöl, Lachsöl, Kamille (0,3%), Süßfenchel, Seealge (0,3%), Bio-Eierschalenpulver (0,2%), Mineralerde (0,1%) · Zusatzstoff: Taurin 1500 mg/kg.

Rinderherzen (32%), Muskelfleisch vom Rind (28%), Rinderlunge (20%), -leber (10%), Karotte (5%), Kokosmehl (2%), Leinöl, Lachsöl, Süßfenchel, Brunnenkresse (0,3%), Seealge (0,3%), Bio-Eierschalenpulver (0,2%), Mineralerde (0,1%) · Zusatzstoffe: Taurin 1500 mg/kg

Edit: Looks like zooplus.com has a different ingredient list. I knew I wasn't crazy!! And now I think I know the reason for my cat's issues (they added fish oil to the flavors I was giving her).

 

[Columbine]

Yeah - I was going off the ingredients list on zooplus uk. I'm surprised at the differences :disa: It really bugs me when these kinds of discrepancies occur.

Just a thought - have you looked into Animonda Carny? I can't find a phosphorus listing for it, but I've previously emailed Animonda about one of their other ranges and and found them really helpful. Might be worth investigating?

 

[samus]

I think the phosphorous in all the Animonda I looked at was too high, but I was only looking at the Integra line... I'll check it out.

 

[samus]

And what bugs me even more is I emailed Terra Faelis when I saw "Improved Recipe!" on the cans to find out what the changes were. The person just told me they increased the meat to veggie ratio and totally left out the part where they completely changed the non-meat ingredients. And I didn't have any old cans to compare against. She sent me a really nice, complete nutritional analysis, at least.

I really feel like I should just be making my own food, but I have a shoebox sized freezer and no space to buy a dedicated freezer just for cat food.

 

[Columbine]

Remind me what your food requirements are (which meats are/aren't ok, phosphorus levels etc) and which country you're in. I'll try and do some research on other possible foods to try. I can understand how frustrating this must be for you :frusty:

 

[samus]

Phosphorous preferably less than 0.7% dry matter (maximum 0.9%), and I think the problem proteins are chicken and fish. I don't know if there are any grain/carb issues, I've been feeding her grain free for a long time. It's so frustrating that not all brands have the phosphorous content listed!! Terra Faelis was the only one I'd found that was ok on the phosphorous and protein front, and then they had to go and add fish oil to everything.... And then all the kidney diets just seem to say "animal byproducts" as their protein source. I'm in Germany. I think I've done a pretty thorough search already, but if you come across any that sound like they'd fit I'd really appreciate it!

 

[Columbine]

I've sent a few queries off for you. I hope I can find something that will work for you :cross: