Is It Safe For Terra The Cat To Eat Bread?

thefishyone

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To start out, Terra just came off a diet after reaching her ideal weight as determined by her vet. Every now and then, I will buy myself some silver dollar rolls, which Terra loves to smell qnd lick. As Terra is the official People Food Inspector of the house, I would let her. Recently however, she has been trying to take bites out of my rolls. I have no problem sharing, but I never let her take bites, as I do not know if they are safe for her to eat? I know that cats do not need carbs, but would a small, cat sized bite here and there be harmful?
 

daftcat75

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It depends on the ingredients. I’d say probably not toxic but possibly inflammatory. It’s not that cats don’t need carbs but that they are really bad at digesting and utilizing carbs.

As an example, sorbitol is not toxic to people but read the reviews for sugar free gummy bears to know how famously bad we are at utilizing it for any purpose other than a laxative.
 

sargon

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While wheat isn't toxic for cats (it is generally considered bad for cats kind of like how funnel cake is bad for humans.) , a lot of bread is "fortified" with vitamins and minerals at levels intended for 150lb humans, not 8-12lb cats, so you probably should be wary based on that, if nothing else.
 

di and bob

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I don't think a small, cat sized bite would hurt her, consider it a treat. Cat's digestive systems are different than ours, they can eat stuff that would make us sick. Just monitor her and see if she vomits or has diarrhea. I have seen my cats eat the bread I put out for the birds and they have never had a problem. I have had cats that eat pickles, and right now they love popcorn and chips whenever we have them. Moderation is the key. High salt content would be bad for kidney disease, so any diseases would have to be brought into consideration!
 

lisahe

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I think I recall you've asked about other people food for Terra, haven't you, thefishyone thefishyone ? (Isn't she the pizza eater? :p) In addition to the other posters' concerns about nutrition -- bread isn't a cat's natural diet so it's not processed well, plus there are ingredients in it, like lots of salt, that aren't good for cats -- I'd strongly suggest not treating her to food that's not intended for cats.

I don't mean to sound like a scold but feeding people food to cats can develop and then reinforce habits that become increasingly hard to break with each bite of (admittedly tasty!) bread roll. One of our cats used to jump on the table to snack on our dinner and get on the counter to eat bread through the bag. She stopped when we started putting the bread in a closed cabinet and refrigerating Parmesan cheese rather than putting it on the table after grating.

The only exceptions I make are with things like small pieces of unseasoned meat -- since cats are meat-eaters, not vegetable and grain eaters -- but only if the cats don't see me put it on the floor or a plate! I don't want to condition them to ask for handouts.
 
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thefishyone

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Thanks Lisahe. I lgve Terra the Cat to pieces, and want her to be happy. She’s very pickup when it comes to cat food, but can be like Garfield when it comes to people food. I’ve noticed, however, that she has a fondness for Blue Wilderness trout treats. If you have any suggestions for cat treat flavors for cats that enjoy fish, I’m all ears.
 

lisahe

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Thanks Lisahe. I lgve Terra the Cat to pieces, and want her to be happy. She’s very pickup when it comes to cat food, but can be like Garfield when it comes to people food. I’ve noticed, however, that she has a fondness for Blue Wilderness trout treats. If you have any suggestions for cat treat flavors for cats that enjoy fish, I’m all ears.
I know, that's the hard thing: we want the cats to be happy! I don't have any ideas about fish-flavored treats because I try to keep our cats away from fish. (Our previous cat was close to fish-addicted, which was not a good thing!) The only treats we use are Pure Bites chicken, which the cats really love: they're just plain freeze-dried chicken. Petco sells them; there are also turkey treats. And I think something with fish, too. Pure Bites are expensive in the cat-sized bags so I buy dog-labelled bags (the same plain old chicken) from our cat-only vet because they're so much cheaper per ounce and the treats are easy to break.

We also don't really give treats for the sake of giving treats -- they get sprinkled on food all the time or given when, for example, there's a loud noise (they hate the doorbell!) and they get scared. Again, our previous cat is the example: she got totally fixated on treats and I swore we'd never be browbeaten (no joke, she was the sweetest cat in the world but would stare us down for them) into giving treats like that again! :p The two cats we have now are so happy when they get a favorite can of food -- like certain Weruva chicken/fish foods or Nutro Natural Choice minced chicken -- that it's better for everybody than treats. I love to watch happy cats enjoy eating a meal! These cats also love to hang out so just giving them packing boxes to hop into (they love boxes!) or putting cat beds in warm spots seems to make them happier for longer than treats. That even goes for our cat who always wants to eat.
 

LadyLondonderry

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Treats are kind of a foreign concept to me and my cats. Many years ago, I bought a can of Pounce treats for my first cat, thinking she'd go wild for them. Her reaction was "meh," and I never bothered buying treats after that. Her favorite treat was a long session with the fishing-pole toy!

I don't think I've even attempted to give Sylvie any commercial treats. When I open a can of tuna packed in water, I drain off the "tuna water" and give it to her to drink; that's a treat. And she, too, is happiest when I get the fishing pole out of the closet and spend some quality time playing with it. :)
 

daftcat75

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Thanks Lisahe. I lgve Terra the Cat to pieces, and want her to be happy. She’s very pickup when it comes to cat food, but can be like Garfield when it comes to people food. I’ve noticed, however, that she has a fondness for Blue Wilderness trout treats. If you have any suggestions for cat treat flavors for cats that enjoy fish, I’m all ears.
Krista loves bonito tuna flakes! They are dried tuna sliced very thin. I’ve actually tried them. I see why she likes them. (I don’t make it a habit of tasting my cat’s treats.) I like them for her because they pack a flavor punch she always goes crazy for without adding any substantial bulk to her diet. I also use them for training and reassurance (driving to the vet and at the vet and any time I give her meds, I give he flakes after.)
 

1 bruce 1

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Thanks Lisahe. I lgve Terra the Cat to pieces, and want her to be happy. She’s very pickup when it comes to cat food, but can be like Garfield when it comes to people food. I’ve noticed, however, that she has a fondness for Blue Wilderness trout treats. If you have any suggestions for cat treat flavors for cats that enjoy fish, I’m all ears.
How about baking up some fish, chicken or beef, unseasoned and unsalted, cutting it up, and freezing it in small portions?
This should cause no harm and could be a healthy treat for her. Just make sure you pretend she shouldn't have it, then give in and let her have a few bites, reverse psychology and all ;)
 
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