Do your inquiry before giving some of this popped treat to your felid friend .

Few thing can hit the smirch in a dark movie dramatics or cuddled up on the couch scarf out your favorite show quite like a big bowl of freshly popped popcorn . For many cat possessor , the sight of their feline friends keep a large kernel in their paws , munching on the gusty lily-white pieces , is overpoweringly endearing . Can cats deplete popcorn , though ? As with any human food , there are a few things to keep in creative thinker if you ’re planning to share popcorn with your big cat .

Can Cats Eat Popcorn?

Yes , but there ’s a arrest . There ’s nothing in freshly bulge out popcorn that is toxic to cats , disregarding of age or breed . However , that ’s only true for plain Zea mays everta . Toppings like butter , Strategic Arms Limitation Talks , raw sienna , and a variety of spices and seasonings likegarliccan cause wellness issues for your cat .

" Butter has so much fat in it , your cat can pretty easy developvomitingordiarrheafrom it , " says Kaci Angelone , DVM , MS , base in Denver , Colo. " A couple of plain pieces fresh from the bag is all right , but you ’ll still want to keep the amounts scurvy . "

There ’s also not a lot happening from a nutritional standpoint . This mean that Zea mays everta is just become to take up a lot of space in your pussy ’s stomach , without kick in much back in terms of vitamins or protein .

cat with background of popcorn; can cats eat popcorn?

xxmmxx / Getty / Gelpi / Shutterstock

Corn Is in Cat Food. Why Isn’t Popcorn Healthy for Cats?

If you look at the element of most commercially useable pet foods , some kind of grain — usually corn or Indian meal — is featured conspicuously . This is because corn is a gaudy , readily available source of fiber for best-loved solid food and acts as a bonding factor to facilitate hold food together . But since cats are obligate carnivore , they process their protein and vitamins most expeditiously through meat protein . This means that on their own , veg , starches likebreadorpotatoes , andcornare all going to take up space in your big cat ’s stomach , without provide them with protein or vitamin they want .

Risks of Feeding Popcorn to Cats

If your cat steals a nitty-gritty of popcorn from your bowl some night , there ’s no drive for panic . However , keep them away from the surplus salt , butter , oil , and spices that people be given to like on their popcorn is going to be significant . If your kat does have some fully loaded kernels , keep an centre on them to follow out for dehydration , disgorgement , diarrhea , or other indications of digestive distress .

Additionally , if you ’re go to give your kitty a taste of some Zea mays everta , verify the individual kernels are n’t too big .

" guy tend to have smaller mouths than even small click , " Angelone say . " Breaking up larger bites of nutrient becomes more important for them to preventchokingor blockage hazards . "

Healthier Alternatives to Popcorn

If you ’ve got your pith set on sharing a snack with your cat , there are some other common human treats that computed axial tomography can eat without the endangerment like choking or poor digestion . According to the ASPCA , these solid food are non - toxic for guy :

irrespective of the case of treat you ’re give your cat , always do so in moderation and check with your vet first to make trusted it ’s good . A skilful timbre true cat food should be their main origin of kilocalorie and nutrition with treat being a relatively rarified indulgence .