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Can Cats Eat Eggs?

Can Cats Eat Eggs?

Updated on July 18, 2024
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Reviewed by Petco’s Animal Care
Education and Compliance (ACE) Team

If you’re looking for homemade treat for your kitty and thinking, “Can cats eat eggs?” The answer is a resounding yes. Cooked eggs can be a tasty, nutritious occasional snack for your feline. However, it’s important to consult your veterinarian before introducing any new foods into your cat’s diet.

While eggs are a superfood loaded with protein and amino acids, it’s not wise to give your cat an entire omelet or a whole plate of scrambled eggs. It’s better to use eggs as a small treat because you don’t want to overload them with extra calories in addition to, or as a replacement for, their regular meals Plus, although eggs have many nutrients in them, feeding them too often to your cat can upset the balance of other nutrients in their diet; so, they should be offered only in small amounts and only occasionally.

Health Benefits of Eggs for Cats

Many feline pet parents wonder, “Can cats eat cooked eggs?” And the answer is yes—unless your cat has allergies or sensitivities, your cat can eat small amounts of cooked eggs as an occasional treat.

Cats are carnivores that rely on dietary protein to get the vitamins, minerals, and amino acids they need to stay healthy. In small amounts, ans only as an occasional treat, eggs can be an excellent source for your cat of these nutrients, including:

  • Protein
  • Amino acids, including taurine needed for heart health
  • Vitamin A
  • Vitamin D
  • Vitamin E
  • Iron, an essential nutrient needed to keep their red cells strong and healthy
  • Zinc

How to feed eggs to your cat

There are several ways to feed eggs to your pet, but if you’re wondering, “Can cats eat raw eggs?” The answer is no. You should never feed your cat raw eggs. Uncooked eggs contain all sorts of hazardous bacteria, including Salmonella, that can make your cat sick. On the pther hand, a bite or two of scrambled, poached, hard-boiled orfried eggs, without butter, toppings or seasonings, are a safe and healthy occasional treat for your cat to enjoy.

Cats are known to be picky eaters, so don’t be disappointed if your cat doesn’t want to try cooked egg if you offer it.Cats typically don’t have food allergies associated with eggs, but be sure to consult your veterinarian before introducing eggs into your cat’s diet just to play it safe.

FAQs about feeding your cat eggs

You never want to overfeed your pet any type of food, especially eggs. One egg a day is far too much for your kitty to handle. They may love it, but they will quickly put on weight, as eggs are high in fat and cholesterol.Cats that enjoy eating eggs can be offered a few bite-sized pieces of cooked egg once a weekand never a whole egg at once.

As stated above, never feed cats raw eggs. Boiled, scrambled, poached and fried eggs (with no butter, toppings or seasoning) are all good, generally safe options for your kitty. It’ll probably take you a few tries to find out the exact way your furry friend likes them cooked.

While cooked eggshells contain calcium that promotes strong bones, joints and ligaments, cats on a commercially available diet do not need supplemental calcium in their diet, as it is included in appropriate amounts in their food. In fact, adding supplemental vitamins or minerals, like calcium, to your cat’s diet can upset the overall balance of these nutrients in their diet and can cause health problems. Always consult your vet before adding any nutritional supplements to your cat’s diet, and never feed your cat raw eggshells that can contain harmful bacteria such as Salmonella.

Yes, you can feed your pet cat small amounts of cooked scrambled eggs occasionally. They make a great snack or treat but should not be given as an entire meal. You can also add a few bits of scrambled eggs into your cat’s regular bowl of food once in a while for added flavor, but check with your veterinarian before adding anything to your cat’s diet.

If you’re meal-planning for your pet and want to include eggs, many pet parents have questions like, “Can cats eat cooked eggs?”, “Can cats eat scrambled eggs?” and “Can cats eat hard-boiled eggs?” And the answer to all these questions is yes, in small amounts on occasion. In fact, cooked eggs are the only appropriate way to feed your cat eggs. The way you choose to cook them is up to you—many popular ways of preparing eggs for cats include crumbling a little bit of hard-boiled egg over their regular meal or offering a few bites ofa plain egg scramble to your pet as a treat. Check out our section above about how to feed eggs to your cat. Remember, never feed your cat raw eggs.

Yes, cooked chicken eggs are the most common kind of egg that cats can eat.

In general, yes, cats can eat egg yolks, as long as they arecooked properly. But egg yolks have a lot of fat and cholesterol, and while small amounts of fat can be good in a cat’s diet, cats who are overweight or have liver disease should not have the high fat contained in egg yolks. Egg whites contain good quality protein, so cats with kidney disease that may have to be fed a low-protein diet may benefit from a small amount of egg whites on occasion as a good source of high-quality protein.

No, it’s not okay to feed your cat fish eggs. Raw meat and raw fish, like raw fish eggs, can contain harmful bacteria that might cause food poisoning in your kitty. There is also an enzyme in raw fish called thiaminase that destroys thiamine—an essential B vitamin necessary for your cat’s wellbeing – so, cats eating large amounts of raw fish or fish eggs or eating them too often can develop thiamine deficiency. Consult your veterinarian immediately if you suspect your cat has eaten fish eggs.

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