Why Sharing A Pistachios With Your Cat Is Not A Smart Idea?

As a cat owner, you can never be too careful about cats and their health. Last week our Lucy managed to get a hold of a few pistachios that were left out on the street. As soon as we noticed it, we contacted our vet and asked him what to do. After talking to our vet, we realized that Lucy would probably be all right and that we needed to watch her for the next two days for any symptoms of illness.

We are sure that many cat owners are not sure whether or not cats can eat pistachios, and because of that, we bring you this educational article, so you can fully protect your cat. Although pistachios will not cause toxicity to our cats, they also don't hold nutritional benefits for them and, in some cases, can cause digestive problems, so there is no reason why you should let your cat eat them.

Can cats eat pistachios?

The shortest possible answer would be – no. You shouldn't allow your cat to eat pistachios. Like all nuts, they contain ingredients that can cause disruption to the gastrointestinal system of your cat. As we said, pistachios are not toxic for cats, but because of that ingredients, your cat could have health concerns if she ingests some.

pistachios

Why are pistachios bad for cats?

Since pistachios can cause many problems for your cat, their nutrition shouldn't consist of them. By providing your cat with well-balanced cat food, your cat will get all the essential nutrients she needs for the day.

There are some reasons why you shouldn’t even think about feeding your cat some pistachios, and they include

1. High sodium levels

High sodium levels are unhealthy for humans to consume, and the same applies to our cats. If your cat ingests a large amount of salt, she could end up with hypernatremia, a severe health problem. Cats with hypernatremia can experience seizures, confusion, and even coma.

2. Lot of fats

To keep your cat happy and healthy, you must provide her with proper nutrition. Choosing a well-balanced cat food will be enough to give your cat all the nutrients she will need. Some healthy treats are allowed to give to your cat, but you should always consider if that treats will provide nutritional value to your cat. If not, there is no reason why you would want to give them to your cat.

Pistachios contain a lot of fats, which could quickly lead to obesity in cats. This is why cats need well-balanced cat food.

pistachios

3. Intestinal blockage

Many cats will have problems with pistachio shells, and they will be unable to break them into smaller pieces. That said, they will, in most cases, swallow the whole shell, and the shell could get stuck in your cat's digestive tract and can cause intestinal blockage for your cat.

4. Choking hazard

The same thing we mentioned with intestinal blockage applies to this problem. Since pistachios shells are too hard for cats to break into smaller pieces, when they try to swallow them, there is a danger that your cat could choke because the complete shell will not be able to pass it through.

Can kittens eat pistachios?

Kittens are even more in danger of eating pistachios. They are much smaller than adult cats and have sensitive digestive systems. By ingesting pistachios, they could end up with many problems, and of course, since they are so small, the chances of choking and intestinal blockage are much bigger.

What to do if your cat has eaten some pistachios?

As was the case with our Lucy, if your cat has ingested only a small amount of pistachios, in most cases, she will be fine. However, you should definitely call your vet and tell him what happen. Depending on your cat and her overall health, maybe she will need some treatment.

Otherwise, you will only have to monitor your cat, and you can be sure that pistachios didn't hurt her if she doesn't show any symptoms of illnesses. It is best if you can prevent your cat from eating pistachios.

World Cat Finder Team

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