Can Cats Eat Pork?

Pork

Pork is a popular meat for a wide range of reasons. For example, it is tasty. Similarly, it is versatile. Surprisingly, pork is also a better choice for the environment than some of the other meats out there. It can’t compete with insect. In fact, pork can’t even compete with chicken. Still, it is a better option than either beef or lamb. For starters, pigs are both fast-growing and fast-reproducing. These animals can reach their finishing weight in five-and-a-half months. Furthermore, sows tend to have two or three litters of 10 to 12 piglets on an annual basis. This is wonderful from the perspective of efficiency because it takes a lot less feed to produce pork than the same amount of either beef or lamb. On top of this, it is important to note that pigs are very omnivorous, so much so that it isn’t uncommon for them to be fed compost. Combined, it makes sense that pork is gaining ground in an age in which people are becoming more and more concerned about the environment but remain hesitant about eating insect.

Can Cats Eat Pork?

Regardless, pork is popular. As a result, it is natural for cat owners to wonder whether their cats can eat pork. Chances are good that interested individuals can guess that the answer is a qualified “Yes.” However, they need to keep in mind that this doesn’t mean that their cat can just eat unlimited amounts of bacon.

Limit Cats to Small Amounts of Pork

First, cats should be limited to eating small amounts of pork. They are much smaller animals than humans, meaning that the same-sized serving of pork is much more filling for them than for us. Something that interested individuals should always keep in mind. Furthermore, there is the issue that cats just don’t do very much over the course of an average day. Primarily, this is because they spend an average of 16 to 20 hours sleeping. However, it should also be mentioned that most modern cats don’t need to do any of the things that their pre-modern predecessors needed to do in order to stay alive. Thanks to that, if cat owners feed too much pork to their cats, that can cause the latter to become overweight. Suffice to say that is no better for cats than for humans.

Go For Unprocessed Pork

Pork comes in a wide range of forms. In particular, processed pork is very popular. Once upon a time, this would have been because processed pork could be stored for much longer periods of time than its unprocessed counterpart. Nowadays, this is more a matter of flavoring than practicality. In any case, interested individuals should avoid feeding any processed pork to their cats. This is because such foods often contain substances that are harmful for our feline companions. For example, while cats need some salt to survive, they don’t react well if they eat too much salt. Similarly, the preservatives found in processed meats can be bad for them as well.

Go For Unflavored Pork

It is also a good idea to stick to unflavored pork when feeding cats. This is because a lot of the things that we like to use to flavor our food can be problematic for cats. As mentioned earlier, too much salt is a bad thing for cats. Likewise, onions, garlic, and anything else from that family of plants should be avoided as well. Due to this, interested individuals shouldn’t feed their cats the same pork that they eat. Instead, if they want to feed pork to their cats, they should set aside a portion of pork specifically for their cats. Make sure that this portion remains unflavored for the purpose of avoiding complications.

Go For Cooked Pork

The wild ancestors of cats ate raw meat. However, there is no need to subject modern cats to the same. People cook their pork because it can contain parasites. As such, it makes sense to cook pork meant for cats as well. Not every parasite is fatal but there is no point to risking things, particularly non-fatal parasites can be quite unpleasant in their own particular ways. Of course, make sure that the cooked pork remains unflavored to prevent complications.

Always Keep a Watchful Eye Out For Potential Issues

Cat owners should always keep a watchful eye out for potential issues when they feed their cats something new. After all, they don’t know how their cats will react to it, so it is better to be safe than to be sorry. If cat owners notice gastrointestinal issues in their cats, they might want to seek out medical assistance sooner rather than later. Furthermore, they will know that their cats might not react so well to whatever they have just eaten. Most cats should be able to eat pork without too much issue. Unfortunately, saying most cats isn’t the same as saying every cat.

Consider Alternatives

If people are concerned about feeding pork to their cats even as an occasional snack, they might want to look into the alternatives. One common example would be fish while another common example would be chicken. Both of these are lower in fat than pork, meaning that they should be less of a problem from the perspective of making cats overweight. However, they are still very much things that cats should eat in moderation. For that matter, people should make sure to cook both fish and chicken but without flavoring them.

Consult the Veterinarian

Ultimately, if cat owners notice any kind of issue with their cats’ diet, they should consult their veterinarian for a professional’s opinion on the matter. Said individual should have a good understanding of their cat’s health, meaning that said individual should be the most capable of providing reliable information on what their cat can and can’t eat. Other than that, veterinarians are also great sources of recommendations for a cat’s diet, so interested individuals should make sure to make use of them if they have concerns that need to be addressed.

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