Some cats prefer staying away from their owners when they are eating. Normally, these are the cats that like having their own space and own food. There’s nothing wrong with that. Some cats, however, aren’t ashamed to show their interest when their pet parent has a treat, they think they should try out. For kitty moms and dads with food-curious fur babies, it’s important to know what foods are safe for your cat. While you’re looking at your bag of sweetness you may wonder, can cats eat gummy bears? The answer is no, you shouldn’t feed gummy bears to your cat. But why?
Let’s discuss the reasons you should avoid feeding gummy bears, no matter how yummy you think they are, to your cat. We’ll take a look at why cats should avoid sugary treats and other issues they may have with eating gummies so you can stay on the right track with your cat’s nutritional needs.
Why Are Gummy Bears Harmful to Cats?
Luckily, gummy bears aren’t toxic or fatal to felines. This can ease your mind if you’ve already allowed your cat to take a nibble off one of your snacks. Can they be harmful to your cat? Yes. A treat doesn’t need to be toxic to be a bad choice. Let’s take a look at a few reasons you shouldn’t give your cat gummy bears.
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High Sugar Content
When it comes to gummy bears, there isn’t any nutritional value in these sweet snacks for your cat. In fact, they are mostly sugar. Certain brands even coat the outside of the gummy bears in added sugar. Kitties often struggle with digesting sugar since it isn’t part of their natural diets. Cats are obligate carnivores. This means they get most of their nutrition from meat. The few carbs they take in come from chewing grass or when it is added to their normal cat food brands.
Cats can easily become overweight. Having treats high in sugar can cause your cat to vomit or have diarrhea since they can’t digest it properly. It can also put added pounds on them which can lead to obesity and even feline diabetes. To keep your kitty happier and healthier, it’s best to keep your sugary snacks to yourself.
Choking Hazard
As a pet parent, you see the foods you feed your cat each day. Whether you choose wet food, kibble, or even a raw diet cat food isn’t chewy and sticky like a gummy bear. In most instances, when given a gummy bear, your cat would realize it isn’t easy to chew. When this happens, and your cat swallows too big of a piece, your cat can easily choke. To avoid choking hazards for your cat, it’s best to only give them small pieces of food with textures they can chew completely.
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Tooth Issues
Gummy bears can cause your cat a lot of tooth issues. The texture, as we mentioned above, is quite sticky. This causes pieces to get stuck in your cat’s teeth. Unfortunately, cats can’t move their tongue around as humans can. When these pieces get stuck it can cause your cat quite a bit of discomfort.
The sugar in gummy bears is also bad for your cat’s teeth. If cats are given sugary treats often, tooth decay can become an issue. The sugar you feed your cats will cause tooth pain, deterioration, and in severe cases, tooth loss. To help promote good oral hygiene for your kitty, gummy bears should be avoided as a treat.
As you can see, while gummy bears are fun for us to eat, giving them to our cats can be dangerous. If you want to avoid causing your kitty an upset stomach, sore teeth, and far worse issues, keep the sweet treats to yourself. If need be, hide in the pantry to eat those gummy bears. This will make you feel like a responsible pet parent who sleeps well at night knowing they are doing the right thing for their kitty.
