People know that nuts are a tasty and nutritious snack, packed with fat and protein and ideal for a quick energy boost. If you share your home with a cat, you might wonder if it’s okay to share your nutty snacks as well. Well, it depends on what kind of nut you’re noshing on. For example, can cats eat hazelnuts?
Unlike some other nuts, hazelnuts themselves aren’t toxic to cats but there are still some concerns involved in feeding them to your kitty. It’s best to avoid giving your cat any hazelnuts, as they will not benefit from them, and there are possible health risks.In this article, we’ll talk about why you might want to think twice about offering your cat hazelnuts. If you love sharing snacks with your cat, we’ll also give you some safer options to consider.
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Before giving your cat any human food, even one that is considered safe for them, please consult with your veterinarian. Not all food ingredients will be appropriate for your cat based on their health and ongoing medication, particularly if your cat is diabetic or suffering with digestive or pancreatic issues.
Hazelnuts: Not Toxic but Still Potentially Problematic
Along with peanuts and (roasted) cashews, hazelnuts are one of the nuts that aren’t toxic to cats and dogs. So, if you drop a piece of hazelnut on the floor while snacking and your cat snags it before you can, you don’t have to automatically worry. However, hazelnuts are probably not the best choice of a regular snack for your cat for a couple of reasons.
Image Credit: _Alicja_, Pixabay
They’re High in Fat
First, hazelnuts—like most nuts—are high in fat. One serving of hazelnuts, about 10 nuts total, contains 9 grams of fat. For people, hazelnuts are considered a healthy fat but for cats, any high-fat food should be fed with caution.
Healthy adult cats can actually tolerate and even require a moderate amount of fat in their diet, which we’ll go into more detail about later on in this article. However, cats who consistently eat higher-fat diets and dry foods with excess calories are at risk of developing obesity and health problems that come with it.
More than half of adult cats in North America are overweight, a condition that, among other things, reduces their life expectancy and increases their risk for various health disorders, such as joint, heart, and urinary issues. Eating too much in general with reduced physical activity, but also eating too much fat or excessively caloric diet, can contribute to a cat’s obesity.
While the occasional hazelnut probably won’t have too much impact on your cat’s health, over time they could be a cause for concern due to their fat content, alongside other diet and treats.
They’re a Choking Hazard
The other concern with a cat eating hazelnuts is more of an immediate issue. Because of their size and shape, hazelnuts present a potential choking hazard for your cat.
Most cats are luckily not that interested in picking up just any food you may drop on the floor like dogs are, or swallowing it in a rush. However, some may be more curious than others and may attempt to play with a hazelnut, while some may nibble at it or try to eat and swallow it. This makes choking a definite concern.
If your cat is choking on a hazelnut or something else, here are some signs you might notice:
Drooling
Pawing at the mouth
Coughing or gagging
Trouble breathing
Blue gum and tongue color
Unconsciousness
Choking is a life-threatening emergency for your cat, so either contact your vet or take your cat to them right away if there is time, or attempt to remove the foreign body from their mouth using a pair of tweezers. If this is not possible, you can try to firmly tap both sides of their chest or in between their shoulder blades, or you can even perform a maneuver similar to Heimlich for people in order to relieve the blockage.
What About Other Nuts?
As we mentioned in the introduction, several types of nuts can be toxic to cats. Macadamia nuts are one of these, causing a variety of signs if ingested, including weakness, vomiting, tremors, and trouble walking. Dogs are more commonly the victims of macadamia nut poisoning but it’s best to keep them away from your cat as well, as we still don’t have sufficient research information to know how cats may be affected.
Almonds and walnuts are two other common nuts that you shouldn’t feed your cat. These nuts can cause signs ranging from digestive upset to more serious medical issues.
Again, even if a nut isn’t known to be toxic to cats, nuts aren’t very useful nutritionally to cats and it’s generally not worth taking a chance on feeding them.
Image Credit: harsh_xplorer, Pixabay
Cat Diet Basics
Choosing Your Cat’s Food
Cats are carnivores by nature, meaning they must obtain all nutrients from animal rather than plant sources. Healthy adult cats usually do best on a diet high in protein, low in carbohydrates, and with a moderate amount of fat. A cat’s diet also must contain several essential amino acids, most importantly taurine.
Commercial cat foods, either dry or canned, must all be properly balanced and nutritionally sound, making them the easiest diet option for most cat owners. Your veterinarian can help you learn what to look for when picking a good cat food and how to interpret pet food labels to compare available foods.
Choosing cat food can be confusing, with the great variety of food brands and different manufacturing food processes. If your cat has special health needs, they may need a tailored diet.
Again, your veterinarian and a veterinary nutritionist can help you navigate the wide world of cat nutrition. They can also assist you if you want to consider a homemade diet for your cat, ensuring you include all the vital amino acids and nutrients that we mentioned earlier. With this type of diet, it’s unfortunately easier to make mistakes, which can result in particular nutritional deficiencies or excess of certain nutrients that can lead to a significant and harmful effect on your cat’s health.
How Much to Feed
With obesity so common among pet cats, monitor your kitty’s food intake carefully. Your veterinarian can help you calculate the appropriate number of calories your cat should eat in a day. This amount will vary by the age and size of your cat, as well as how much exercise they get each day.
If you want to feed your cat treats in addition to their regular food, they should make up no more than 10% of the daily calories.
Rather than hazelnuts, consider offering your cat these other foods as treats:
Lean, cooked meats
Cooked egg
Cooked fish without bones, head, or skin
Now that you know what you can safely feed your cat, it’s just as important to find a bowl that supports their health and well-being. With whisker-friendly bowls and a wide tray to catch any spills, our Hepper NomNom Cat Bowl is our favorite option.
NO MESS - The 360° tray on this cat food and water bowl set has a raised design to catch and...
WHISKER FRIENDLY - Shallow and wide metal containers with flat bottoms ensure your kitty can enjoy...
Conclusion
While hazelnuts aren’t toxic to cats, they are still high in fat and a potential choking hazard, making them not the best choice of human food snacks. Although hazelnuts are moderate in protein, as carnivores, cats aren’t able to properly utilize the nutrition because it comes from a plant source. Stick with feeding your cat a well-balanced,high-quality commercialor vet-approved homemade diet in appropriate amounts. If you do feed your cat treats, keep the hazelnuts for yourself and offer kitty one of the other healthier options we mentioned.
