Can cats eat avocado?

Avocados are rapidly gaining popularity due to their nutritional benefits, and the avocado trade in Mexico is now worth $2.17 billion. If your cat nibbled on your avocado when your back was turned, you might be wondering if avocados are good for cats. We’ll see if cats can eat avocados, how much, and if they have any health benefits.

What are lawyers?

Avocado is the fruit of the avocado tree (Persea americana). This tree is native to Central America, but is now widely grown around the world due to the popularity of its fruit. There are varieties of avocados, but the most common is Hass avocado.

The avocado is pear-shaped and its skin is green-brown in color, giving it its common name “alligator pear”. Inside, it has oily, pale, yellow-green flesh and a large round pit.

The skin and pit are discarded, and the green flesh is eaten sliced, “mashed” (with chilli and lime), or creamed to make a guacamole dip. Avocado is also used by vegans and paleo dieters to replace fats like butter.

Nutritional Benefits of Avocado

In addition to being high in fat, avocados are also very nutritious thanks to their fiber, protein, and vitamins.

Fiber is essential for regulating intestinal transit and nourishing the “good” bacteria in the intestine. About 70% of the fiber in avocados is insoluble fiber, which regulates intestinal transit.

The protein content of an avocado is interesting: it contains 22 different amino acids, including the eight essential amino acids for adult humans. Be careful though, cats need different amino acids than humans, and avocados cannot provide all the amino acids that cats need.

Can cats eat avocado?

The good news is that cats can eat avocado meat! The toxin in avocados is not very toxic to cats.

Avocado flesh, on the other hand, does not contain much Persian. And while, according to the ASPCA, this level is still high enough to be toxic to some animals, cats aren’t as susceptible to persin toxicity and would have to eat plenty of avocado flesh to have any problems. In fact, you may be surprised to learn that avocado has been evaluated as an alternative source of dietary fiber for cats, and is even used in some cat foods (Avoderm) due to its high content. in fatty acids that stimulate the skin.

The flesh of the avocado can therefore be eaten by cats, but the pit or skin of the avocado should never be fed, and if you are growing an avocado tree from the pit, you must keep it out of reach of cats. curious !

Of course, avocado is not suitable for all cats. Obese cats should avoid avocado, as it is high in calories. Cats with IBD, other intestinal issues, or food sensitivities should also avoid avocado, as it may upset them.

Remember that Avocado for Cats can be mixed with other more concerning ingredients. Garlic and chocolate are both associated with avocado and should be avoided. Cats can eat raw avocado flesh, but be careful with guacamole and other preparations.

Are avocados good for cats?

We know cats can eat avocados, but are they good for them? The good news is that avocados contain a whole host of healthy nutrients and may even have health benefits.

Rich in healthy fats

Most of the calories in avocado come from its high fat content, but these are considered “healthy” fats, especially monounsaturated oleic acid. Oleic acid has been linked to a reduced risk of cancer and decreased inflammation in humans – although there are no studies of this in cats. Fatty acids are also important for skin health.

Another reason fats are essential in the diet is that many vitamins are fat soluble and not water soluble. In fact, one study showed that humans can absorb more nutrients when avocado oil is added to low-fat foods, likely because the extra fat allows fat-soluble nutrients to be absorbed.

Avocado unsaponifiables

Avocado and soy unsaponifiables are an ingredient in joint supplements that have shown promise in relieving pain and inflammation associated with arthritis in humans. This ingredient is extracted from avocado oil. However, cats need to eat plenty of avocado to get any benefit from the unsaponifiables – it’s probably best to stick with a concentrated form.

Avocados are rich in antioxidants

Let’s not forget about antioxidants: avocados are rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, two antioxidants that affect eye health and fight free radicals. Lutein also affects the immune system of cats.

How many avocados can a cat eat?

Although there isn’t much persin in the flesh of avocado, the risk of avocado poisoning theoretically exists if a cat eats too much of it.

However, the most common problem with eating too much avocado is that it unbalances the diet and can quickly lead to weight gain. Cats may binge on avocado and not want to eat their dinner, which contains essential nutrients not found in avocado. Like all foods that aren’t formulated to be complete and balanced, they make up the “snack” part of your cat’s calorie intake. Your cat should not receive more than 10% of its daily calories from an unbalanced source, which includes all treats and human food.

Avocados are high in calories, which means it’s very hard not to overfeed your cat (half an avocado contains 90% of your cat’s calorie intake for the whole day!) So how many avocados can a cat eat? A 3 kg cat is allowed 20 calories of treats per day. Assuming he has no other treats or human food, he can eat 20 grams (three-quarters of an ounce) of avocado per day.