Can cats eat dates?

Dates are sweet and irresistible. Their delicious taste and health benefits make dates highly valued fruits. Dates are rich in vitamins, iron, magnesium, healthy oils, and other nutrients. Dates are good fruits, but are they as healthy to cats as to you? Can cats eat dates? Read on to find out. 

Can cats eat dates?

Dates are non-toxic to cats but are still not recommended for your furball. If your cat eats one or two dates, you should not worry. However, you should desist from sharing dates with your feline friend. Dates are a natural laxative and may cause diarrhea in cats. The fruit is also high in calories, and your cat can easily overfeed on it because it is light.

Specific concerns with cats eating dates

Cats do not have sweet receptors. No matter how sweet dates are to you, cats neither sense the sweetness and nor crave for dates. Dates also have laxative effects that can harm your kitty’s digestive system. The large pits in dates can also choke your cat because they are soft and sticky on the inside. These pits easily get stuck in the throat and cause shortness of breath. Dates may also get stuck between the teeth, cause tooth decay, and increased vulnerability to cavities. 

Healthy measures when feeding dates to your cat

Sharing dates with your cat can do more harm than good. If your cat enjoys indulging in dates with you, it is essential to ensure that its consumption is regulated to a few dates at a time.

Conclusion

Regardless of how sweet and tasty dates are, feeding them to your kitty is being wasteful since felines lack sweet receptors. Your pet is not going to enjoy them as you would. Therefore, it is better to keep your dates away from your furball entirely.