Can Cats Eat Bacon? A slice of cooked bacon will not harm your feline friend. Naturally, cats are meat eaters so, they are drawn to the taste of meat and it is recommended as an occasional treat.
As it is rich in salt, high intake of bacon may lead your feline friend in health problems like weight gain, heart disease, and high blood pressure.
Nutrition facts of bacon
Nutritional facts in once cooked strip include
- Calories – 37.4
- Cholesterol – 7.9 mg
- Potassium – 39.9 mg
- Sodium – 134.7 mg
- Protein – 2.7 g
- Carbohydrates – 0.1 g
- Fat – 2.8 g
- Saturated – 1 g
- Monounsaturated – 1.2 g
- Polyunsaturated – 0.5 g
- Calcium – 0.9 mg
- Phosphorus – 31 mg
- Magnesium – 0.9 mg
- Zinc – 0.2 mg
Precaution before feeding bacon to cats:
Bacon is nontoxic food for cats but causes some risk so, follow these precautions.
- If you are feeding bacon for the first time, observe for few days whether it has any signs of diarrhoea, vomiting, excessive meowing, abdominal discomfort and digestive distress. If your feline friend experiences these symptoms after feeding bacon to your cats, call your vet immediately and avoid feeding it again.
- If they don’t feel any symptoms then its safe to feed one slice of cooked bacon once in two weeks as an occasional treat.
- Even cooked meat can cause stomach upset to your cats sometimes.
Side effects for cats eating bacon
As bacon is extremely high in salt, a piece of cooked bacon has 137.4 mg of sodium, which is 10 times extra than daily suggested sodium intake of feline friends. Too much sodium may lead to –
- Obesity
- Salt poisoning
- Dehydration
- High blood pressure
- Clogged blood vessels
Also, bacon is too fatty and adding more fat to cats diet may cause obesity, digestive issue, and other health issues.
Can cats eat raw bacon?
Of course! Cats can eat fresh raw bacon and not cured. Always, make sure that you follow the necessary precautions for feeding raw bacon like checking cat bowl, cutting board and knife are clean.
