Apples are a very healthy food for humans due to the multiple properties and benefits it contains. If on more than one occasion you have been eating one and have thought about giving a piece to your cat, you probably have not previously thought about whether it is convenient for him to eat this fruit. Taking into account that it is an animal with a diet different from the human, it is important to analyze the possible effects of each food you offer.

Without being in any case highly recommended for its high sugar content, apples are a suitable food for felines as long as they eat them without seeds to avoid serious poisoning. To find out if cats can eat apple, the benefits of this fruit in the cat organism, how to give it and its contraindications, in a we recommend that you continue reading this article.

Can cats eat apple or not?

Apples are a very digestive and astringent fruit grown all over the world. Originally from Central Asia, it has been cultivated for thousands of years in Europe and Asia, being exported by European settlers to the American continent.

Despite containing great benefits for human health, it is not a food completely suitable for cats because of the large amount of sugar it contains. Even so, cats can eat apple: it is not a fruit that they are forbidden, since if they consume it in small quantities, it does not have to be harmful.

You should keep in mind that an excess of sugar is very harmful to any type of organism, but cats are also strictly carnivorous animals. That is, your body is designed to obtain energy and glucose necessary through fats and protein catabolization. Therefore, they need to eat meat to have complete nutrition. Therefore, they do not require in their diet sources of carbohydrates such as cereals, tubers or fruits.

Benefits of giving apple to cats

• Apples can provide many benefits to those cats that suffer from problems in intestinal transit, such as megacolon or constipation, because they are a fruit that contains high amounts in its composition of soluble and insoluble fiber, which facilitates intestinal peristalsis and, therefore, bowel movements.
• However, at the same time they provide a laxative effect. Apples are astringent, so they help in times of diarrhea and loose stools for their ability to reduce intestinal inflammation, as well as excess water, facilitating the formation of stool with a good consistency.
• Beyond these benefits, apples provide cats with numerous nutrients such as the following: vitamin C, vitamins B1, B2 and B6, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, flavonoids, antioxidants and polyphenols. They also contain quercetin, i.e., a phytochemical that contributes to the prevention of cardiovascular disease, arthritis, asthma and muscle problems.
• In addition, they provide malic and tartaric acid, which help facilitate the digestion of fats.

How to give apple to my cat

• To give apple to your cat responsibly, you must introduce the food progressively to prevent its body from being damaged. Therefore, if you are going to give apple to your pussycat, you should offer him a small piece and check if he feels like it.
• Before giving the apple, you need to remove the skin, otherwise it will be more complicated to chew for the cat. By removing the skin, you will also prevent it from ingesting residues of chemicals used in apple tree agriculture that could be toxic to its body.
• In the same way, it is very important that you remove the seeds, peduncle and heart of the apple before giving it to your feline.
• If he is especially gluttonous or tends to eat without chewing the food too much, we recommend that you cut the apple into small pieces before offering it. Thus, you will prevent choking or drowning. You can also crush it to make it easier to swallow.
• Another interesting alternative that you can use to give apple to your cat is to mix some small pieces of the fruit with other foods suitable for kittens such as meat or fish, thus preparing a homemade dish for the animal.

Contraindications of giving apple to cats

You should not offer apple to your cat if he is diabetic, as he will have problems with glucose and it is a fruit that contains large amounts of this substance.

If you choose to give pieces of apple, always remove all small seeds from inside because they can cause poisoning to your cat by their cyanide content. Cyanide binds to an enzyme existing in the mitochondria of cells, which are responsible for cellular respiration.

When united, it blocks the reaction of this cellular respiration, preventing the use of oxygen to the cells, so that the tissues run out of oxygen with the consequent production of tissue anoxia, a process that causes the following symptoms in cats: instability, falls, convulsions, increased salivation or muscle tremors, for example.

Now that you know if cats can eat apples, you may also be interested in these articles on whether cats can eat watermelon? and can cats eat yogurt?

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