Cats can eat certain foods typical of the human diet. Although they are not recommended or are not naturally present in your food pyramid, they are not harmful to your health but quite the opposite: they provide interesting properties and benefits for your body as is the case of rice, since despite being carnivores, they can ingest it.

Many people choose to give foods from the human diet to their felines as a reward for something they have done well or for being obedient, without paying attention to the impact that this food can have on the cat organism. Therefore, it is important to know which foods are positive for cats. To find out if cats can eat rice, what its benefits are and how to give it to them, in we recommend that you continue reading this article.

Can cats eat rice or not?

Rice is one of the most common foods in human food, forming part of the base of the food pyramid for its great nutritional benefits. For cats, although it is not an essential food or the most recommended, it is also positive since it is not toxic to them.

Therefore, cats can eat rice, but in moderation. Therefore, you have to take this into account, as well as remember these aspects before giving rice to your minion:

• Cats are exclusively carnivorous animals: their body necessarily needs animal fats and proteins. Hence the importance of giving him an adequate diet for his well-being, since otherwise he could suffer from long-term nutritional deficiencies. Considering that rice is mainly composed of carbohydrates, it is not a food that covers the nutritional needs of cats. Therefore, they should not be fed frequently with rice.
• In certain circumstances it is recommended that you give rice to your pussycat, especially in the case of suffering from a gastrointestinal disease such as diarrhea. And it is that with this type of ailments, dry feed can cause irritations in the intestine.
• On the other hand, rice helps regulate intestinal activity: by administering it for 4 days as a soft diet, you will help your feline recover from diarrhea. Once recovered, the cat should return to its food gradually because the consumption of rice continued and as the basis of the diet can cause health problems.
• It is important to know that it is not advisable to give rice to small cats, even in cases that suffer from diarrhea because its intake could affect their development and cause constipation. To treat diarrhea and similar health problems in feline puppies, in OneHowTo we recommend that you go immediately to the veterinarian and follow their instructions.

If your cat has diarrhea, we recommend you go to the veterinarian, but we also invite you to know some home remedies for diarrhea in cats, which you can discuss with the professional to see if any fits the case of your feline.

What benefits does rice have for cats?

As explained in the previous section, rice does not provide the basic nutritional components required by the body of cats, so it should not be a food that is in quantity in their diet. Still, it is true that it provides them with some benefits, such as the following:

• Provides vitamin B.
• It contains small amounts of magnesium.
• Provides iron.
• It is rich in carbohydrates and calories, which provides energy to felines.

Despite these benefits, it is important to emphasize that you should include rice in your cat’s diet moderately and especially use it when the veterinarian indicates it to help the cat recover from a gastrointestinal problem.

How to give rice to my cat

Taking into account that cats can eat rice in a timely manner, it is important that you know how to give it to yours so that it obtains its benefits and avoiding adverse effects on your body. There are two types of rice that felines can eat:

White rice for cats

You can give it to them, but always cooked. Never give it raw, since uncooked grains can cause stomach and intestinal pains, among other problems. In addition, this type of rice, depending on where and how it has been grown, may contain lectin, that is, a pesticide that could cause you to vomit. On the contrary, cooked rice is not dangerous: you can administer it for several days in small doses without any risk to your health.

Brown rice for cats

Your cat can also eat it, getting extra fiber thanks to this type of rice. In fact, cat pâtés made with brown rice and chicken are currently marketed. This type of rice must also always be given cooked.

To get your cat to eat rice, since the tasteless taste of cooked grains will not be too attractive, in OneHowTo we give you the following recommendations:

• Rice with chicken: this mixture will help regulate the digestive system of the pussycat. In addition, the nutrients contained in chicken will give you energy and help you recover from your ailments.
• Rice with cooked fish: it is advisable to give tuna, but there are more options. It is very important that you opt for fresh, quality or frozen fish, but try to avoid canned tuna for human consumption, as it may contain bisphenol, mercury and high levels of sodium harmful to your cat’s health. We encourage you to read this other article about a common question: Why cats can’t eat fish – truth or myth?

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