How’s everybody doin these days? Mid way through November and it’s started to look and feel like it should again…Michigan is a weird place.
Snow is melting, leaves are still falling from the trees, everything is backwards. But we all have Thanksgiving to look forward too, and with that we’re here to help out our cat daddies and crazy cat ladies with some food for thought: which Thanksgiving foods are safe for cats to eat?
For our feline friends that want to feast during these festivities with the rest of the family, fear not, you too can be fulfilled!
Pretty proud of all of that alliteration, but I digress. Let’s get into it.
Thanksgiving Foods Safe for Cats
Most of our cat owners know that cats are freak athletes, able to jump and squeeze and slide through or on to just about anything. If your cat is a curious one with sticky paws and an insatiable palette, you have to keep an eye on them during the holiday season due to all of these foods. Coming back into the kitchen for leftovers and wondering how the gravy could have disappeared while everybody was at the table will have you…wishing for more gravy.
General Advice
Your cat might have specific allergies or intolerances, so keep that in mind in regards to this list. The other thing to keep in mind, as obvious as it may seem, is that your cat’s stomach will be able to tolerate much less of this than your stomach. Furthermore, while you might just get a stomach ache from eating too much, your cat’s digestive system might not be as robust as your own and might not be as capable of dealing with newer foods or larger quantities. So, keep it portioned and in general have caution.
Turkey
Cats can eat turkey! Skinless white meat is the most benign and healthy, but most cats can handle dark meat or a bit of skin and giblets as well. Fattier parts of the turkey are more likely to cause upset stomachs, so go easy on the areas with more fat, grease, or oils.
Turkey is probably the #1 Thanksgiving food that is safe for cats on this list.
Gravy
Gravy is fatty, greasy, and salty. In general, we say gravy can probably be held off and that your cat would be delighted with some untouched turkey. Nonetheless, due to the rather basic ingredients of most gravy, it technically shouldn’t be a problem. Moderation is key, and remember that the salt content could cause problems for cats with pre-existing heart conditions.
Potatoes
In general, we’re against it, simply because when potatoes are cooked, mashed, baked, boiled or prepared any number of ways on Thanksgiving, it’s rarely “just” potatoes. Simply serving your cat a bite of potato or two wouldn’t necessarily be bad for their health (they might not want to eat it anyways), but once you start adding the garlic, onions, cheese, butter, milk, and everything else that our creative feasters foist on their taters, it starts to spell trouble for felines.
Stuffing
Sorry, no stuffing for the cat! Garlic, onions, greased bread is a worrisome combination for a cat’s digestive system. So, so sorry kitty!
On the other hand, you could create a healthy cat stuffing that is meant for cats. It doesn’t get stuffed into the turkey, but it is more or a less a casserole-type dish that could give you enough kitty dinners for a few weeks after Thanksgiving! Look it up online.
Green Bean Casserole
If you can convince your cat to eat a green bean, go for it! Many of them are eating veggies of some sort in their foods already. However, keep the cat away from the casserole itself: canned onions are a no-no and so is the cream of mushroom soup.
For more information on veggie-laden foods for cats, chat with an associate at your local Wags to Wiskers Pet Supplies stores in the Ann Arbor, MI area (2270 W. Stadium Blvd, Ann Arbor, MI, 48103) or the Chelsea, MI area (1192 S. Main St, Chelsea, MI, 48118) and we’d be happy to show you our options!
Cranberry Sauce
Be aware of the alcohol content in some cranberry, but beyond that, cranberry sauce is good to go for your cat! Cranberries are non-toxic for cats, so if you think your cat would like some spread on their thin slice of turkey on Thanksgiving night, we’re all for it. Feast, my feline friends!
Breads
We’d posture some similar warnings that we did for the potatoes: if the bread is plain Jane, then it shouldn’t be a problem. If you’ve got it loaded with accessories like butter, garlic, or otherwise, best to keep the toxic and carb-heavy items away from the cat.
Thanksgiving Foods Safe For Cats
Conclusion
It’s worth mentioning that we are not advocating that your cat get a plate of food piled high with what we’ve said is “safe” for cats. If you have never fed your cats Thanksgiving food, then certainly don’t go all out for the first time. Test the waters a bit. There will be another Thanksgiving, another holiday dinner, down the road.
In reality, the best food that we can unhesitatingly recommend for cats, when it comes to Thanksgiving foods, is skinless turkey. But if you catch your cat sipping from the gravy boat, dunking a paw into the cranberry sauce, or scooping up and sprinting away with a piece of a bread roll, it’s probably not an emergency situation.
Last but not least, don’t feel too sorry for your cat that they aren’t smashing firsts, seconds, thirds, and desserts on Thanksgiving Night. We know that our WagsFam treat their fur family well and they have plenty to be thankful for this holiday season as is.
Hopefully you’ve found these tips on Thanksgiving foods that are safe for cats to be helpful as you mindfully prep the house for the holiday festivities! Share your Thanksgiving pet stories below!