Mac & cheese is one of the most popular foods in the U.S. We love it and I personally know that my cats want it. The question is can cats eat mac and cheese?
My cats come running to the kitchen whenever I cook mac & cheese. This is not surprising considering cats can’t resist the smell of dairy products and some cats may even go crazy for the sound of a mac package. If your cats are also like my kitties you may ask “can cats eat mac and cheese”.
Is Mac and Cheese Bad For Cats?
Mac and cheese is not just macaroni and cheese. The other ingredients in mac and cheese are typically milk, butter and salt. Sometimes people also add garlic or onion for extra flavor. I have to say that none of the main ingredients are healthy foods for cats and adding garlic and onion makes it a lot worse because they are toxic to cats.
If you add garlic, onion or the powdered versions of them to your mac and cheese, do not, I repeat DO NOT give any mac and cheese to your cat. Even small amounts of garlic or onion can cause serious problems if they are combined with any other possible health issues your cat may have.
Even if your cat is completely healthy, why would you want to poison your cat by giving it garlic or onion?
Another issue with mac and cheese is the high amount of dairy products it has. Most adult cats are lactose intolerant which means that their digestion systems can not process milk, butter or cheese in the dish. Although these are not toxic to cats, they may cause diarrhea, vomiting or other digestion issues.
The digestion issues caused by dairy products should not be taken lightly because these issues are serious for cats and severe diarrhea can even be fatal in some cases.
The amount of dairy products a cat can safely consume changes from cat to cat and from dairy product to dairy product. For example while goat cheese has less lactose, cow milk is rich in lactose and is really an open invitation to a mayhem in your cats intestines.
Is macaroni bad for cats?
Macaroni is just pasta and has no difference in texture or nutritional value from other pasta types such as spaghetti or penne so it simply has flour, eggs and water. None of these ingredients are harmful to cats however macaroni or pasta doesn’t really hold much nutritional value for cats, either because cats are obligate carnivores and they get their main nutrition from consuming other animals.
Can cats eat mac and cheese?
Mac and cheese is not toxic to cats as long as it doesn’t have any toxic substances such as garlic or onion but since it has dairy products like milk, butter and cheese it may upset your cat’s digestive system and cause diarrhea, vomiting and other digestive issues. Therefore cats should not eat mac and cheese at all.
My cat ate mac and cheese. What can happen?
The result of a cat eating mac and cheese depends on how much mac and cheese it ate. The best case scenario is it eats just a very small amount and nothing happens but in the most likely scenario your cat will suffer from digestive issues, vomit and/or will have diarrhea. In such a case, please consult your veterinarian and act in accordance with the veterinarian’s instructions.
Can Cats Eat Mac and Cheese – Conclusion
After all these information, let’s sum it up. Can cats eat mac and cheese? Mac and cheese is not fatal for your cat as long as it doesn’t have any substance that is toxic to your cat but due to mac and cheese containing lots of lactose cats SHOULD NOT HAVE mac and cheese.
If your cat eats mac and cheese and starts acting out of ordinary please consult your veterinarian.
