Mayonnaise is a widely used condiment in sandwiches or salads so your cat might sometimes may find an opportunity to have lick or two but can cats eat mayo?
I must confess that I was a mayonnaise addict at some point in my life if such a thing exists so my cats had lots of opportunities to get a taste of my precious home made mayo. However, they never had an interest in my favorite condiment which was just lucky, I guess. But what if they wanted some? Can cats eat mayo?
Can Cats Eat Mayo?
The short answer is YES, cats can eat mayonnaise because it is not toxic or poisonous to cats HOWEVER, it doesn’t have any nutritional value to cats and is also unhealthy. Since mayonnaise is a calorie dense condiment and is full of fat, it might lead to feline obesity which is the reason for many serious health issues.
The ingredients in mayonnaise are just oil, eggs, lemon and vinegar. Except for lemon, the ingredients are safe for cats but the real problem here is not lemon which is toxic to cats because the amount of lemon juice is negligible considering your cat won’t be able to consume a jar of mayonnaise. Also citrus fruits are natural cat repellents since cats don’t like the citrus scent but some foods such as mayo may mask the scent.
The real problems with a cat eating mayo are fat and calories as mentioned above but if your cat takes a lick or two, you don’t need to worry about it unless your cat is allergic to something inside the mayonnaise. If you notice your kitty acting weird (hmm, let’s say weirder than usual because, you know… it is a cat), please consult your veterinarian.
Is Mayo Bad For Cats? Is There Any Benefits of Mayo To Cats?
The answers are yes and yes. Although mayonnaise is a bad addition to your cat’s diet, there are some beneficial probiotics in it that can help your cat if it suffers from constipation. The key to feeding mayo to your cat in such a situation is that the amount of mayonnaise should be limited to half a tea spoon for every 5 pounds of your cat’s weight.
Another issue with too much mayo is the risk of diarrhea. Feline digestive system is delicate and the main nutrition a cat needs is animal protein because cats are obligate carnivores. When you give too much of anything to a cat, most of the time it gets diarrhea and in case of mayonnaise the risk is far greater.
A better way to deal with continuous feline constipation is consulting your veterinarian because there may be other reasons behind it and curing only the symptom may not be enough.
Can Cats Eat Tuna With Mayo?
Due to several risks involved with tuna itself and considering how unhealthy mayonnaise is for cats, it is not recommended but a little tuna with mayo will not do much harm. So the answer is yes cats can eat tuna and mayo but it is best if they didn’t.
Conclusion On Can Cats Have Mayo
Although mayonnaise has probiotics in in which help digestion and may help with constipation in cats since the probiotics assist in regulating bowel movements, due to the high content of fat and calories it includes it should not be a part of your cat’s regular diet.
Also it should not be given to cats as a treat. According to a study by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention in 2018 59.5% of cats in the U.S. are suffering from obesity which leads to serious health issues such as cancer, heart disease, kidney failure, diabetes and many more.
So can cats eat mayo? Yes, but it is better if they didn’t. Is mayo bad for cats? Definitely. Does it have any beneficial effects? In special circumstances, yes, it may have beneficial effects especially with helping with constipation.
But don’t panic if your cat sneaks a lick of mayonnaise since such a low amount of it is not likely to cause any harm.
