Cats are our best friends and need to be treated with extreme love, compassion, and care. When it comes to taking care of your cat, there is nothing above than feeding the right food to your cat. We have been asked by a lot of cat owners about whether if they can share some fresh juicy oranges with their cats or not.
So, can cats eat oranges? Can I give my cat orange juice?
Is it okay to feed oranges to the cats? What are the possible risks and benefits associated with feeding oranges to cats? We got it all covered for you in this article.
Table of Contents
Could cats eat oranges?
No! Cats cannot eat oranges and neither should you try feeding them oranges. Here are a few reasons why:
- Cats Cannot Taste Oranges
Oranges taste very sweet and delicious to us humans, but when it comes to cats; do they taste oranges the same way? Absolutely not! The reason is that the cats have a very limited amount of taste buds (800 only as compared to 8000 in humans) present on their tongue and they actually cannot taste the oranges.
- Oranges are Dangerous for Cats
Oranges are enriched with vitamin C, citric acid, and essential oils. All these ingredients are very beneficial for our body such as vitamin C is not synthesized by our body and we obtain it from oranges and other relevant diets. But for cats, things work differently. Cats belong to the feline family and the essential oils and citric acid present in the oranges can prove toxic for the cats.
Can cats eat mandarin orange?
No! Cats cannot eat mandarin oranges at all.
If you are a cat owner, you are probably familiar that cats are very sensitive and a minor imbalance can have a drastic impact on their health. Mandarin orange is enriched with citric acid. Cats belong to the feline family and citric fruits can prove dangerous for them.
If your cat will consume mandarin oranges, it can lead to the degradation of its digestive system and cause diarrhea and gastrointestinal problems. Moreover, the citric acid imbalance can also cause citrus poisoning among cats.
Can cats eat oranges peels?
The answer is a big no!
The reason is that the orange peels are not only stiff, but they are also acidic and toxic for your cats. If your cat will eat orange peels, it will make them choke and may even cause death due to suffocation.
The second reason why cats should never eat orange peels is that they are acidic and can lead to poisoning and cause other complicated medical problems such as vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, etc.
That’s the reason why the vets don’t recommend feeding orange peels to the cats.
Can cats eat oranges sherbet?
It’s quite common when your cat gets bored of the regular diet and starts asking for a treat. At that point, a lot of cat owners ask us if it is okay to feed orange sherbet to the cats because it’s just a fresh and delicious treat in the summers.
But we don’t recommend feeding orange sherbet to the cats because orange sherbet is enriched from sugar, water, and citric acid. As we just said above the cats have only 800 taste buds whereas humans have 8000 taste buds. It means that the tongue of the cats is less sensitive as compared to the humans and it cannot taste the sweetness of the orange sherbet. So your cat will feel no taste when it eats orange sherbet. However, the sugary content of orange sherbet will make your cat obese and lead to diabetes and other heart problems. The citric content can also prove unhealthy for your cat.
So our take is that orange sherbet is not something you should be feeding your cat every day. It is not even an ideal choice as a treat because there so many better options out there. Orange sherbet is only good to feed in an extremely small amount and only once in a long time.
Can cats eat orange peppers?
Yes, cats can eat orange peppers but only in moderation and a small amount.
The reason is that cats have a very sensitive digestive system and a little bit of pepper imbalance can deteriorate the smooth working of their entire digestive system and cause complicated medical problems.
Can cats have orange juice?
No, cats cannot drink orange juice.
The reason why cats should never consume orange juice is that orange juice contains a high concentration of citric acid. Cats belong to the feline family and citric acid is very dangerous for all the animals in this category. So if cats will consume orange juice, it will irritate their digestive tract and make them sick. Orange juice can stimulate vomiting, diarrhea, and other medical problems among cats.
Do cats eat oranges?
Well, cats are animals and they don’t know what’s good for them and what is bad for them. If you will throw orange in front of them, there are chances that they might eat it. But if the cat swallows the orange, it doesn’t mean that oranges are healthy for the cats.
Oranges contain some essential oils and citric acid that can have a drastic impact on the health of cats. That is the reason why experts don’t recommend feeding oranges to cats.
Should cats eat oranges?
No, cats should never eat oranges because the essential oils and citric acid present in the oranges can have a terrible impact on the health of the cats.
That is the reason why all the vets recommend that cats should never eat oranges.
Is orange peel toxic to cats?
Yes, orange peel is toxic to cats and you should never feed orange peel to your cats.
- Orange peels are stiff and can make your cat choke and even cause death due to suffocation.
- Orange peels contain citric acid that can deteriorate the health of your cat and lead to complicated medical problems.
Can oranges kill cats?
Oranges contain a lot of citric acids and consuming an excess of oranges can lead to acidity and citrus poisoning among the cats and even lead to death. The reason is that cats are very sensitive and even the slightest imbalance in their body can possess a serious risk to their life.
Can kittens have oranges?
The thing is that kittens are very sensitive and need to be treated with extreme care. The citric acid and essential oils present in oranges can hurt the health of the kittens and risk their life. So we recommend you never feed oranges to the kitten because it will damage their health. There are so many better foods out there that you can feed to the kittens without damaging their health.
Other cat topics that you may interested:
Shannon work as nurse practitioner in Alliance Health Medical Group. She own pets and she love pets. With her knowledge in medicine, she know what can the pet eat and what can’t
