Human Foods That Are Safe for Your Feline Friend

When it comes to pets, it may be a more common sight to see a dog sitting at the table, anxiously awaiting for someone, anyone, to drop a tasty morsel of something, be it a crumb, a grain of rice, or well, anything. They follow the scent of the dinner plate, the breakfast bowl, the snacks, fruits, and anything edible like a bloodhound. Dogs are not covert in their desire to eat your food.

But when it comes to cats, they are a bit more ninja-like. They still may have the same desire to eat your food, but they're just a bit more coy about it. They won't follow you around begging for just a bite but they may wait until you aren't paying attention and parkour off the wall, the table, and the chair to get a nibble. But like all animals, you need to be careful when feeding your feline friends because there are some foods they can and can't have.

One food that sits well with cats is cooked fish. It's important to ensure the meat is cooked. If it isn't fresh off the grill, the cat will have a negative reaction to it. When served properly, the cooked fish gives cats plenty of nutrients that other foods don't offer but like many food items, only give them seafood products in small doses. A diet that's made up of too much fish will cause problems.

To compile this list of human foods that are safe for your feline friend, 24/7 Tempo consulted pet-related sources. These include The Honest Kitchen, Purina, and ManyPets. For more cat content, click here to read about the 10 questions you should ask yourself before buying a kitten.

Humans aren't the only species eggs are acceptable for. If you own a cat, it's okay (and actually suggested) to feed them hard-boiled or scrambled eggs. Whenever cats eat eggs, they're absorbing tons of vitamins and minerals in every bite. Also, cats easily digest eggs compared to other human foods. Make sure the eggs you give your cat don't have any extra salt or ketchup on them so that the nutrients aren't taken away.

You should ensure that the eggs being served are thoroughly cooked. If they aren't, there's a chance the cat will get a bacteria. Cats enjoy having eggs on top of their food that's already being served to them. Unlike a lot of the foods on this list, there's no maximum to how many eggs cats can eat before it becomes too dangerous. However, make sure to avoid burning your cat out on the food.

One of the easiest human foods to prepare for cats is rice. Like humans, brown rice offers more vitamins than white rice to cats. Both types of rice help cats digest the other food in their system. Rice also provides a tasty addition to any meal that cats enjoy during their day. The taste and texture is second to none in the minds of cats.

Don't serve your cat too much rice, though. Because rice isn't an essential part of a cat's diet, it can take away from the foods that cats need to survive. It's not a toxic food for cats. If you do have extra rice laying around from a night of cooking, giving bits and pieces to your cat is a good idea.

It's rare to find a fruit that isn't helpful and healthy for animals to eat. Bananas are yet another human food cats love to snack on. The yellow fruit gives cats the same vitamins and nutrients it gives humans to help us stay in shape. The best bananas have brown spots scattered across them. Those offer the sweetest, ripest flavors. If you can't find any bananas at the store with brown spots, purchase yellow ones.

In a few days, the brown spots will appear and you'll have a tasty treat for your cat. However, make sure to only serve a finite amount of one of nature's tastiest gifts to your pet. Bananas are known for having tons of natural sugars in them. If you give your cat too many, its blood sugar will shoot up. The texture also can be challenging for cats to digest on a routine basis. When offered in small increments, bananas are a great snack for cats.

Seemingly every cat food commercial showcases fish in their products. It makes sense that cooked fish would be a human food that cats would also enjoy eating. Fish is a superfood and is a great source of nutrients and vitamins for cats. The fish oils the food provides help cats' joints feel better as they get older.

It's pertinent to ensure fish is fully cooked before serving it to your furry companion. If not, tons of bacteria can creep inside your cat's belly. Make sure you never serve fish that already has sauces and seasonings on it, either. These can be detrimental to the cat you adore so much. The last tip here is to avoid serving cooked fish all the time. Once every other week should be considered the goal.

Bananas aren't the only fruits cats get excited over. Blueberries are another one of Mother Nature's gifts to both humans and cats. The antioxidants blueberries contain are a great way to keep your cat healthy and on a perfect diet. A great way to add even more flavor is by mixing the blueberries with plain and unsweetened yogurt. Cats don't just love eating blueberries, though.

When serving a cat blueberries, there's a chance the cat will want to play with its food before eating it. Don't serve too many blueberries to cats, though. While it might seem like a small amount, two or three at a time is the perfect amount to avoid overdoing it to your animal.

You might've noticed that there's a common theme of natural fruits on this list. The next one up is apples. Apples are commonly found in red, green, or yellow. They're an excellent way to ensure your cat is getting the fiber and other vitamins they need to survive. Unlike blueberries, cats usually won't find a way to play with apples before inhaling them.

It's key to make sure that the apples are fully sliced before serving them up to your cat. There's a chance the skin on an apple contains pesticides that are terrible for your cat's health. Once the apple is fully shaved, only serve a couple of bites to your furry friend. Since cats are small, there's no need to give them too much of one food.

Even though some cats are small in stature, they still love being served a heaping helping of lean meat. It's smart to make sure the meat is cooked thoroughly, no matter what type it is. If you serve a cat undercooked meat, they could face problems that stem from salmonella or e. coli. Also, make sure there are no extra seasonings or sauces on the meat when you serve it. This might disrupt your cat's digestion.

One of the best, and most nutritious lean meats for cats is beef. It contains tons of amino acids, which are one of many vitamins that enable your cat to live a long and healthy life. Protein of any kind is essential to the survival of animals. The most delicious way for cats to get protein is from lean meats.

Fruits aren't the only natural food from the Earth that makes cats feel hyped up for dinner time. Carrots are a great way to make sure your cat gets the Vitamin A it needs. Vitamin A specifically helps with a cat's vision and immune system. Like humans, it's widely suggested to have carrots regularly to stay healthy.

When serving a cat carrots, make sure the carrots are cooked and soft. Hard carrots can be dangerous for cats to eat since they're a common food to choke on. Even if you cut a carrot up, there's still a chance it gets stuck. Cooked carrots are soft and go down the throats of cats a lot easier.

Another delicious vegetable to put in front of a cat is peas. However, like blueberries, there's a chance your cat will want to play with the pea before ingesting it. Peas offer fiber and like rice, are a great and natural way to help your cats' digestive system when there's a backup.

It's best to serve the peas to your cat when they're fully cooked. A soft pea is a lot easier to swallow and enjoy than a hard, fresh-out-of-the-can pea. It's also important to avoid serving peas on too much of a regular basis to your cat. Like humans, chomping down on fiber is good, but too much can cause bloating and gas for your cat.

Steamed broccoli is another fantastic way for your cat to absorb the positive nutrients veggies provide. There are tons of perks to serving your cat steamed broccoli, like helping your cat digest and push out excess waste. It's important to remember to serve your cat steamed broccoli in moderation, though.

Also, make sure you remember to steam the broccoli before serving it. Giving a cat a regular head of broccoli can be a choking hazard since regular broccoli doesn't go down easily. Keep in mind to avoid adding sauces and seasonings to the broccoli. For more animal content, click here to read about 10 things you did not know dogs could do.