Can Cats Eat Cereal?

We would not recommend feeding your cat cereal of any form. While your cat technically can eat cereal, he or she should not. Cereal is not poisonous for your cat. Eating cereal will not cause your cat to suffer. You won’t have to take your cat to the vet immediately after he or she eats cereal.

The issue is there is nothing beneficial for your cat is in cereal. None of the ingredients in whole grain or oats-based cereal will have any benefit to your cat. You cat doesn’t need whole grains or oats. Our furry friends are carnivores and thrive eating meat, not grains and carbs.

Some cat owners believe the fiber in cereal to be healthy for the feline’s digestive system. However, this is simply not true. Cats don’t need fiber from grain-based sources in their diet. Our furry friends have different dietary requirements than we do and need much more protein. Cereal does not have much protein.

Another issue with feeding cats cereal is the sugar. Sugar, especially the heavily refined and highly processed kind found in most breakfast cereals, is horrible for your cat. None of our furry friends have sweet tooths. Too much sugar can hurt your cat’s stomach, give him or her diarrhea, and even spike blood sugar levels.

Common Misconceptions

Cat owners often think cats love milk. So these people may give their cat a big bowl of milk with some leftover cereal in it. Both of these foods are problematic for your furry friend. Cereal will have way too much sugar and a bunch of unnecessary grains. The milk is almost guaranteed to hurt your cat’s stomach.

Kittens love milk because it helps them grow. Adult cats are usually semi-lactose intolerant and will battle stomach pains and diarrhea after drinking milk. This is especially true when the milked is combined with sugar-laden cereals.

As well, some cat owners have found their feline quite interested in cereal. The cat may come meowing when you open the cereal box or when you pour the cereal into the bowl. The cat may look at the cereal and immediately become interested. This is because cereal can look like dry cat food. The cereal can also sound like kibble when opened or being poured.

Stick to the Basics

There is simply no reason to feed your cat cereal. While it won’t cause too much damage to your cat’s overall well being – the cereal offers your cat no nutritional benefits.

Stick to feeding your cat dry cat food combined with a wet canned food on occasion. This provides your furry friend much more nutritional benefits. If you want to give your cat a treat (human food) now and then, you can give your cat a small piece of salmon.