Does the cat that eats olives run more risks or benefit from it? Everything you need to know about this food and how good it can be for your kitty.
Although it is a carnivorous animal, the cat is also very curious and likes to taste and experiment experiences, including culinary ones, that are always new. Precisely for this reason perhaps he likes olives so much, even if it is a vegetable food. That’s why the cat likes them so much and what happens when the cat eats olives. It is important to know the benefits and risks that run when you put these tasty fruits of the homonymous tree in your mouth.
Olives: how they are made and what they have in common with catnip
Cats like meat but do not disdain vegetables: proof of this is the deep passion they have for catnip, not just for olives. But do these two foods have something in common? Well yes. Both contain nepetalactone, which has exciting effects on our domestic feline. Basically it is a hallucinogen and cats like it a lot for this reason. It is the vomeronasal organ that scrutinizes and analyzes these odors well.
In addition, olives contain oleic acid, the main substance also in pheromones of cats, or its personal smell, which the cat leaves on every useful surface (including the owner) to leave a mark of its passage. They also contain squalene, a natural element similar to nepetalactone.
On a nutritional level, black olives have a poorer composition, but they are not toxic and have no negative effects on the cat; but certainly their body is capable of producing Vitamin A and C on its own, so they don’t really need olives in their diet.
The cat eats olives: what benefits does it derive from them
Given that they do not hurt and the fruit of the olive tree is not toxic in itself, then are they completely good? Let’s say that they are not essential for cat nutrition but have excellent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
Olives are not bad but better not to overdo the quantities to avoid gastrointestinal problems, such as episodes of diarrhea. Among the benefits, Vitamin E, an antioxidant agent that helps prevent and fight the signs of aging even in felines.
In fact, olive oil for the elderly cat is particularly suitable, as it stimulates the body’s defenses and helps the muscular system. Olives help in the prevention of tumors and reduce pain for cats suffering from feline arthritis.
The cat eats olives: what risks it runs
As always, all that glitters is not ‘gold’, so we have to see what dangers there are for our cat when it eats olives. In addition to the core, which can obviously get stuck in the esophagus and create problems for the respiratory system.
If you overdo the quantities, the cat could suffer from diarrhea and other intestinal problems, but it is above all the amount of salt that scares. Those that are picked from the olive trees do not hurt, but those found on the market are very salty because they are immersed in brine.
The symptoms of salt poisoning in cats should not be overlooked, as they can in the long run create problems with the kidney system, cause convulsions and, in the worst cases, even death of the animal. So if we really want the cat to taste some of them, let’s buy them directly unsalted, or wash them well under water before giving them.
