Can Cats eat Swiss chard?


Vegetables in the cat’s diet: can cats eat Swiss chard? Let’s discover the risks and benefits associated with the consumption of this food.

Vegetables, as we know, are not exactly the cat’s favorite food. Our little miniature tiger needs to eat meat, to get the energy it needs from it. But this does not mean that it cannot make forays into the world of plants. Let’s find out if the cat can eat chard.


Vary your cat’s diet yes or no

It is known that the cat is a carnivorous animal, that meat must occupy a predominant space in its diet and that the other categories of food have little space on its menu. Therefore, having made this premise, it is first of all necessary to understand the meaning of asking whether the cat can eat chard, as well as any other vegetable.

In fact, the question lends itself to a twofold interpretation: one can ask oneself if the food is poisonous for the cat (for example where the feline accidentally ingests it, perhaps in your moment of distraction), as well as one might ask if it is not a food that can have benefits for your body.

There are many foods that are not toxic for the feline, but that it is recommended not to let him eat, because, in the face of substantially non-existent advantages for his metabolism, there are different risks linked to a constant intake over time.

On the other hand, even in nutrition, the feline is an animal of habit. We often think that the cat is picky, but this is not the case: these are real needs inscribed in its DNA.


Can cats eat Swiss chard?

Vegetables contain few calories, therefore they are also suitable food for overweight cats, but not all of them can be given to them; some are in fact toxic for the animal, such as garlic, shallot, onion, green tomatoes. And the chard?

This vegetable is not poisonous to cats; therefore, by eating it, there is no danger of poisoning. It also has some beneficial qualities, containing antioxidants, which are essential in cancer prevention, and being rich in vitamin A.

Chard should be served cooked to the cat, and obviously always fresh. However, it is not a food that the feline can eat regularly. Like all vegetables, it can only integrate what is the cat’s basic diet, for example as a side dish to the main meat dish, and only sporadically or in any case a few times a month.

Furthermore, there are some risks related to the habitual consumption of vegetables: chicory, containing oxalic acid, favors the onset of stones.

Beyond this negative aspect, you must first make sure that the cat is not allergic to vegetables: if it is the first time that he tastes it, let’s just give him a small morsel, observing his reaction. The last factor to consider is taste: just like us, cats have their own personal preferences. You don’t necessarily like to eat chard!


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