Black olives and green olives are packed with nutritional benefits and great human food. However, that does not mean you can easily give it to your feline friend, and as cat owners, you have to take care of your cat’s health by providing them with a balanced cat’s diet. So, can your furry friend eat different types of olives as a healthy snack or not? Let’s find out.
Can Cats Eat Green or Black Olives?
There are different types of olives, including green olives, black olives, kalamata olives, etc., all having their taste, essential nutrients, and health benefits for a cat’s body. Cats are naturally obligate carnivores and love their meat, but that does not mean that you cannot give them olives as a snack or add some black and green olives to the cat’s diet along with their cat food. Both green olives and black olives are not dangerous food and are a great addition to your cat’s diet.
However, you need to give your cat some natural olives, as they are what cat experts recommend. Giving your feline friend olives dipped in brine as an occasional treat is the main reason your feline friend may have some health issues. The olives dipped in brine have high sodium levels, which is the cause of sodium poisoning in most cats, which is a serious problem.
As pet parents, we should consider the health benefits of olives and give a small amount of olives to our feline friends. Good health of your furry friend means a healthy digestive system and a fun loving and active cat. So, why not add some whole olives to your cat’s balanced diet to give them a good treat?
Cats, Olives, and Health Benefits
Giving a healthy cat; black olives is unnecessary because your cat’s body naturally produces vitamin C. Since cats are obligate carnivores, they get vitamin A by eating the flesh of other animals. So, considering the nutritional values of olives which contain vitamins E, C, and A, your cat does not necessarily need olives. However, you can give small amounts of olives to your feline friend as medicine.
A jar of olives contains many anti-inflammatory properties and anti-oxidant chemical compounds, which are great for your cat to fight off free radicals and stay healthy, making olives a healthy food for cats. These active chemicals present in a small can of olives are quite helpful for your cat’s health as they can even help your feline friend fight off diseases like cancers, helps in reducing joint pains, and enhances your furry friends’ mobility.
But that does not mean that with these benefits, you can give your cats black olives on a regular basis as part of their natural diet, as too much salt can cause sodium poisoning in your cats which is a chronic disease. Sodium toxicity can cause many negative side effects in a lot of cats and is a cause of digestive issues, loss of appetite, heart diseases, stomach issues such as an upset stomach, intestinal blockage, kidney diseases, and others.
Despite these illnesses, there are choking hazards as well, which you need to be very of because your little feline friends can easily choke on olive pits. So, always remove the olive pit whenever you give black olives to your cats. If your cat is diabetic and you give them plain olives even with less salts, your furry friend is most likely to get insulin sensitivity, so giving them olives is not a good idea.
My Cat Ate an Olive Pit, What to Do?
The short answer is, do not panic. If your cat eats olive pits accidentally, then there should be no issues, but if your feline friend eats the olive pits a couple of times, it can be a great issue. Like olive oil, the olive pit is not poisonous but can cause choking, intestinal blockage, and serious digestive issues.
If this happens, take your feline friend to the vet without wasting time. However, if your cat eats anything other than the pits from the olive tree, then it shouldn’t be an issue for you. Olive oil is also non-toxic, a great source of fatty acids, and can be given to your cat in small amounts. The olive leaves and olive wood benefit your cat as munching on olive leaves helps your cat clean their teeth and have healthy skin and fur.
On the other hand, olive wood is a great catnip for cats. Which majority of the cats love to scratch, nibble, and roll on. This plant is not harmful to cats, and a little bit of black olives will not harm your furry friend.
How Much Black Olives Can a Cat Eat?
Black olives have too many safety concerns despite the medicinal benefits they provide, so cat experts recommend that you give a little bit of olives to your cat as a snack. Too many black olives can cause many issues and mainly salt poisoning. You can give a small tablespoon of olive oil to your feline friend and one or two olives occasionally, and anything more than that can cause issues for the cat.
Do Cats Love Black Olives?
Olives give cats the euphoric reaction they usually get with catnip, all due to the smell of olives. A big whiff and a lot of cats are attracted to the fresh black olives. The olives contain a chemical compound known as methyl cyclopentane monoterpene nepetalactone, a similar compound found in catnip, causing them to have their euphoric reactions and for your cat to love black olives. However, not all cats love olives. Just let them have a big whiff of the smell of olive juice, and you can see the reaction and judge.
Summary
The bottom line is that black olives usually have a bitter taste and usually contain too much sodium, which causes high blood pressure in cats and a lot of other health problems, even though black olives are non-toxic for cats. A tiny olive snack will not cause your feline obesity, and if given in moderate quantity, black olives are a great snack; you should give your cat olives if they love eating them. Just look out for any sodium poisoning symptoms, and do not let them eat the olive pit.
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