Can Cats Eat Marshmallow? | Dog Product Picker

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If you are munching on a bag of marshmallows or drinking hot chocolate with mini marshmallows, it might be tempting to give your feline friend some of these sweet treats. However, cats are obligate carnivores and do not have a sweet tooth. They have human food that is filled with too much sugar. Marshmallow is a sugary food not required in your cat’s diet and has many health risks, even if it is non-toxic to them.

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Cats, Marshmallows, and Their Health

According to research, if young children are fed with marshmallows, the texture of marshmallows allows them to be easily squashed and then get stuck in the child’s throats, causing them to choke. As cat owners, we should know that the same choking hazard can be caused by the marshmallow fluff in our cat’s throats, causing them immediate death. Then there are no nutritional benefits of eating marshmallows as it only contains 4.1 grams of sugar which means it has high sugar content, which makes your cat hate marshmallows.

Marshmallows are just empty calories causing your feline obesity and health issues. Then your feline friend has low sodium tolerance, and 100mg of regular marshmallows contain too much sodium, that is around 80mg, so will give a regular size marshmallow to your feline friend a good idea? I guess not.

This combination of a lot of sodium and a lot of sugar not only causes their blood sugar levels to rise but also becomes a toxic food causing them liver failure, blood pressure, weight gain, and also affects their kidney function, heart function, bone density and gives them a hard time. Even though it is not allowed, if your cat’s health is perfect and you want them to have this sugary treat, then you can give them a small amount of small marshmallows. However, as cat parents, we would recommend that you do not include any type of marshmallow in the cat food.

Nutritional Value of Marshmallow

There are different types of marshmallows, and a typical marshmallow contains a high sugar content that makes up sixty percent of the overall nutritional value. Marshmallows offer little nutritional value to cats and humans and do not offer any health benefits. However, different kinds of marshmallows offer different nutritional needs and a special treat for you.

There is marshmallow root or peep, homemade marshmallows, chocolate marshmallows, etc. all of these small cylindrical shapes containing high amounts of sugar are not the best treats for your meat eaters. These are just junk food that your cat should not eat. If you have an obese cat, there are options like low-calorie, low-sugar treats, so are these the best treats for your feline friend?

The short answer is no. These types of marshmallows contain dangerous ingredients like artificial sweeteners, corn starch, corn syrup, etc., so don’t fall for its sweet taste, as this will only have ill effects on your feline friend’s health. Your cat needs lean protein, and as pet owners, we need to provide them with their favorite snack as a cat treat rather than giving them something that their taste buds do not like.

Do Cats Love Marshmallows?

First thing, cats are obligate carnivores, as we all know, and they do not have any taste buds to recognize the taste of sweet things. Second thing, marshmallows are sixty percent sweet, which means our feline friends will not have any taste of a marshmallow, and if they do, then they will probably hate’ marshmallows. If your feline friend loves eating marshmallows, then that is mainly due to the texture of marshmallows.

Cats love licking marshmallows due to their texture. Even though there is no technical clarification for this trait, it is something that most cats do. Cats love to eat peanut butter, and some pet parents have confidence in that marshmallows have the same texture as spread like peanut butter. That is why they love licking the marshmallows, but other than that, cats do not like marshmallows.

How Much Marshmallow Is Toxic for Cats?

If your feline friend is getting a marshmallow treat that is not too big, only in a small quantity to lick and play around with, then there will be no issues, as marshmallows are not toxic for cats. However, if your cat is obese or has other health issues that can worsen after eating too much sugar, marshmallows can become toxic. If you are feeding your feline friend small marshmallows on a regular basis, then it can also damage their healthy teeth and lead them to become obese.

Marshmallow brands offer sugar-free marshmallows that use xylitol as their main ingredient. This xylitol is fine for human health as it contains fewer calories and makes a great sugar-free treat. However, it has negative effects on cats because as soon as your cat eats marshmallows filled with xylitol, they will start acting weird and have a hard time digesting the sweetener causing them ingestion. If this happens, take them to the vet immediately.

What To Do If My Cat Eats Marshmallow

First of all, on the safe side, keep the marshmallows away from your cat’s reach and even if they still eat a smaller piece by accident, wait and observe their symptoms. Marshmallows are not made up of animal protein, so there are very low chances that your feline friend will eat them happily. Your cat won’t feel they had the best thing in the world.

Suppose your feline friend is normal after eating marshmallows. In that case, there are no concerns but if they start choking, or have difficulty breathing, then immediately run to the vet in an emergency as they might have the marshmallow fluff stuck in their throat, causing breathing problems. So, keeping such food items away from your cat’s reach is always recommended.

Summary

The bottom line is that cats do not like the spongy texture of marshmallows, they do not like the sweetness of marshmallows, and still, if you want them to have this lack of nutrition treat, then it is not a good idea. However, if you are still feeding your feline friends with some marshmallows, give your pet cat marshmallows under your supervision, so if any issues happen or if there are any artificial flavorings or toxic ingredients in the marshmallow, then you can immediately take them to the vet. Marshmallows are not great for human health, but the good news is that we can eat them freely. But as cat parents, it is better to keep our little furry ball safe and away from marshmallows.

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