Cats can eat all kinds of human food, such as brown rice, meat, eggs, and vegetables, but can cat eat human sausage? The following article will answer this question for you.
What's in your sausage?
To know whether cats can eat human sausage, we need to understand the composition of this food. Sausage is made from processed red meat. Chemicals like nitrates and salt are added to enhance the flavor and keep the sausage longer. But it's these chemicals that make you need to reconsider feeding your cat.
Sausage is made from red meat, which contains a compound called heme. Here is the red pigment that is broken down into smaller compounds in the stomach. These compounds can irritate your cat's gut and cause inflammation.
Also, salt is added to preserve the sausage in the package. For example, people who eat a lot of salt can cause digestive systems and cardiovascular diseases. Cats too, have a very high risk of bloating, constipation, and stomach pain if you feed them too much salt.
Sausage also contains saturated fat, which is high in calories. These ingredients can negatively affect their health and especially stunt their growth.
Why can't cats eat human sausages?
Sausage is a processed food: red meat is processed, cured, smoked, preserved, and packaged. Doing so will lose most of the nutrients it needs. and are replaced by harmful compounds such as trans fats, sodium (salt), and nitrates.
Cats who eat too much salt can cause vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, or salt poisoning. Salt poisoning is a serious condition for both dogs and cats. Foods high in salt, such as hot dogs, can do more harm than good to cats.
For example, 100 grams of ham contains more than 1000 mg of sodium. Ham is also a processed food like hot dogs. That way, you can imagine how much salt is in a sausage, right?
There are different types of sausages. Some types contain ingredients such as onion powder or garlic. This can increase sodium levels which can be harmful to cats. However, you can choose sausages with reduced/no salt, no onion or garlic powder, and low trans fat. Although it is packaged food, it has a short shelf life. So you can still give your cat a sip or two, and a little now and then, just for their safety.
Conclusion - Can cats eat human sausages?
In short, nutritionists and pet health experts do not recommend feeding your cat human sausage unless you choose low salt/chemicals and short shelf life as we mentioned above. It won't hurt if you feed them small, infrequent meals.
Besides hot dogs, any processed meat, such as ham or bacon, is not safe for cats. They contain high amounts of salt, sulfites, and nitrates. These compounds can cause inflammation and indigestion in cats. Plus, they're high in trans fat and high in calories.
Your cat needs a steady diet of protein, amino acids, and vitamins. You can find these nutrients in cat foods such as royal canin mother & baby cat, royal Canin kitten 36, and me-o tuna seeds, or make your own using fresh, clean food. Therefore, never include processed meats in your cat's daily diet to keep them healthy.