Can Cats Have Butter?

Butter is a semi-solid dairy product obtained by churning, kneading and washing milk fat. This fat is separated from carbohydrates and proteins by breaking the phospholipid membranes, resulting in a high-fat emulsion.

The fat content of butter is 80%, with the remainder being mostly water. This makes it a high-calorie food and not recommended for our cats, especially those that are overweight or obese.

In addition, it can be a very strong food for cats that are particularly lactose intolerant. As cats mature, they stop producing the enzyme to break down lactose, but some cats are more affected than others. It can cause symptoms such as diarrhea, stomach upset, excess gas or vomiting. As it is a very fatty food, it can also promote the development of pancreatitis, a disease that can cause a lot of damage to your little feline and even death.

Since it is not toxic, cats can have a little butter without causing serious harm. However, a large amount will be detrimental. With all this in mind, we can say that butter is not good for cats. Its high fat content can cause gastrointestinal upset in the short term and severe health problems if eaten regularly.

Butter will cause harm to a cat due to its high fat content. You may leave a piece of butter uncovered and find a cat eating it opportunistically as a snack. However, butter is also an ingredient in many recipes which give them richness and structure.

Many pastries such as croissants and Danish pastries use butter to give their rich flavor and delicate texture. As long as they do not contain any toxic ingredients for cats, these can be eaten by a feline in small amounts with minimal problems. However, a cat should not eat a large amount. Fortunately, many cats will not even be tempted by them as they are not usually that appetizing to felines.

A cat's diet should be based mainly on protein. Protein from animal tissue is by far the most important for felines to be properly nourished. It allows them to obtain all the essential nutrients such as taurine and arachidonic acid to keep their body in good condition. Some fat will also be useful, but butter is not a good source of healthy fats for cats.

Butter is usually sold either salted or unsalted. Salted butter is particularly harmful to cats since the high level of sodium can affect their organs. If they consume sodium in large amounts over a prolonged period of time, it can result in kidney or liver failure.

Some butters are also prepared with ingredients that are toxic for cats. For example, garlic butter is a common butter preparation which can harm a cat due to its content of disulfides and thiosulphates. Learn more about what ingredients cats need to stay away from with our list of forbidden food for cats.

As we have explained, cats have have a little butter without causing serious harm. However, this does not mean cats should have butter. The main reasons this is the cause is to do its high content of:

• Calories
• Fats
• Lactose (relatively)

For example, although it may be beneficial in helping our cats expel hairballs more easily, butter food is not good for felines. The saturated fat in butter provides an excess of calories that is not beneficial for cats, especially for those cats that are overweight as it encourages even more weight gain.

Learn more about what is malte paste for cats if you are interested in stopping hairballs.

If your cat has eaten butter, they should not suffer serious damage. It is not a toxic food for felines, but it is not recommended to consume at all. If your cat has ingested butter, especially when it has been a large amount, it may present some type of clinical sign such as:

• Abdominal pain or discomfort
• Diarrhea
• Loss of appetite
• Lethargy
• Vomiting

All of these clinical signs can occur one to four days after eating butter or any other food with a high-fat content. If you notice any of these symptoms in your cat, you can take them to the vet to have him checked, especially if they has eaten a lot of butter. However, this is not usually the case.

Remember that butter is not toxic to cats, but it is heavy, especially for cats that are more sensitive or lactose intolerant. For all these reasons, it is best to never offer butter to your feline.

Learn more about whether felines can consume another staple food for humans with our article asking can cats eat potatoes?

If you want to read similar articles to Can Cats Have Butter?, we recommend you visit our Homemade diets category.