Is it just me, or does your cat come up to you and sniff you every time you eat a banana?
Our first cat Walker used to love eating bananas. Every time you would walk to the kitchen and start splitting a banana peel he would come running to eat the banana. If you didn’t give him a piece of banana immediately, he started begging you, because he wanted it that much!
Our cats have weird obsessions, some even like weird treats. I thought that cats would only go wild when they smelled meat or fish, but I was clearly wrong.
My cat, Beau was never a huge fan of bananas. Although, Beau doesn’t beg for food the way that Walker does. Beau lets us eat and only sometimes will he sit at the table, but usually at our feet sleeping. The only time Beau was ever interested in bananas was if he saw Walker eat one. Beau would immediately start begging us to feed him some.
So it’s clear that there is something about banans that gets the cats going wild, but does that make bananas safe for cats to eat? If so, how much banana should you feed your cat at a time? Are there ever any times you shouldn’t feed your cat bananas?
Let’s dive into it!
SHORT ANSWER
Bananas are a good treat for cats as long as they aren’t overfed.
ARE BANANAS CONSIDERED TOXIC TO CATS
Absolutely not!
WHAT IS THE NUTRITIONAL VALUE IN A BANANA
Well, bananas are filled with potassium, which will help promote healthy kidneys and a healthy heart. Although this is true, bananas are also filled with carbohydrates (or carbs), which are unnecessary for cats. Bananas are also filled with a good amount of fibre, and vitamins.
A big issue with bananas is that they have levels of natural sugar that are too high for cats. If fed long-term a cat may develop conditions such as diabetes.
CAN CATS ABSORB ALL OF THE NUTRIENTS IN BANANAS?
Unfortunately not. Bananas wouldn’t be considered a good supplement for cats as they cannot break down a number of the nutrients found in bananas.
Cats would only really benefit from the fibre found in bananas. So if your kitty is showing signs of constipation, a banana may be helpful for your cat.
That being said if constipation is something that you are commonly dealing with I would recommend speaking to the vet about changing your cat’s diet. You can also use alternatives for fibre such as pumpkin which have less sugar.
WHAT HAPPENS IF CATS GET OVERFED CARBS?
Well, since cats can’t fully digest certain carbs they become at risk of obesity.
CAN CATS TASTE THE SWEET IN BANANAS?
No, which makes it a bit weird that Walker is so obsessed with Bananas. We can safely assume that Walker just enjoys the texture of the banana.
CAN CATS BECOME OBESE OR DEVELOP DIABETES FROM BANANAS?
Absolutely! This is another reason why you’d want to make sure not to overfeed bananas or feed bananas too regularly.
I would also recommend avoiding feeding bananas to overweight cats as they are at higher risk of developing conditions such as diabetes, kidney failure and other long-term conditions.
CAN CATS BE ALLERGIC TO BANANAS?
As is with most foods, yes.
Although rare, allergies may appear as rashes, diarrhea and vomiting. To ensure that your cat does not have an allergy to bananas, only feed your cat a very, very minimal amount and begin feeding more over time.
As mentioned, you wouldn’t want to feed your cat too much banana anyways, so allergies, in general, are commonly avoided.
CAN CATS EAT BANANA PEELS?
No, they cannot. Banana peels are too thick for cats to digest and can also be a choking hazard for cats.
I would avoid feeding banana peels to your cat at all costs.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF FEEDING YOUR CAT A BANANA?
Honestly, I would only feed my cat a banana if I was using it as a special training treat. The only other time I would feed my cat a banana is… well if I was out of treats and I wanted to give my cat a treat!
The thing is, we don’t give many treats in our household and usually, they are dental treats. So, the chances of me feeding my cat a banana are actually slim to none.
WHEN SHOULD I FEED A BANANA AND HOW MUCH
If you were to feed your cat a banana, I would recommend only feeding about half of the top knuckle of your pinky. So literally a very small scraping off of the top of the banana, not more than half a centimetre.
Make sure you are not using banana as a supplement in your cat’s diet without consulting your vet first. Your vet should always be in a conversation about how severe your cat’s constipation is, especially if it is longterm.
CONCLUSION
Though bananas are a tasty treat and my cats are definitely interested in them, they aren’t necessarily the best treats for cats.
Bananas are great in small doses. You have little to worry about if your cat has eaten a small amount of banana, however, if your cat has eaten a big portion of banana make sure to monitor them for an upset stomach.
That being said bananas should never be fed longterm unless instructed by a qualified vet. Due to the fact that they do not provide enough fibre and far too much sugar bananas are not usually recommended as a fibre replacement.
So I’m curious pet parents, how many of your cats love bananas? How often do you give it to them? Let me know in the comments below!
Other foods you might be curious if cats can or can’t eat:
Nuts/Legumes: Peanuts | Cashews | Pecans
Fruits/Vegetables: Olives | Watermelon | Bananas
Treats/Liquids: Ice Cream | Almond Milk | Coffee | Soy Milk
Misc. Plants: Roses
I have 2 very large male cats I adopted as kittens in 2017. Both of them….Oliver an Pagan basically taste everything I eat an have not had anything they do Not like. Lol. They can both be asleep an when I go to bed with bowl of ice cream they race into my room, sit on my lap an wait to lick the bowl clean. Love the ice cream and chocolate syrup.
They love black olives raw potatoes bananas they chew on the peel if on the counter They even eat oatmeal with me for breakfast Oliver(Ollie) gives nose kisses for honey buns those are his favorite
Wow! Seems like each day they become more “human” 😉
I still haven’t found any of the fruit that we leave out chewed on, and I’m pretty glad about that!
Never had any cat here that even was remotely interested in banana…and not the dogs either, though both MJF & Dalton want(ed) to see/smell what we were having. And strange, petcretary herself has issues with Banana. She cannot even try to eat an unripe one, she will get swelling in her lips and mouth. The riper the less trouble…but…even then raw banana will give her huge digestive issues. Cooked ones as in banana bread, etc, causes no trouble. Go figure. And now we hardly have them in the huse on account of the high carb content which on Paleo/keto styles of eating are not good…
Oh no (in regards to your petcretary having issues with bananas!) We’re huge banana fans in our household. I have at least 2 or 3 a day. (That might be too much now that I think about it!)
Glad to hear you can eat banana bread though! My partner makes a mean banana bread! If you’re ever in town I’ll ask him to make you some!
Every cat we have will sniff a banana, then back away from it like the smell came from the outhouse, and not from the tropics! Cauliflower, is another story, which is weird in itself…
Yeah, that’s Beau usually. Walker immediately opens his mouth and tries to take a bite!