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My Cat Accidentally ate Pecans! Can Cats Eat Pecans?

July 2, 2018 By Johnny Salib 14 Comments

kalista-in-car-4

Hey Pet Parents & Pet Lovers,

Have you ever been in the situation where you drop food on the ground and your kitty comes running to gobble up everything? I know that happens a lot in our household, but I’ve been lucky to pick up just about everything. Dropping food, especially nuts gets me thinking, can cats eat things like pecans? The first thought is, obviously, pecans wouldn’t be part of a cat’s main diet and I wouldn’t hand my cat a bowl of pecans, but are they allergic to them? Should I be worried if they eat one by mistake? So let’s get to it, what’s the answer?

Short Answer

Yes, they can! But you want to be very careful!

Allergies

Most cats won’t have any allergies to pecans, although there are a few that will have allergies that show signs with hotspots, vomiting, and diarrhea. If your cat shows any of these signs make sure you are extra careful to not let them near pecans. Pecans shouldn’t have any effect by physical contact or scent and only should affect the cat if ingested.

Other Negatives to Feeding Cats Pecans

Pecans are very high in fat and should not be fed to cats on a regular basis. Again, I would strongly recommend against feeding your cat pecans even if they aren’t poisonous to them, but foods that are too high in fats will cause obesity, can lead to pancreatitis, diarrhea, vomiting and kidney failure. These are all things that you want to avoid, especially as pancreatitis and kidney failure are diseases that your cat will not be able to bounce back from past a certain stage. Depending on the type of pecan you get (salted or unsalted) your cat may also be susceptible to sodium poisoning, which can have some serious long-term effects.

What should I do if my cat has ingested too many nuts or is allergic?

There isn’t really much you can do by yourself. I strongly urge you to provide your cat with lots of water. If your cat isn’t drinking and you are comfortable, give them some liquids via syringe while you rush them to the vet. A little bit of throw-up should be fine, as long as it doesn’t prolong itself as it will cause dehydration and ultimately may lead to death.

Conclusion

As I’ve stated multiple times in the article, I wouldn’t make it a habit to feed your kitty pecans. Your cat should be fine if they mistakingly ingest one or two, but it should never be a habit.  The most common culprits for ingesting pecans are outdoor cats who eat pecans straight from the trees, so if you have a pecan tree in the yard you may want to train them to stay away from the tree or you may have to wait until they’ve learned their lesson that these tasty nuts are giving them upset stomachs.

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

Filed Under: Beau, Cat Care, Cats, Pet Care

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About Johnny Salib

Johnny is a twenty-something-year-old pet blogger and the proud pet parent of two cats and a chinchilla. He also writes music directly aimed to help keep cats chilled out and stress free.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Elizabeth Bond says

    October 10, 2019 at 2:36 am

    I found your site by googling “Are pecans poisonous for cats” because my newly adopted 5-month-old silver tabby just helped herself to an unsalted, home-roasted, pecan half. We are not encouraging her to eat human food, but it was so cute I had to laugh. She crunched it in four pieces or so and munched it down. I will not encourage this behavior, but thanks for publishing your research on the Web to reassure owners of the occasional thief.

    Reply
    • Johnny Salib says

      October 10, 2019 at 3:21 pm

      No worries! Hopefully, she stops this naughty behaviour! tsk tsk! šŸ˜‰

      Reply
  2. Daniel Mathis says

    November 27, 2018 at 2:57 pm

    I am glad this is here, but I suggest editing “…too high in cats causes obesity.” Though it made me laugh.

    Reply
    • Johnny Salib says

      November 27, 2018 at 2:59 pm

      Haha! My bad! Thank you for the suggestion, definitely changed that to fats šŸ˜‰

      Reply
  3. Ellen Pilch says

    July 2, 2018 at 9:46 pm

    Great post. Some cats will eat anything.

    Reply
    • Johnny Salib says

      July 3, 2018 at 12:28 pm

      That they will!

      Reply
  4. The Island Cats says

    July 2, 2018 at 5:24 pm

    We’ve eaten some weird things, but never pecans. We bet they would be fun to bat around though.

    Reply
    • Johnny Salib says

      July 2, 2018 at 8:24 pm

      Haha! It’s always funny to see what the cats will bat around :’)

      Reply
  5. da tabbies o trout towne says

    July 2, 2018 at 12:56 pm

    we think R commint went a stray again……we gotta get a harnezz ! šŸ™‚ ♄♄

    Reply
    • Johnny Salib says

      July 2, 2018 at 1:15 pm

      Hahaha we got you šŸ™‚ it’s up noe

      Reply
  6. da tabbies o trout towne says

    July 2, 2018 at 12:54 pm

    beau….tell dad ewe wood rather had a pecan PIE…but !!!!:) hay thanx for sharin; it izza
    concern bout peepulz foodz that mite get injested bye miz take ~~~~~~~ and happee
    bee lated canada day ~~ ā˜ŗā™„

    Reply
    • Johnny Salib says

      July 2, 2018 at 1:10 pm

      Thank you friends. Same to you! And yes very important info to know!

      Reply
  7. Eastside Cats says

    July 2, 2018 at 10:48 am

    Our boys will taste ANYTHING they can find, but we rarely have pecans in the house. It’s good to know that a taste or a bit of eating probably won’t hurt them, so thanks !

    Reply
    • Johnny Salib says

      July 2, 2018 at 11:03 am

      Heyyo no problem at all

      Reply

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