As a kid, watching Garfield the cat go crazy over a plate of lasagna would have had you thinking about whether or not can a cat eat lasagna. You could have assumed that lasagna, being mostly meat, could be the best human food your cat could eat. However, this is not the case. Read this article below as the answer is not simply a yes or a no.
Can a Cat Eat Lasagna?
Cats can eat lasagna, but only when there are no toxic and unhealthy ingredients inside it. A lasagna made of only meat and without any toxic seasonings or spices, like garlic or onion, would be the ideal treat for your feline friend. That means you have to be very careful about what your lasagna is made of before giving it to your cat.
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Do Cats Like Lasagna?
As appetizing as it may sound, lasagna is one of the foods that cats do not enjoy. Lasagna, like sweets, is a carbohydrate-rich meal that, doesn’t really attract a feline’s taste sense. Cats are obligatory carnivores, meaning they thrive on meat-based diets. Cats are felines, and felines thrive on protein. In other words, the meat will be the mainstay of their diet.
When Is Lasagna Bad For Cats?
We will need to get rid of any toxic substances from the lasagna before feeding it to your cat. Let’s break down each ingredient and check if it’s safe or harmful for your cat.
Pasta
Pasta is primarily carbs, and carbohydrates are not poisonous to cats. However, you should avoid offering your feline friend carbs as well. Why? Because cats thrive on protein and carbohydrates, on the other hand, offer no nutritional benefit to them.
Besides, it could cause obesity in your cat. Just like Garfield, from the cartoon, kept on gaining more weight.
Dairy Products
Most often, cats become lactose-intolerant as they grow up, so any dairy product will give your cat a bad tummy time . The lasagna you will give most probably will have cheese in it (a dairy product), which could do more harm than good to your cat.
Seasonings
One properly cooked lasagna could contain a few or all of the following seasonings: garlic, onions, tomatoes, basil, parsley, and oregano.
Let’s not forget about the salt. Tomatoes, parsley, and basil are among the ingredients that are quite safe for cats. Oregano is also reasonably harmless, as long as you don’t overfeed it to your cat or allow the cat to swallow oregano essential oil.
Cats, on the other hand, should not consume garlic, onions, or salt. A little amount of these substances can be extremely toxic to your feline friend.
Even a small amount of garlic will cause toxicity to your cat. Symptoms of garlic poisoning include:
- Gastrointestinal problems
- Breathing issues
- Rapid heartbeat
- Discolored urine
- Lethargy
Read more about garlic toxicity here: Can Cats Eat Garlic? How Much Garlic Is Toxic to Cats? or click the image below:
Onions are also poisonous to cats. Because onions are in the same family as garlic, the symptoms of onion poisoning in cats are identical.
Salt, like garlic and onions, is particularly harmful to cats. Excess salt produces sodium ion poisoning, which is deadly. The earliest signs of sodium ion overdose are frequent drinking and urination, followed by liver and kidney damage.
Meat
You would assume that the only component in the lasagna that is safe for cats to consume is meat. However, most meats used in lasagne aren’t suitable for cats. So don’t be happy if you find your cat eating lasagna, as the meat may be as hazardous as the other ingredients.
Bottom Line
All-in-all, lasagna is very unhealthy food for your cat and you should avoid feeding it. Lasagna is a high-carbohydrate meal that will most probably make your cat sick. The only element in the lasagna that you could safely feed to your feline friend is meat (but only if it’s free of toxins and preservatives). However, don’t expect any nutritional value from it.
If you do feed it to your feline friend, only give it as a small treat and do not substitute it for its daily meal. On an important note, always contact your vet before feeding any human food to your cat.