Updated: August 11, 2022 by Kristen Chapple
Beans come in a very large variety and they are all a great source of proteins, something that both us and our pets need plenty of. That being said, cats are carnivores so that should be their main diet, but is there anything harmful in adding some veggies on the side? Can cats eat beans? Let us find out!
Nutritional Value
We have black beans, chickpeas, green beans, kidney beans and many other assortments so when we take them as a whole we can only consider the general properties they have. As we mentioned, they contain ample amounts of proteins and that is something cats require.
Aside from that they have a lot of calcium, iron, magnesium and the vitamin B6, which help with the immunity and overall health of your furry friend. There aren’t any toxic elements in beans but they still will put a strain on a cat’s digestive system since they aren’t used to assimilate such food.
Problems
The digestive distress that they cause in the form of excess gas and stomach pains can be more uncomfortable for cats than it is for us so the quantities of beans should always be kept very low. You can compliment their diet with a few of these if you know they need the nutritional elements but remember that meat should be their main diet.
Wheat or corn that can be found in cat food is something that signifies a lower quality product as these don’t offer to many health benefits and are more of a filler. Beans should also be thought of as filler when you see them in cat food products so try to stay clear of them.
Canned Beans
Beans that are prepared for human consumption have many spices to make them taste better so you should consider each of these separately if you want to determine how safe they are for cats. Canned beans have salt added to preserve them better and to add to the taste but this makes them problematic for cats as they are a lot more sensitive to sodium than we are.
You can reduce some of the salt through rinsing but they will probably still be way to salty for a cat so it’s better to just keep them for yourself instead of risking poisoning your cat.
One last thing is that you should make sure you cook the beans properly before feeding them to a cat as they couldn’t possibly eat them if they are raw. A simple steaming of the beans in some water should do the trick but don’t add anything else in them. Just mix a few of them with their regular food but remember not to do this too often since meat is a much better source of proteins.
Short Answer:
They are safe for cats but it will be difficult for them to digest so they should be kept to a small amount, preferably just giving the cat some if you know they need the nutrients.
