Updated: August 11, 2022 by Kristen Chapple
Some love broccoli and others not so much but the fact which no one can deny is that this vegetable is really healthy for us. Now although cats should eat meat primarily, they also require some other vitamins and we can think that perhaps broccoli is a good choice. Can cats eat broccoli? Let us find out all about it here!
Nutritional Value
Among the most important elements in broccoli are the antioxidants and these can help ward off the free radicals in the body so as to prevent cancer. Another benefit is that they are a source of roughage so they enable better bowel movement and an improved digestive system both for us and for cats.
Thus you can think of broccoli as an option for a pet with an upset tummy. Their usual way of trying to cure an upset stomach is by eating some grass but broccoli is a much better choice.
Another benefit is the fact that broccoli lowers the amount of cholesterol in a cat’s body and this can help with their weight problems. Among the most important nutritional elements contained in this vegetable are vitamin E, thiamin, panthothenic acid, calcium, vitamin K and B6 as well as fiber.
Precautions
There aren’t any toxic elements for cats in broccoli but you still have to keep in mind that their stomach isn’t well adapted to digesting large amounts of vegetables. This means that they will have difficulties processing the compounds found in broccoli and this can lead to their stomach becoming upset.
For this reason, whenever you introduce some new food try to do is as gradually as you can so that you can stop if you see any adverse symptoms such as vomiting or diarrhea.
Best Way Of Serving
Raw broccoli is more difficult to digest than the cooked version and thus the risk of stomach pains will increase. It is better to try and boil it for a few minutes because that will allow it to decompose with ease. Make sure you let it cool down before serving it since the cat can get quite a serious burn.
One other thing to pay attention to is not to serve broccoli from your own plate. If it was cooked for human consumption then it is probably coated with oil or butter and it also probably has a lot of salt. All of these additional ingredients are quite bad for your furry companion so it is better to keep them to yourself.
Short Answer:
Yes, cats can eat broccoli and it provides them with quite a lot of benefits but you should only keep this as a treat, never as a main dish.
