Updated: August 11, 2022 by Kristen Chapple
French fries aren’t too healthy for us but that doesn’t stop us from enjoying them to the last one. They are really delicious on their own, with ketchup or as a side dish with a good steak and if you have a cat then they might grow curious about that snack you seem to like so much. Thus comes the question: can cats eat French fries? Let us find out!
Nutritional Value
We dip the sliced potatoes into oil and cook them in that manner so that means that they will have more fat and calories in the end. Cats do need a lot of calories for their diet but that should come from meat since only that contains some of the key nutrients they require such as taurine.
The fats from French fries are saturated ones but they have very few fatty acids essential for cats such as Omega-3 or Omega-6. Thus the calories they gain from French fries will just provide unnecessary calories and that will lead to weight gain that can cause problems. You will still have to feed them their regular food afterward or they will become anemic over time.
Other Problems
We discussed plain potatoes in another article and a plain cooked potato is still not too healthy for cats. French fries or chips, on the other hand, are among the most unhealthy things that can be made from potatoes. If your cat eats dry kibble then they probably already have a lot of carbohydrates in their diet but if canned food is their regular meal then some additional carbohydrates can do some good. It’s just a very bad choice to make those come from French fries.
A small serving of French fries from McDonald’s has around 134 milligrams of sodium and that is three times over the daily intake recommended for cats so this means that you will get your cat poisoned with sodium just from such a snack. Since you wouldn’t want to cause urinary problems, kidney damage, seizures or even more serious problems we recommend that you keep those fries to yourself.
Extra Flavor
We usually add some sauce to the fries to make them tastier and among the most popular choices are ketchup or garlic sauce. Garlic is very toxic for cats so you should never offer them such a treat as it will poison your cat, but how about ketchup?
Ketchup can contain onion powder which is also toxic for cats but even without that the sodium is often too much. One other problem is the acidity of the ketchup which can cause stomach problems and if your cat starts vomiting after the treats you offer them then you should know that it was a bad idea.
Short Answer:
No they shouldn’t eat this since French fries offer no nutritional value and they are the most unhealthy form of cooking a potato.
