Updated: August 5, 2022 by Kristen Chapple
One of the best fruit choices during hot summer days, the watermelon is both hydrating and really tasty. So you might ask yourself if your can can also benefit from the vitamins contained in this fruit while at the same time getting some needed water in their body. Can cats eat watermelon? And if so does it provide any benefits to them? Let us find out!
Nutritional Value
Aside from the huge quantity of water, a reason why the name itself contains this substance, this fruit is also rich in vitamins A and C. It also contains minerals like potassium or magnesium and quite a lot of sugar.
The things mentioned above are all good for your cat, aside from sugar which can lead to problems or should definitely be avoided if your cat suffers from diabetes. With that being said, the cat should enjoy this fruit since it will quell their thirst and at the same time provide some vitamins.
Precautions
The seeds of the watermelon, like many other types of seeds, especially those of other melons like cantaloupe and honeydew, contain cyanide and if the cat crushes the seed while eating the fruit that cyanide will be introduced into their organism leading to poisoning. If they eat a bit only the body will try to eliminate that unwanted substance and will do so through vomiting or diarrhea.
If the quantity is higher then the effects can be much more severe. A vet might even have to give your cat a blood transfusion to save the cat from death but this only happens when the cat eats A LOT of seeds. Removing the seeds before feeding your cat a piece of watermelon will save you a lot of trouble so make sure you take this step.
The rind is quite hard and might cause difficulties to bite into for your cat, not to mention problems with its digestion. It is necessary to remove this part because it can cause intestinal blockage that can also lead to life-threatening conditions so if they accidentally ate some then take the pet to the vet as soon as possible.
Food allergies are also possible so start with very small quantities and if you see problems then don’t feed this again to your cat.
Quantities
Since it contains so much water, this fruit can lead to indigestion when consumed in excess so always consider it as a treat instead of something to be given too often because it doesn’t hold very much nutritional value.
Remember that your cat cannot sense things the way we do, they won’t taste the sweet flavor of the watermelon and that makes sense since they should eat meat so their senses are adapted in that direction. If they don’t seem interested in this fruit then you should just keep it away from them.
Short Answer:
Yes, the fruit is safe in small quantities but take out the seeds and the rind.
