Is there anything easier than buying some chocolate pudding or even making some? This chocolate treat tickles our taste buds, but what about our pets? Can cats eat chocolate pudding or other chocolatey treats?
You probably asked yourself a million times if certain foods pose a threat to your kitten. That’s the right thing to do before feeding your pet any human food. With nowadays’ high demands, food production has made significant advances.
This means less healthy, organic food and more commercial foods filled with preservatives. And what hides behind these marketing tricks can be a danger not only to you, but to your pet’s health too.
So your cat seems intrigued by your chocolate pudding and you’re now wondering if she can eat a little bit. Unfortunately, due to its ingredients, chocolate pudding isn’t the healthiest choice for your fluff.
Just like the human food market, there are lots of dietary choices for cats. With these various options in mind, chocolate pudding can be replaced with some cat-appropriate treats, such as dried fish.
Is chocolate pudding safe for cats to eat?
To be honest, no. Cats shouldn’t be eating chocolate pudding as it can cause gastrointestinal upset. One of the main ingredients of a chocolate pudding is chocolate. Unfortunately, it’s poisonous to felines.
Other than chocolate being toxic to your furkid, the rest of the ingredients provide little to no benefits. So, it’s safe to say that chocolate pudding isn’t safe for cats. Let’s get into detail and see what takes chocolate pudding off of your cat’s menu.
Why is chocolate bad for cats?
Some ingredients that are harmless to humans can be detrimental to your pet’s health. The same is when it comes to this sweet treat called chocolate.
Chocolate contains compounds that make it lethal to cats. These are known as caffeine and theobromine. While humans’ use of these two compounds is widespread and safe, it can be fatal for cats.
The reason theobromine is toxic to felines is that they can’t break it down easily as humans. Apart from that, theobromine can cause loss of appetite, rapid heart rate, and headache.
When it comes to caffeine, it’s equally dangerous to your furchild. Caffeine consumption in cats leads to high blood pressure which can result in cardiac arrhythmia. Besides, caffeine can also cause problems in your cat’s intestines. This can lead to vomiting and diarrhea.
It doesn’t matter what type of chocolate it is. Even milk chocolate can be poisonous to your pet. Dark chocolate is the most toxic as it contains higher amounts of theobromine and caffeine.
Can cats eat chocolate pudding because of milk?
This might sound discouraging, but no. Chocolate pudding contains lots of milk and this ingredient can wreak havoc in your cat’s stomach. The reason for concern is lactose.
Milk, and any other dairy product, contains certain amounts of lactose. Lactose is a sugar found in milk and is safe for most humans. However, felines don’t have the required enzymes called lactase that would help them break down the sugar.
This means that cats can’t digest milk. They can’t tolerate the amount of lactose found in milk, especially cow’s milk. Hence the term lactose intolerance. Even some humans are lactose intolerant and have a hard time consuming milk.
Therefore, milk is another reason your cat shouldn’t eat chocolate pudding. Although it’s not poisonous, it can upset your kitten’s stomach, causing some mild symptoms such as diarrhea and abdominal pain.
If you want to introduce milk to your fluffball, it’s best to go with lactose-free milk. These can be found in practically every store these days. Cats can also safely consume almond milk.
Is butter bad for cats?
Butter is another ingredient used for making chocolate pudding. As you know, butter is considered a dairy product and therefore isn’t recommended for cats. It can give your feline the runs and also cause stomach ache.
Butter is high in fat and oil, which is another red light for cats. These can mess with your cat’s digestion. Besides, added ingredients like salt just add up to butter being non-beneficial to felines.
Small amounts aren’t likely to hurt your floof, but make sure your pet stays away from butter. Stomach distress is bound to happen if your cat eats too much of it.
Sugar content in chocolate pudding: a reason for concern?
Sugar has climbed to the top of the list of humans’ most-liked condiments. It’s used in baking goods, in food toppings, and to add flavor to drinks. However, sugar can sometimes be overused.
Excess amounts of sugar are often found in bought goods to help preserve foods. Besides, humans have a sweet tooth, so it’s used to make food more appealing. Still, high quantities of sugar can be detrimental to our health.
And the same goes for cats – sugar can cause harm to your feline. If she has a lick or two, it won’t necessarily hurt her. But, regular intake of this condiment can become a disaster.
Sugar is a carb and cats don’t require the intake of carbs. In fact, they have a hard time digesting sugar because their bodies aren’t made for breaking down plant material. These nutrients don’t serve your cat’s health in any way. Sugar isn’t toxic to cats, but can lead to some unwanted consequences.
Your cat can develop teeth problems such as tooth decay from eating too much sugar. And just like humans, felines are prone to developing chronic diseases. One of these is diabetes, which in the long run can ruin your cat’s quality of life.
Besides these medical conditions, cats easily become overweight if they eat too many carbs. Sugar is one of the leading causes of obesity, which furthermore expands the list of health problems.
Pressure on joints can be one of the main consequences. This can result in your cat being in constant pain from the pressure of the weight. Moreover, it can make moving around hard for her, never mind jumping and playing. All in all, sugar can badly affect the quality of your pet’s life.
And since chocolate pudding is packed with sugar, it’s only obvious that cats can’t eat it on a regular basis.
What about salt?
Although found in small amounts, salt in chocolate pudding is another reason cats can get sick eating it. Cats need small amounts of sodium in their bodies to keep healthy and balanced.
Yet, any excess salt can eventually cause harm to your pet. One of the effects is sodium toxicity. This condition occurs if your cat eats too much salt.
Although unlikely to happen from consuming chocolate pudding, you should keep an eye on the symptoms. Some of the signs of sodium poisoning include excessive thirst and urination, as well as vomiting, diarrhea, and lethargy.
Is cornstarch dangerous for cats?
Cornstarch is made from corn. Shocking, right? Jokes aside, cornstarch isn’t toxic to felines, but it’s not beneficial either. While it’s easily digested, it doesn’t hold any nutritional value to felines. Cornstarch is a carbohydrate, which means it’s unnecessary in a cat’s diet.
Grains like corn can sometimes be found in commercial cat foods, serving the purpose of fillers. So, no harm can be done if your cat eats cornstarch, but don’t encourage her either.
Do cats like chocolate pudding?
Chocolate pudding is a treat for many humans. We enjoy the sweet flavor melting in our mouths. Cats eating chocolate pudding is a cute scene, but a very dangerous one as well. Fortunately, this isn’t a common scenario.
This might come as a surprise, but cats don’t have a sweet tooth. Yes, you read that right. Felines don’t have the same taste buds as humans. In fact, they lack certain taste buds that are in charge of detecting sweetness.
Before you pout and feel sad for your cat, think of the above-mentioned consequences of sugar. The impact that sweets have on cats is concerning. Therefore, we can be thankful for cats being sweet-blind.
Why are cats attracted to eating chocolate pudding?
So, if it isn’t the sweetness that attracts cats to chocolate pudding, then what is? The answer is fat, and most of it is saturated fat. Saturated fats are the unhealthy type of fat that can drive up your cat’s cholesterol.
Felines need fat on a daily basis as it provides them with energy. However, this type of fat found in chocolate pudding can’t benefit your cat. These solid fats increase the risk of heart disease in felines.
Chocolate pudding is calorie-dense
As if we haven’t stated enough reasons for your cats to stay away from eating chocolate pudding, here is some more. Chocolate pudding is abundant in calories, which is bad for both you and your furry friend.
Felines need calories on a regular basis to keep them going. Roughly, two hundred calories per day will satisfy a cat’s needs. Chocolate pudding has about 140 calories per 100 grams. A lot, right?
If your feline’s calorie intake is excessive, the result is the same as in humans. The outcome is weight gain and, trust me, you don’t want an overweight cat. Extra pounds can cause a series of complications in felines.
They can quickly become unable to burn those extra calories off and their greed for more can get the best of them. Unnecessary calories lead to obesity, obesity leads to medical problems such as high cholesterol, blood pressure, and joint pressure.
To sum up
In conclusion, cats can’t eat chocolate pudding. Chocolate is poisonous to cats and shouldn’t be fed even in small amounts. Other ingredients like milk and butter are also off-limits for felines, which is the reason vanilla pudding is no better than chocolate.
Cats are lactose intolerant and will have a hard time digesting milk and other dairy products. Moreover, the sugar and salt content in chocolate pudding is also worrisome.
All in all, your cat is better off without pudding.
Read more: Can Cats Eat Banana Pudding? Right Or Wrong Choice?
