You may have heard that cats eat anything that represents or looks like food. Some people assume that cats don’t like eating grains but the reality is that cats do like eating various grains. Because of this factor, humans try to feed their cats everything they eat as they love them and want them to taste the amazing foods of this world.
When it comes to this point, you may ask, can cats eat lentils? Well, this is a valid question but you should also look for the answer, are lentils safe for cats to eat? Or do cats get any benefits from eating lentils? Just continue reading this article till the end so that you can have all the answers along with a bunch of useful information that will help you in keeping your cat healthy and strong.
Table of Contents
Can cats have lentils?
Yes, cats can eat lentils and are often fed by people around the world as well. The fact is that although you can feed lentils to cats, it is not very much recommended by the experts. Your cat may not face any kind of health issues if you feed lentils in moderation but as soon as it eats too much, it may start showing signs and symptoms of different health issues along with some immediate reactions such as vomiting.
Can cats eat lentil sprouts?
Cats can eat lentil sprouts in small quantities, as a supplement. Cats are carnivores and we all know that such animals like eating meat-based foods so that they can satisfy their body requirement.
Cats need greens as well so that they can gain 100% of the required nutrients and vitamins. This is the reason why experts claim that almost all kinds of grass are somehow safe for cats to eat.
Can cats eat lentil soup?
Cats can eat lentil soup but should not. You should know that lentil soup provides almost no health or nutritional benefits to cats. If a food is not contributing to cats’ development, why risk their lives and health for mere taste.
Are lentils healthy for cats to eat?
We can say that lentils don’t bring any harm to cats’ health if given in moderation and if we look from this perspective, lentils are healthy for cats. But if we look into the nutrition facts of the lentils, it doesn’t bring any major health benefits to the cats. These are probably the basic reasons why many experts do not recommend feeding lentils to your cats.
Are lentils bad for cats to eat?
Lentils are not bad for cats as long as you are feeding them as a supplement once in a while. If you feed lentils too much or without a big gap there are possibilities that cats’ health may get disturbed and cats start showing gastrointestinal issues and problems such as:
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Depression
- Food avoidance
- Upset stomach and digestive system
- Laziness
- Dizziness
Apart from this, lentils are considered almost bad for cats’ health because there are more risks and chances of getting health issues than the number of benefits or positive outcomes from the food.
Advantages of feeding lentils to cats:
- Resolves digestion problems.
- Mitigate the chances of constipation to almost zero.
- The high amount of vitamin B for better growth of your cats.
- Probably the highest amount of protein as compared to all other vegetables or greens.
- Cats feel like their belly is full for a long period.
- Mitigates the chances of various chronic diseases.
- Prevent heart diseases.
- Reduces risks of feline arthritis.
- Mitigate chances of different malignancies.
Drawbacks of feeding lentils to cats:
The drawback of feeding lentils to cats usually occurs if you feed too much or let them eat it quite so often. Some of the most common issues that may occur include the following:
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Fatigue
- Irregular heartbeat
- Difficulty in breathing
- Indigestion
Such things usually occur if cats are already dealing with some kind of health problem. If you ever face any of the above-mentioned conditions, it is better to call your vet or take your cats to the clinic as soon as possible. Doing so will mitigate the chances of leading these small issues to a major health hazard.
How to serve lentils to cats?
You need to prepare the lentils to make them suitable for cats to eat. You may think of various ways used to prepare lentils for humans but when it comes to feeding cats, there is only one way to serve lentils which is briefly described below:
- The first thing is to put the lentil in water and let it soak for more than 10-12 hours. It is better to simply let lentils soak for the whole night.
- Put a pan on fire and add simple water. It is highly recommended not to put any kind of spices or salt in the water.
- Take the lentils out of the soaking pot and put them into the heated water.
- Cook lentils properly on medium-level heat. Make sure you don’t cook too much as it will wipe off most of the vitamins. It is better to stop cooking when lentils become mushy.
- Now you may feed lentils directly to the cats or go for a better way which is combining lentils with any other meal.
Nutrition Facts of Lentils:
Before you decide whether food should be given to your cats or not, it is necessary to look at the nutrition facts of that food. Below is the complete detail of what lentils include and which vitamins, minerals, and nutrients will come if you feed them to your cats.
| Raw Lentils (100 grams) | Nutrition Facts |
| Calories | 352 |
| Saturated fat | 0.2g |
| Monounsaturated fat | 0.2g |
| Polyunsaturated fat | 0.5g |
| Sodium | 6mg |
| Potassium | 677 mg |
| Carbohydrates | 63.4g |
| Net carbs | 52.7g |
| Sugar | 2g |
| Fiber | 10.7g |
| Fructose | 0.3g |
| Maltose | 0.3g |
| Sucrose | 1.5g |
| Protein | 24.6g |
| Vitamin A | 2μg |
| Vitamin A IU | 39IU |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.5mg |
| Vitamin C | 4.5mg |
| Vitamin E | 0.5mg |
| Vitamin K | 5μg |
| Calcium | 35mg |
| Iron | 6.5mg |
| Magnesium | 47 mg |
| Phosphorus | 281mg |
| Zinc | 3.3mg |
| Copper | 0.8mg |
| Manganese | 1.4mg |
| Selenium | 0.1μg |
| Thiamine | 0.9mg |
| Riboflavin | 0.2mg |
| Niacin | 2.6mg |
| Folate | 479μg |
| Choline | 96.4mg |
| Water | 8.3g |
| Tryptophan | 0.2g |
| Threonine | 0.9g |
| Isoleucine | 1.1g |
| Leucine | 1.8g |
| Lysine | 1.7g |
| Methionine | 0.2g |
| Cystine | 0.3g |
| Phenylalanine | 1.2g |
| Tyrosine | 0.7g |
| Valine | 1.2g |
| Arginine | 1.9g |
| Histidine | 0.7g |
| Alanine | 1g |
| Aspartic acid | 2.7g |
| Glutamic acid | 3.8g |
| Glycine | 1g |
| Proline | 1g |
| Serine | 1.1g |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you use lentils as cat litter?
Some cats may require litter to urinate in a proper or appropriate way. You can use lentils as litter and they are quite helpful in this regard but not considered a good option. You have to ensure that whatever you are putting as litter is accepted by the cats and is non-absorbent as well. Negative to any of these two conditions may not bring you the results you want.
Can kittens eat lentils?
Not at all. Kitten’s stomachs are sensitive as they are in the development phase and are not as powerful as an adult cat. Kittens should never be given lentils even in small amounts. When they grow big, you should start with minor quantities, maybe one or two pieces so that you can see how they react and whether they like eating it or not.
What are the alternatives of lentils to cats?
Various foods, greens, and snacks can be used as an alternative to lentils. You should know that lentils are just a supplement, not a proper meal for cats to eat. It should be treated as a supplement but if you are keen on finding an alternative, below are some:
- Blueberries
- Carrot
- Barley
- Corn
- Wheat
- Rice
- Rye
The unique literary talents of Dr. A. Barton are well known throughout the veterinary profession. He is a regular contributor to the New York City Veterinarian and his professional articles have also appeared in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Journal of Small Animal Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Cornell Veterinarian and Philadelphia Medicine. He is the only veterinarian ever to have had an article published in the human medical publication, What’s New.
