If you are a person who follows a diet after proper knowledge about the food, you would have an idea that quinoa is placed in one of the top positions of the foods that should be added to a human diet. This is because it is filled with various nutrients, minerals, and vitamins. All these things combined have the ability to not only satisfy your nutritional needs but keep you healthy for a long time as well.
When cat owners get to know about the nutritional facts and benefits that come from it, they ask the same question on different forums. Can cats eat quinoa? And if yes, is quinoa safe for cats to eat? Well, just stick to this article and you will have all your answers as it includes all the most frequently asked questions about quinoa and how they behave if given to your cats?.
Table of Contents
Can cats have quinoa?
Cats can eat quinoa and they will most probably face no health issues if given in small quantities. It is quite beneficial for them as it includes magnesium, potassium, fiber, iron, and many other minerals along with vitamins that are necessary for their better growth and good health.
One thing to keep in mind is that quinoa should only be given as a supplement. You should never include it in cats’ daily routine diet because feeding too much or too often can lead to different health issues.
Can cats eat cooked quinoa?
In a single word, Yes. Cats can eat cooked quinoa while most experts and vets recommend that quinoa should only be given to cats in cooked form. The reason is that quinoa is a bit hard and difficult to chew. When it is cooked properly, it becomes fluffy which means that cats will find it easy to chew. Cooked quinoa is also easy for cats to digest because of its soft texture.
Do cats like eating quinoa?
Most cats do like eating quinoa but some also find it extremely weird. There are possibilities that your cat may simply avoid eating quinoa. This is the reason why experts recommend adding properly cooked quinoa into cats’ other meals. In this way, cats who don’t even like the quinoa will eat it while getting all the amazing health benefits this food has to offer.
If you know that your cat doesn’t like quinoa, it is better to add a small amount to her food because if you put too much quinoa in the cat’s food, the whole of the food bowl may go to waste as cats may not eat at all.
Is quinoa safe for cats?
Yes. The composition including nutrients, minerals, vitamins, and fibers in quinoa is considered to be almost perfect to be used as cat food.
Make sure you only feed quinoa to your cats as a supplement because it is not that good to be included as a regular meal.
Experts claim that you should add quinoa in cats’ other meals as it will bring a huge amount of healthy and nutritional benefits without causing any major risks of health issues.
Is quinoa bad for cats?
Quinoa is not bad for cats as long as you are feeding it in moderation. People assume quinoa is a bad thing for cats just because it is a grain but the reality is quite different.
Because of the nutrients that come with feeding quinoa to cats, many experts have claimed it to be a wonderful supplement for cats to eat.
Advantages of feeding quinoa to cats:
- Maintaining the glucose level in the cat’s body.
- Strengthens the muscles and other body parts.
- Help the digestive system work efficiently.
- Maintain appropriate blood pressure.
- Speeds up the healing process in case of injury.
- Makes the immune system of cats more powerful.
- Reduces the chances of getting cancer.
Nutrition Facts of Quinoa:
Quinoa has been categorized as one of the most comprehensive foods not just for human beings but for pets as well.
Feeding quinoa is considered healthy for cats because it comes with a wide range of vitamins, nutrients, and minerals.
Below is a table mentioning every little chuck on nutrition in quinoa.
| Uncooked Quinoa (100 grams) | Nutrition Facts |
| Calories | 368 |
| Saturated fat | 0.7g |
| Monounsaturated fat | 1.6g |
| Polyunsaturated fat | 3.3g |
| Sodium | 5mg |
| Potassium | 563mg |
| Carbohydrates | 64.2g |
| Net carbs | 57.2g |
| Fiber | 7g |
| Protein | 14.1g |
| Vitamin A | 1μg |
| Vitamin A IU | 14IU |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.5mg |
| Vitamin E | 2.4mg |
| Calcium | 47mg |
| Iron | 4.6mg |
| Magnesium | 197 mg |
| Phosphorus | 457mg |
| Zinc | 3.1mg |
| Copper | 0.6mg |
| Manganese | 2mg |
| Selenium | 8.5μg |
| Thiamine | 0.4mg |
| Riboflavin | 0.3mg |
| Niacin | 1.5mg |
| Folate | 184μg |
| Choline | 70.2mg |
| Betaine | 630.4mg |
| Water | 13.3g |
| Tryptophan | 0.2g |
| Threonine | 0.4g |
| Isoleucine | 0.5g |
| Leucine | 0.8g |
| Lysine | 0.8g |
| Methionine | 0.3g |
| Cystine | 0.2g |
| Phenylalanine | 0.6g |
| Tyrosine | 0.3g |
| Valine | 0.6g |
| Arginine | 1.1g |
| Histidine | 0.4g |
| Alanine | 0.6g |
| Aspartic acid | 1.1g |
| Glutamic acid | 1.9g |
| Glycine | 0.7g |
| Proline | 0.8g |
| Serine | 0.6g |
How to serve quinoa to cats?
It has been said many times that quinoa is good for cats to eat but it really doesn’t mean that all cats like to eat it. You need to be creative if you want your cats to eat quinoa without showing any avoidance of food or issues.
The best thing is to simply put a little amount of quinoa in cats’ daily meals. This will allow cats to take the grains inside their body with the taste and texture of overall food. Apart from this, it is highly recommended to properly cook the quinoa grains before feeding them to your cats.
What are the alternatives to quinoa for cats?
If you don’t want to feed quinoa to your cats, you can also go for cat foods that contain a small number of such grains in their composition. Various cat foods include powder or direct grains such as corn, quinoa, and many others. Some of the best things that you can feed your cats instead of quinoa include:
- Peas
- Apple
- Oats
- Rice
- Rye
- Wheat
- Omega-3 oil
Frequently Asked Questions
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Can kittens eat quinoa?
Kittens having aged less than 12 months should not eat quinoa at all. Small or young cats have very soft and sensitive stomachs which can be easily disturbed by feeding inappropriate foods. It is better to only feed specific cat food to kittens until their digestive system is capable of accepting and digesting additional foods.
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Is quinoa flour healthy for cats to eat?
Experts have different opinions in this regard. Various authorities claim that there is no risk of bad health if cats eat quinoa flour while others claim that it can cause some health issues mainly including vomiting, difficulty in breathing, and digestive problems. Flour may have health benefits but should be given to cats after proper consideration.
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What are the cons of feeding quinoa to cats?
Just because there is a high amount of fiber and other minerals in quinoa, there are possibilities that some health issues may occur if your cat eats too much. The most common thing is issues in the digestive system which can easily be treated by some medicines. You may contact the vet as soon as possible if your cat is showing extreme signs of illness which can happen due to overeating or eating too often.
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.
