Last Updated : November 30, 2022

Can Cats eat Walnuts? Know Before You Do Anything Wrong!

We all love walnuts, right? If you are also a walnut lover you must have thought at least once about sharing some of the delicious walnuts with your favorite cat. But you made the right decision to come here and check out whether if you are going to do the right thing or not.

Can cats eat walnuts? Are walnuts healthy for cats? What are the benefits and side effects of feeding walnuts to cats? You need answers to all these questions so that you can decide whether you should share some walnuts with your cat or not. In this article, our experts explore different aspects of feeding walnuts to cats. 

Can cats eat walnuts

Can cats have walnuts?

No! The cats cannot have walnuts because there are just so many health risks associated with that.

Walnuts may have multiple benefits for us humans but they are not the right thing for the cats. The reason is that the cats are carnivores and walnut has nothing to do with their natural diet. If you will feed walnut to your cat, there are chances that the cats may choke as the walnut is quite stiff. Another thing is that the stomach of the cats is very sensitive and it will not be able to digest the walnut and lead to certain medical problems such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, and other digestive problems. This is the reason why vets don’t recommend feeding walnuts to cats.

Can cats eat unsalted walnuts?

No, the cats cannot eat unsalted walnuts.

Whether the walnuts are salty or unsalted, the cats won’t be able to digest them because their digestive system is not built for this job. Therefore, you should avoid feeding walnut to cats because it can cause too much discomfort and pain in their digestive system.

Can cats eat nuts walnut?

No, you should always keep nut walnuts away from your cat.

The reason is that the cats are carnivores and nut walnuts are not their primary and natural diet. Just like your body cannot digest the cat’s food, similarly, the cats will also find it difficult to digest nuts walnut because their stomach is not suitable for performing that job. Feeding nut walnuts to the cats can cause several medical problems such as diarrhea, pain in the stomach, vomiting, and nausea, etc.

Can cats eat walnut oil?

No, you should never risk the health of your cat by feeding walnut oil to it because walnut oil has a lot of health risks for cats.

So the thing is that the stomach and digestive system of the cats are very sensitive and they cannot process the walnut oil. The most dangerous thing about walnut oil is that it can even lead to pancreatitis among cats.

There are certain digestive juices secreted by the pancreas in the body that are responsible for breaking down and digesting the food. Pancreatitis is a medical condition when the pancreas secretes the digestive juices but it does not release them into the stomach. Instead, it releases them over the other organs and as a result, those juices start breaking down the tissues of those organs. To sum up, walnut oil is very dangerous for your cat and you should avoid feeding it to your cat.

Can cats eat walnut shells?

No! Cats should never eat walnut shells.

It will be a real stupid incident if someone decides to feed some walnut shells to their cat. The reason is that the walnut shells are stiff and sharp, which makes it very difficult for the cats to swallow them. Even a human faces quite a difficulty while breaking walnut shells. So, if a cat will eat walnut shells, it will choke and eventually die due to suffocation. This is why we advise that you never feed walnut shells to the cats.

Do cats eat walnut?

No, cats do not eat walnut because it is unsafe for their health.

If you will just randomly throw a walnut in front of your cat, chances are that it will just swallow the walnut. It’s because a cat is an animal and it doesn’t know that what’s good for it and what’s bad for it.

As a cat owner, it is your responsibility that you do not feed walnut to your cat because there so many other healthy foods out there that have the same health benefits as walnut and do not possess any health risks as well.

Do cats like walnuts?

Well, there is no fixed answer to this question. Now if you are wondering why? It’s because different cats have different choices depending upon their taste.

Just look at us humans, some of us like to eat pizza while some of us hate pizzas, similarly, some cats like walnuts and some cats do not like walnut.

But the bottom line is that walnuts are unsafe for the health of cats and you should avoid feeding them to your cat.

Should cats eat walnuts?

No! Cats should not eat walnuts.

You might’ve heard a lot of health benefits of walnuts, but you should also be aware that walnuts have a lot of health risks for cats as well.

Walnut oil can cause pancreatitis among the cats, walnut shells can make the cats choke and even kill them due to suffocation, and walnuts can be difficult to digest for cats because their digestive system is not built for this job.

From all this discussion, we can safely conclude that walnuts are unsafe for the health of your cat and you should avoid feeding it to the cat and opt for other healthier options available.

What to do if your cat eats walnuts?

Call the vet!

If your cat has eaten walnuts, then it’s time to observe if the cat shows any adverse reaction. You can watch out for symptoms like:

  1. Vomiting
  2. Diarrhea
  3. Nausea
  4. Weakness
  5. Unresponsiveness

If the cat shows any of these symptoms, then you should immediately take it to the nearest vet. You should be relaxed because walnut is not something that will kill your cat, however, it will cause a lot of pain and discomfort.

If your cat has choked after eating walnut shells, immediately call the emergency helpline to help your cat.

Can kittens eat walnuts?

No! Kittens cannot eat walnuts.

The reason is that kittens are way more sensitive than grown-up cats. Therefore, it is too risky to feed walnuts to kittens because it can not only make them choke, but also lead to complicated medical problems such as pancreatitis, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, pain in the stomach, and many other problems.

To sum up, there are a lot of health risks associated with feeding walnuts to cats. So, it is better not to risk the health of your cat by feeding walnuts to it. You can try the other healthy alternatives.

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