Often confused as a vegetable, avocados are an extremely popular fruit, and not just for millennials! From guacamole to avocado toast, Americans import 1.73 billion pounds of avocados from Mexico (the primary exporter of avocados) each year. With 20 vitamins and minerals, low sugar content and high levels of monounsaturated fat, it’s no wonder that avocados are so popular. Essentially, avocados are delicious and healthy for humans but what about for our feline companions? Can cats enjoy avocados as well?
Are avocados dangerous to cats?
One of the great things about avocados is that they are safe for cats to eat. Dr. Rebello, Emergency Medical Director with NorthStar VETS advises that while avocados are safe for cats (and dogs), they are highly toxic to birds, especially the pit and the skin. So, if you have bird friends, you’ll want to avoid sharing the avocado. But if your cat nibbles a bit of avocado off your sandwich, it isn’t anything to worry about. In fact, after talking with the experts, we learned you might even want to think about adding avocado into your cat’s diet!
Is avocado good for cats?
We know that avocado isn’t toxic to cats, but is it actually good for them? Embrace Pet Insurance Claims Director Jenna Mahan explained that “avocado is good for cats in the same way it is good for humans.” Specifically, avocado is rich in healthy fats, amino acids and vitamin E, A and B6. She advises that if added to a cat’s diet, avocado can give cats “a boost of goodness to the skin and hair” in addition to the other nutritional benefits.
Can cats eat avocado pits?
The avocado pit or seed is generally discarded and not eaten by people, and it’s advised that you should keep the pit away from your cat as well. The good news is that the pit itself isn’t poisonous (although it could cause minor digestive distress for your cat); however, it’s still not something that you want to allow your cat (or any other pet in your household) to play with or eat. The real danger with avocado pits is that if your cat were to ingest one it could cause an intestinal blockage which could be very serious.
What about the skin?
Like the pit, the skin of avocados is generally composted or thrown away, and not eaten. If you are sharing avocado with your cat, don’t let him eat the avocado skin. As Dr. Rebello explains, the skin can cause stomach upset or obstruction for cats that consume it.
Guacamole
One of the most popular ways people consume avocados is in guacamole. But Jenna advises that this is one form of avocado you want to avoid sharing with your cat, because guac often contains garlic, onion and a variety of spices that may be harmful or irritating to your cat’s system.
Giving avocado to your cat:
If your cat is a fan of avocado, it’s safe to begin incorporating the fruit into your cat’s diet. The easiest way to feed avocado to your cat is to slice the fruit into small pieces. These small pieces can be offered directly to your cat as treats or mixed into or onto their food at mealtime. Like with any new treat, keep the amount of avocado small to prevent any digestive upset for your cat. Dr. Rebello specifically cautions that any cat who has a history of gastritis or pancreatitis should not eat avocado. Because avocados are high in fat, they could upset a cat’s stomach or increase the risk of pancreatic inflammation returning for cats with those preexisting conditions.
Have you shared avocado with your cat? Let us know in the comments what your cat thinks of this fruit!
About the author:
Sassafras Lowrey is a celebrated author and cat lover who has written for pet lifestyle magazines for over a decade. Sassafras lives and writes in Portland, Oregon, with two 19-year-old cats who rule the house, and a 5-year-old cat she rescued as a kitten from the streets of New York City. Learn more at SassafrasLowrey.com.
12 thoughts on “Can Cats Eat Avocado?”
Avocados are highly toxic to cats. I dont know what idiot wrote this articles. Years ago I gave my cat avocado and she was foaming at the mouth. She had over 5 seizures and almost died. As soon as I stopped giving her avocados she stopped having seizures. Avocados are poisonous to cats. This is the most stupid article I have ever read from catster. Never ever give a cat avocado because they can kill cats
My cat goes crazy whenever I’m getting ready to eat avocado because he wants some. I gave him a small piece to try, & he loved it. We changed his food to something for weight management, but he doesn’t like it. He is, however, eating it after I put a few pieces of avocado mashed into it.
My cats LOVEEEEE avocado! glad to hear it is safe for them.
I just gave my kitten a few pieces of avocado from my sandwich as a treat and she loved it!
My senior cat (13) LOVES Avocado. He eats little pieces right out of a bowl.
So happy to hear avocados are safe for cats. Our youngest cat, Oliver, would beg for avocado when I spread it on my toast. He loved it!. Then my son googled if that was safe, and found avocado on the list of foods NOT to give cats. I am happy to say, Oliver, and I, will agree with you!
I would point out that in their natural environ cats never chase down, kill, and eat avocados. Give your cat a treat of raw liver – give a treat of avocado to your pet rabbit.
THAT IS LOVELY! I’LL BUY AVACADOS FOR MY KITTY AND ME.
Yes it is safe for cats to eat. We had a fram, and all our cats loved eating the acavodo’s that dropped off the tree’s. they also lived to be in they 20’s one cat was 24yrs olf whe she died, and one was 23yrs old and 20 yr old. Also had a pure bread German Shepard he also loved avacodo’s and he lived to be 21ys old good old farm cats and dog.
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Yes, my two year old male domestic short hair likes plain raw avocado, tiny slices or a small amount that’s mashed.
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