Can Cats Eat Bagels? Vet-Approved Facts & FAQ

Bagels are delicious breakfast staples enjoyed by people around the world. To create this wondrous deliciousness, bakers make dough, let it rise, and then shape it into bagels. The rounds are then boiled and baked. But can cats eat bagels? Plain bagels without butter or other toppings are okay for cats to eat, but only occasionally, since they don't have the nutrients they need and are high in calories.

What About Flavored Bagels?

Basic plain bagels generally have water, yeast, flour, salt, and a bit of sugar, but it's also common to add other ingredients to dough mixtures, and that's where you can run into trouble with cats.

Many popular flavored bagels, including cinnamon raisin, onion, garlic, everything, and chocolate chip, have ingredients that are toxic to cats. Onion and garlic can cause problems in surprisingly small amounts and should never be given to cats.

The only way to figure out if a particular bagel is okay for your pet to eat is to evaluate every ingredient for safety. But when purchasing a fresh bagel from a bakery, it can be challenging to determine precisely what it contains, which can make it hard to determine if it's safe for your cat to eat.

Everything bagels, for instance, often have garlic and dried onions, making them off-limits to cats. The easiest way to keep cats safe is to avoid giving them human food to snack on.

What About Toppings Such as Cream Cheese?

A small bite of a bagel with regular cream cheese or butter is probably not going to hurt most healthy cats, but bagels are high in fat and calories and don’t belong in their diets.

Cats with difficulty digesting lactose may end up with upset tummies after eating bagels with cream cheese. Some felines can experience gastrointestinal issues if they consume too much fat, so moderation is crucial.

Maintaining a Healthy Feline Diet

Cats get all the minerals, vitamins, and other nutrients they require through their regular food, and treats should only make up about 10% of their total diet. To ensure cats are eating the right amount of healthy food and treats, it's essential to figure out how much they really should be consuming to meet their health goals.

Calories Required for Healthy Cats

A healthy 10-pound neutered adult cat must eat around 260 calories daily ¹. Active pets and cats that haven't been spayed or neutered often require more food to meet their energy requirements, while overweight pets may benefit from fewer calories and a bit more physical activity.

A veterinarian can give you an idea of whether your cat's weight is in the right range and tailored information about how many calories your buddy should be eating. Online calculators are also available that can do all the math for you.

Protein-Rich Food

Cats most efficiently process nutrients from meat, which means bagels don't give cats what they need to thrive. Pet cats generally do best when eating protein-rich commercial pet food that ensures all their dietary requirements are being met.

Limiting Snacks and Treats

Felines that eat cat food, in addition to human food snacks and treats, get all their basic nutritional needs met but often consume too many calories, which can easily lead to weight gain. Conditions such as osteoarthritis, high blood pressure, and other problems that can seriously impact their quality of life are often seen in cats that weigh too much.

Which Food Can I Share With My Cat?

Plain meat and fish are almost always hits with the feline set. Avoid adding salt, garlic, onions, sugar, or spices, and cook the meat or fish thoroughly and remove all bones before plating your cat's treat.

Boiled eggs and steamed broccoli are also okay, but many cats simply don't enjoy the taste of vegetables. Cats that don't have trouble digesting milk often enjoy a bite or two of hard cheese.

What About Commercial Treats?

Commercial treats often have healthy ingredients, but they're still treats and should only be enjoyed in moderation. You can buy treats with everything from duck to beef, and companies make treats in just about every texture imaginable, from crunchy to super smooth and creamy. Dental treats can help limit the buildup of tartar on cats' teeth.

Keeping track of how many calories your cat has consumed is reasonably easy with commercial treats. The nutritional analysis is provided on the packaging, and they also have the added benefit of already coming in cat-sized portions.

Conclusion

Cats are obligate carnivores and need to get their nutrients from meat. However, a bite or two of a plain bagel won't hurt most healthy adult cats. Bagels don't provide cats with the vitamins and minerals they need to be healthy, and they have far more calories than they need, which can lead to weight gain and health issues, such as diabetes and heart disease.

Many bagels are made with chocolate chips, garlic, onions, raisins, and chives which are toxic to cats. Evaluating each ingredient in the bagels and toppings individually is the only way to be sure they’re safe to share with your pet.