There’s no better breakfast than some nicely cooked scrambled eggs and a couple of slices of toast. It’s simple, delicious, and nutritious. So, what’s the harm in sharing your favorite breakfast with your furry feline companion?

Eggs themselves aren’t too much of a danger for your cat. Eggs can actually make for a great little treat for cats. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t some precautions you need to take before feeding your cat scrambled eggs—or eggs in any form for that matter.

Can Cats Safely Eat Scrambled Eggs?

Cats are considered obligate carnivores. This means that they do not really possess the ability to properly digest vegetable or plant matter. They live solely on a diet of meat and meat byproducts. A cat’s physiology is naturally designed for the consumption of meat — and raw meat at that. Raw meat is one of the most easily digestible foods to eat and doesn’t require a long GI tract to process. And cats have one of the shortest GI tracts (relative to their body size) when compared to any other mammal.

Eggs are essentially 100% animal protein. In the wild, some cats are notorious for raiding the nests of unsuspecting birds and consuming their eggs. Domestic cats consume more egg and egg products than you would think. Many cat foods have binding agents that help to keep kibble together — several of which are made with eggs.

However, sometimes eggs get a bad rap. They’re accused of being filled with cholesterol and causing heart problems in humans. And yes, cats are known to have heart disease. Their heart problems generally fall under one of two conditions: hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and dilated cardiomyopathy.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a hereditary disease exasperated by feline obesity. So, feeding your cats eggs will not aggravate this issue—unless you feed them too much. And dilated cardiomyopathy has been linked to taurine deficiencies. Fortunately, eggs are a great source of taurine.

So, it only stands to reason that cats can indeed safely eat scrambled eggs. In fact, there are some great health benefits of doing so.

Benefits of Feeding Your Cat Scrambled Eggs

There a quite a few benefits of feeding your cat scrambled eggs.

Proteins and Amino Acids

Since eggs are pure animal protein, they’re chock full of digestible protein and amino acids for your cat. Your kitty uses 22 different amino acids in their body, and 11 of those are deemed essential. Eggs can directly provide 10 of those essentials.

Great for Claws and Coat

Eggs are a great source of biotin. Biotin is part of the B-complex of vitamins and is also known as vitamin H. And it’s particularly important for your hair, skin, and nails. And that goes for your cat too. If you want your cat to have a great coat and claws, make sure they’re getting their biotin. Prize cat breeders and owners will often feed their cats eggs to keep their coats nice and shiny.

Eggs Can Help Combat Dehydration

Eggs aren’t just full of protein. They’re comprised mostly of water. Sometimes, if your cat’s feeling a bit under the weather, they won’t eat or drink as much as they should. This can only make matters worse. In order to ensure your feline’s getting the right amount of water, try feeding her some eggs. Eggs also make for a great source of nutrition and water when nursing starving strays back to health.

Eggshells Are Just As Good

Hang on, we’re not saying just go give your cat a bunch of eggshells. But hear us out. Eggshells are a great source of healthy calcium which can help maintain your cat’s bones and teeth. The best way to feed eggshells to your cat is to grind them into a fine powder that you can mix in with their food.

Precautions to Observe When Feeding Your Cat Scrambled Eggs

Just because eggs are great for your cat doesn’t mean you don’t need to be careful. By improperly feeding your cats eggs, you can do more harm than good.

Don’t Feed Them Too Many Scrambled Eggs

Eggs are great for your cats in moderation. But too many eggs at once can lead to some serious issues. Eating too many eggs can lead to cat obesity. Eggs are a great source of protein, but whatever doesn’t get broken down into protein will turn into fat.

Be Mindful of Portion Size

One egg for your cat might not seem like much. But most adult people only eat one or two eggs. Imagine that for a cat, which is a fraction of our size. The best way to prevent overfeeding eggs to your cat is to either scramble or hard-boil them first. These methods of cooking make are easiest for divvying out proper portions.

Do Not Add Any Mix-Ins

We cannot stress this enough. If you’re going to feed your cat eggs, feed them pure egg. While you may love a little onion, chives, or garlic in your eggs, these are toxic and can be fatal to cats. Also, any other veggies will be difficult for your cat to actually digest. So, just stick with the basics and there’ll be no issues.

Can Cats Eat Raw Eggs?

This is probably the most controversial part of cats eating eggs, given that there’s really no clear-cut answer. Yes, technically cats can eat raw eggs. They do in the wild all the time. However, domesticated cats have a different digestion process. Some can handle raw egg just fine; others may experience difficulties.

Either way, we still recommend scrambling or boiling your eggs for your kitties. All sorts of bacteria can live within raw eggs including E. coli and Salmonella. So, to minimize any chance of your cat getting these, it’s best just to cook their eggs.

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Conclusion

Can cats eat scrambled eggs? Absolutely.

As a matter of fact, we recommend they do, but only occasionally. Eggs don’t need to be a daily occurrence for cats. Treat your cat’s egg consumption as you would a fancy brunch. It’s nice every now and then, but there’s definitely too much of a good thing.

Featured Image Credit: Pixabay, Pexels