Strawberries are considered a superfood for good reason. They’re packed with healthy plant compounds and taste delicious too. But can cats eat strawberries?
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For us humans, strawberries are a tasty and healthy snack. But what about cats?
Strawberries are an aggregate fruit. Contrary to popular belief, they’re not actually berries but, strictly speaking, nuts. The small brown dots on the surface are lots of tiny individual fruits.
As well as their fruity flavour, these small red fruits are best known for their healthy nutrients, which can also be beneficial for cats.
The flavonoids and phenolic acids found in strawberries are particularly valuable plant compounds. They’re said not only to have anti-inflammatory properties but also to help prevent cardiovascular disease.
Strawberries are also full of healthy antioxidants and vitamins that support various metabolic processes. They’re especially rich in:
Yes, cats can occasionally eat ripe, fresh strawberries, as long as you stick to the recommended maximum amount. We explain below what applies to processed strawberries:
Too much sugar isn’t good for your cat and can lead to obesity and diabetes. It’s therefore best not to give your cat sweetened strawberries.
Frozen food can be a refreshing treat for your cat during the hot summer months. If your cat tolerates strawberries, you can offer a small frozen strawberry now and again.
Dried strawberries have a lower water content and therefore, weight for weight, a higher sugar content. It’s better to give your cat fresh strawberries rather than dried ones.
No type of jam is suitable for cats. It contains far too much preserving sugar, so your cat should never eat jam.
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Strawberries aren’t toxic to cats. An occasional ripe strawberry won’t do your cat any harm.
However, keep in mind that strawberries have a relatively high sugar content – 100 grams of strawberries contain around four to six grams of sugar. As too much sugar is also unhealthy for cats and can lead to health problems (chronic kidney failure, diabetes mellitus, obesity), they should only eat small amounts.
Food allergies can occur in cats in response to any type of food. Although strawberry allergies are very rare in cats, they can still happen.
However, cats more commonly experience a intolerance to strawberries. The consequences are gastrointestinal issues such as vomiting or diarrhoea.
There’s no fixed maximum amount of strawberries for cats. However, recommendations suggest that your cat should eat no more than half a ripe strawberry per day.
Note: Cats with diabetes or a strawberry intolerance should not eat strawberries.
At the Justus-Liebig-University of Giessen I was extensively trained as a veterinarian and was able to gain experience in various fields such as small animal, large animal and exotic animal medicine as well as pharmacology, pathology and food hygiene. Since then, I have been working not only as a veterinary author, but also on my scientifically driven dissertation. My goal is to better protect animals from pathogenic bacterial organisms in the future. Besides my veterinary knowledge, I also share my own experiences as a happy dog owner and can thus understand and enlighten fears and problems as well as other important questions about animal health.
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