What if cats eat lentils? It is bad? Our little cats are strict carnivores and lentils are just the opposite, the fruit of a vegetable from the legume group, so despite its numerous nutritional benefits, our cats do not need this food to obtain all the nutrients they need, not being necessary, not even recommending adding them to the feline's diet.
Are lentils good for cats?
The lentil or Lens culinaris, is an annual herbaceous plant, belonging to the Papilionaceae family. The lentil is made up of stems up to 40 cm long, which are branchy, flimsy and ribbed, with oblong leaves and white flowers with purple veins. The fruit is contained in a small pod with two or three circular brown seeds.
Cats are animals categorized as strict carnivores, requiring the proteins contained in animal tissue in their diet to obtain all the essential macro and micronutrients, not obtaining them from other sources such as carbohydrates or lentil proteins, despite their high biological value.
For this reason, if you want your cat to grow and stay strong, he althy and nourished, you must feed it with a good feed and complete wet food designed for cats, only then will it be able to obtain all the nutrients that it so much needs. they need. In addition, cats are not usually interested in foods that escape meat and animal fat such as lentils. In this way, cats can eat lentils but they are not necessary in their diet
Benefits of lentils for cats
The lentil is a very nutritious and popular food in the Mediterranean diet. The most important content is proteins and carbohydrates in the form of starch, especially the former. The protein content is so high due to the fact that they contain nodules in the roots that contain bacteria of the Rhizobium genus that transform atmospheric nitrogen into organic nitrogen that can be used.
Despite this, the proteins it contains are deficient in methionine, which is an essential amino acid but when accompanied by cereals such as corn or oats can meet the needs of this amino acid as if it were meat proteins. However, this is not equivalent for our cats that require quantities of other essential amino acids present in meat such as arginine and taurine and also from fatty tissue of animal origin for a source of arachidonic acid.
In general, lentils contain the following nutritional benefits, which while are not necessary for a cat's diet, they can achieve the following nutrients with your intake:
- Fiber: to regulate intestinal transit
- B complex vitamins: highlighting vitamin B9 or folic acid important for the maintenance, growth and formation of blood cells.
- Magnesium.
- Zinc.
- Iron.
- Match.
- Potassium.
- Carbohydrates: in the form of starch.
- Proteins.
- Low-Fat.
Due to its high mineral content, it benefits the general he alth of the cat, combating fatigue and anemia, allowing the fixation of calcium and phosphorus in the bones, keeping the hair and skin he althy and contain antioxidant properties preventing aging.
Although it is rich in carbohydrates, these are complex in the form of starch, so their release is slower, reducing the spike in glucose and insulin that is so dangerous for diabetic cats. In addition, the fiber they contain helps stabilize blood sugar by reducing levels.
How to give my cat lentils?
Cats can eat lentils, yes, in small amounts and not often, as long as they like them and they don't cause any issue. When trying to give them lentils for the first time, we should know that they must be well cooked, never hard, much less raw in order to facilitate their ingestion.
They should not be too cold or extremely hot because they can be rejected, it is best if they are somewhat lukewarm or at room temperature if it is summer. Whenever you are going to offer your cat some new food, you should be by his side observing everything because, although it is rare, it can cause an allergic reaction with vomiting or difficulty respiratory.
Side effects and contraindications of lentils for cats
Now that we have seen what the benefits of lentils for cats are, next we will see what their side effects and contraindications are.
Side Effects of Lentils for Cats
Some of the side effects of lentils for cats are as follows:
- Blocking the absorption of certain minerals.
- Reduced protein digestion capacity.
- Episodes of diarrhea.
- Trypsin and phytate inhibition.
This can be reduced if they are soaked in water the night before cooking, for this reason we remember that lentils should never be offered raw to our cats.
Contraindications of lentils for cats
Lentils cannot be eaten by cats:
