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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / April 2005Is it OK to give pumpkin every day?
My cat loves it mixed in his food. I give him about a 1 1/2 tspn. Is that OK to give him every day? > My cat loves it mixed in his food. I give him about a 1 1/2 tspn. Is > that OK to give him every day? Yes, it's perfectly fine. Pumpkin is a good source of fiber. My cats get squash (pumpkin is in the squash family) in their homemade diet all the time and it's worked very well for them. > My cat loves it mixed in his food. I give him about a 1 1/2 tspn. Is > that OK to give him every day? Pumpkin contains fiber. Excessive fiber can lead to constipation and obstipation. Make absolutely sure your cat is *well* hydrated to avoid impaction of fiber in the colon. Fiber also reduces the nutrient density of the food because it displaces protein, fat and other nutrients and also affects absorption for some vitamins and minerals and upsets the nutrient balance of the diet. Fiber can also lead to satiety before energy and nutrient needs are met. High fiber diets must be carefully balanced in order to provide optimum nutrition. I think you should speak to your vet before continuing to add fiber to your cat's diet. Phil > > My cat loves it mixed in his food. I give him about a 1 1/2 tspn. Is > > that OK to give him every day? > > Pumpkin contains fiber. Excessive fiber can lead to constipation and > obstipation. Half a cup of canned pumpkin contains c. 3.5g of fibre (http://www.uhs.wisc.edu/docs/uwhealth_fiber_190.pdf). Half a cup consists of 24 teaspoons. Therefore 1.5tsp of canned pumpkin contains about 0.22g of fibre. In contrast, a can of Science Diet Light (a high fibre food) contains 2.7g of fibre per 100kcal, i.e., more than 10 times as much fibre is contained in a 156g can of SDL than 1.5tsp of pumpkin. Non-light SD contains c.0.5g of fibre per 100kcal. Therefore the addition of 1.5tsp of canned pumpkin to a cat's normal diet will be absolutely safe. Even adding 0.22g of fibre to a diet already high in fibre (e.g., SD Light) would be exceptionally unlikely to cause problems. > Make absolutely sure your cat is *well* hydrated to avoid > impaction of fiber in the colon. Pumpkin is moist. > Fiber also reduces the nutrient density of the food because it displaces > protein, fat and other nutrients and also affects absorption for some > vitamins and minerals and upsets the nutrient balance of the diet. Not at 1.5tsp, it won't. It's safe. S. > > <googlemail2003@yahoo.com> wrote in message > > Fiber also reduces the nutrient density of the food because it > displaces > > protein, fat and other nutrients and also affects absorption for some > > vitamins and minerals and upsets the nutrient balance of the diet. > > Not at 1.5tsp, it won't. It's safe. To you, everything is safe for cats. Adding nutrients to a balanced diet is risky business. She should speak to her vet before continuing to add fiber to her cat's diet. Phil (...) > To you, everything is safe for cats. I try to worry about the things that justify worrying about. > Adding nutrients to a balanced diet is risky business. She should speak to > her vet before continuing to add fiber to her cat's diet. I see your argument ('onest), but with trivial interventions such as this one, evidence just doesn't support any risk. Now, if the OP was ladling gobs of the stuff out, 't would be different. And I agree that asking a vet should never be an actual bad move, of course. S. > (...) > > > > To you, everything is safe for cats. > > I try to worry about the things that justify worrying about. I guess I'm just a little more cautious about mine and others' cats' health than you seem to be. Hopefully, as you learn more about cats, you'll become more cautious. I just hope it doesn't take a tragedy. Right now, however, I probably wouldn't/couldn't place a cat, good conscience, with someone with your attitude in . And I agree that > asking a vet should never be an actual bad move, of course. Of course. Glad to here that. (...) > I guess I'm just a little more cautious about mine and others' cats' health > than you seem to be. Hopefully, as you learn more about cats, you'll become > more cautious. Yes, perhaps I shall learn to beware the pumpkin. Must do a literature search, see how many cats have died through pumpkin poisoning. Probably millions. Nearly as many as have died from touching the owner's face after he's shaved. In fact, suddenly I see the light! I shall hide all apples! (Cats might eat them, and apple seeds contain cyanide)! I shall only wash my hair in purest mineral water! All cat treats are off the menu without nutritional consultation from random Usenet gurus! I shall campaign to get SD light withdrawn from the market due to its heinous fibre levels! And forget playing with the fluffies - why, they might turn an ankle and be out for the rest of the season. > I just hope it doesn't take a tragedy. Like a pumpkin rolling off the kitchen counter and braining one of my cats. > Right now, however, > I probably wouldn't/couldn't place a cat, good conscience, with someone > with your attitude in . Your sentence is incomplete - too much pumpkin in the diet, probably? You couldn't adopt a cat to me? Such a shame. Still, there's probably a shelter out there somewhere which doesn't screen for pumpkin excess. I shall search. Steve. > (...) > > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Yes, perhaps I shall learn to beware the pumpkin. Glad to see you've leart something! (...) > Glad to see you've leart something! Man, your typing is all over the place these last few days. Or maybe you're just hoping to get Welsh nationality? S. |
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