If you have a cat, you probably do whatever it takes to ensure its health and happiness. You can introduce your cat to a wide variety of fruits, but only if you know which ones are safe and how to properly prepare them.
Fresh or dried, apricots make a satisfying snack. But, do cats like apricots?
If you have a cat, you should read this article to find out all about apricots.
Can Cats Eat Apricots?
You can feed apricots to cats, but there are some precautions you should take.
Don’t worry about the pit if you want to give your cat an apricot. Take great care to ensure they don’t get their hands on the stems, leaves, or pit.
Like any other treat, apricots should be cut into very small pieces before being given to your cat.
Even though apricots may have some positive health effects for cats, you should only give them to your pet in the form of a treat.
Benefits of Apricots for Cats
Due to their nature as obligate carnivores, cats have no nutritional requirement for fruit. Cats can get all the nutrition they need from high-quality meat alone. Fruit isn’t necessary for cats, but that doesn’t mean apricots aren’t good for them.
Apricots can help fight cancer
Potassium and beta-carotene, both found in abundance in apricots, have been linked to cancer prevention. They’re a good source of healthy carbs, protein, and minerals.
Apricots can help regulate and support the immune system
The vitamin A in apricots is good for your health. Vitamin C is abundant in these foods as well, and it plays an important role in metabolic processes like tissue growth and immune regulation.
Apricots help maintain healthy eyesight
Carotenoids like beta-carotene, lutein, and vitamin A are all found in apricots. Carotenoids are beneficial to eye health and can improve vision in low light.
Apricots contain a variety of other vitamins and minerals
Cats can benefit from the niacin and copper found in apricots, among other nutrients. Per 100 grams, these are some of the most important nutrients found in raw apricots:
- 48 calorie intake
- Weight: 1.4 grams Protein
- 0.06mg of Niacin
- 2 grams of fiber
- Calcium content: 13 mcg
- Copper content is 0.078 mcg.
- Ten milligrams of magnesium
- 23 milligrams of phosphorus.
The Flip Side: Risks of Feeding Cats Apricots
If you have a cat, you should know that apricots are toxic to them.
The apricot’s flesh is fine for cats to eat, but the pit, leaves, and stems are all poisonous. All of them are poisonous due to the presence of cyanide. The sum is negligible, and you shouldn’t put your savings at risk over it.
Your cat may have ingested poisonous apricot leaves, stems, or pits if you notice any of the following symptoms: dilated pupils, difficulty breathing, vomiting, bright red gums, or panting.
You should also avoid giving your cat any of these components because they present a choking risk.
While apricots have some positive health effects for cats, it’s still best to avoid upsetting your cat’s delicate nutritional balance by giving it too many treats (even if they are healthy).
Keep an eye out for any behavioral changes if they eat too much sweet fruit; this can cause gastrointestinal distress and illness. It’s important to keep your cat’s diet as straightforward as possible because their bodies were evolved to process large amounts of protein.
Speaking of sugar, eating too many apricots can cause dental issues in cats, just as it can in humans. In addition to limiting your cat’s apricot consumption, cutting it into small pieces will reduce the amount of sugar your cat’s teeth are exposed to while chewing.
Cats with certain health issues, such as diabetes or obesity, should not be given any additional sugar. Cats are not the best candidates for eating fruits as a treat.
You should give your cat only a very small amount of apricots the first time you try it and keep a close eye on it to see if it has any adverse reactions.
How to Feed Your Cat Apricots
To prepare apricots for your cat’s diet, you must first remove all of the leaves and stems.
The apricot should then be halved and the pit completely removed. To prevent your cat from eating the leaves, stems, and pit, dispose of them as soon as possible. The risk of them eating or chewing on the poisonous parts of the fruit increases if you give them the whole thing.
Remove the skin and cut up a few apricots into bite-sized pieces. Even though your cat probably won’t be harmed by the skin, you should probably remove it so they don’t have any trouble chewing.
You can try feeding cats apricots on the side of, or even mixed into, their regular food to see how they react.
You can also try feeding your cat some apricot jam to see if it likes it, though you’ll need to give it even less of the jam than you would of the fruit. Jam has even more sugar than regular fruit. If you want to go this route, it’s best to stick with a simple apricot jam that doesn’t contain any added sugar or preservatives.
You shouldn’t give your cat an excessive amount of apricots or give them to them very often. It’s fine on occasion, but only as a rare reward.
Do Cats Like Apricots?
There is no simple solution to this problem. It’s up to the individual cat as to whether or not they enjoy eating apricots. Cats, like people, each have their own unique sense of taste.
Cats have a much more limited sense of sweetness than humans do, and this may influence how much they enjoy apricots. Cats’ limited taste is due to the fact that they only have about 470 taste buds, while humans have 9,000 or more.
While felines do have the ability to detect sour flavors, no conclusive evidence suggests they have a preference for them. Your cat may enjoy apricots if it has a taste for sour foods, but this is entirely subjective.
How much apricot can I give my cat?
Cats shouldn’t have fruit as a regular part of their diet. Obligate carnivores like cats don’t require a plant-based diet because they get all the nutrition they need from meat.
Apricot is not something you should feed your cat on a regular basis. The high fiber content of apricots makes them potentially dangerous for cats to eat in large quantities.
You should only give your cat a small amount of apricot on a very infrequent basis, like once every few weeks. Spoonfuls of apricot given once weekly are unlikely to harm your cat. Your cat’s caloric intake shouldn’t have more than 2% come from treats like fruit.
Make sure the apricot you give your cat is properly prepared. The cyanide found in the apricot’s seeds, pits, leaves, and stems can be toxic to cats.
Can cats eat dried apricots?
Dry apricots are safe for cats to eat. You can give your cat either raw or dried apricots without worrying about any negative effects. As with other dried fruits, such as raisins, some cat owners may worry that feeding their feline friend a dried apricot could be harmful.
However, cats should not eat raisins because grapes are also toxic to them. Apricots, either raw or dried, are safe for cats as long as you don’t feed them the skin, pits, or leaves, and instead give them only the fruit flesh.
Cats can safely consume apricots, and doing so may even boost their health in ways like the immune system and eyesight. Never give a cat a whole apricot because it contains cyanide in the pit that it could ingest. Always give your cat an apricot that has been cut up, and only give them whole apricots on rare occasions.
Apricots Might Be Your Cat’s New Favorite Treat
Cats shouldn’t get too many extra treats, but apricots are good for them in moderation.
Giving your cat apricots is a novel experience that could be both fun and beneficial. A juicy, sweet apricot could turn out to be their new favorite fruit.
If you want to find out more about these tasty fruits, check out our page dedicated to apricots.