Cats have an unusual appetite. You’d be right in thinking that whipped cream isn’t a major cause for concern when it comes to feline consumption. Your cat can safely lick a spoonful or two of Cool Whip without any ill effects, despite the fact that cats have no taste for sweet foods.
In fact, it’s safe for cats to eat up to an unhealthy amount without any ill effects.
But, let’s face it, no living thing, including humans, can benefit from consuming Cool Whip. What is in Cool Whip, why can’t a cat taste it, and what to do if your cat ingests Cool Whip are all things we’ll discuss in this article.
Can I Give My Cat Whipped Cream?
Similar to cool whip, whipped cream serves the same purpose. Therefore, the same arguments hold true.
Cats are not at risk from consuming whipped cream. It’s mainly made up of sugar and dairy, both of which are safe for your cat to consume. However, you shouldn’t make this a regular part of your cat’s diet.
Adding sugar to your cat’s diet is unnecessary and can cause weight gain and other health issues. Sugar is completely useless to cats as it is to humans in terms of nutrition.
It’s just a filler food with no real nutritional value. Nonetheless, it’s a good source of calories, which is why too much of it can contribute to weight gain.
Many cats enjoy dairy products. But that doesn’t mean it’s beneficial for them. In addition, once they reach adulthood, many cats lose the ability to properly digest dairy, which can cause them discomfort.
Even though most cats don’t have an obvious allergy to dairy, it can still make them sick to their stomach and have diarrhea.
After reading this, you may rest assured that your cat will be fine even if it consumes a small amount of whipped cream. But you shouldn’t give it to your cat either.
Whipped Cream Nutrition Facts
Per 1 Tablespoon
| Calories: | 25 |
| Fat: | 2 g |
| Sodium: | 2 mg |
| Carbohydrates: | 1.8 g |
| Protein: | 0.4 g |
| Calcium: | 1% |
We all know that the majority of the ingredients in Cool Whip are sugar, which explains why it is such a popular dessert topping. Without it, our pies would be bare.
However, we are also aware that Cool Whip isn’t exactly a health food. It’s acceptable to nosh every once in a while, but not constantly. Even less frequently than that is ideal for your cat. Your cat will get zero nutritional value from it.
Whipped Cream: Points to Touch On
Whipped cream’s first few ingredients typically consist of skim milk, hydrogenated vegetable oil, high fructose corn syrup, and water, though this can vary by brand and recipe.
Sweeteners
Cats may be allergic to the artificial sweeteners found in some diet and light whipped creams. The insulin-releasing properties of sweeteners like xylitol can lead to hypoglycemia in your cat.
Even though xylitol levels in Cool Whip probably won’t be high enough to cause any serious problems, you shouldn’t risk it. Cats are extremely sensitive to xylitol, and even trace amounts can be fatal.
Sugar
Less dangerous, but still worth mentioning, is sugar, which can be found in Cool Whip under various names such as high fructose corn syrup, cane sugar, glucose, dextrose, and sucrose.
Whipped cream has a high concentration of sugar. It’s typically one of the first few ingredients listed.
Sugar is harmless in moderation, but it can contribute to weight gain and other health problems that are especially problematic for senior cats.
Dairy
Dairy isn’t a good option because most cats are lactose intolerant. The taste buds of a cat may agree with the old wives’ tale that all a cat wants for dinner is a bowl of warm milk, but the rest of its body disagrees.
Cheese, milk, whipping cream, condensed milk, and yogurt all contain lactose, which cats do not produce the enzymes to break down. While a small amount is unlikely to harm your cat, giving it too much could lead to a digestive disaster.
Cats Are Unable to Taste Sweetness
Cats are strictly carnivorous in the wild, meaning they can’t get by without eating animal products. Domesticated cats don’t require anything derived from plants, other than perhaps the occasional houseplant snack.
The sugarcane plant is the source of sugar. Since it is botanical in origin, cats had never experienced this flavor before domestication. They lack the requisite taste buds that would allow them to appreciate sweets. They simply had no use for the taste buds that detect those flavors.
Cats aren’t usually attracted to sugar, so if you see one snacking on something sweet, it’s probably because of some other ingredient or the way it feels in their mouth.
Ingredients Matter
The significance of your cat eating your Cool Whip may pale in comparison to the other things your cat may have gotten into. Other dubious ingredients that can be harmful on their own can be found in many holiday desserts and bakery goodies.
Toxic information has been included with this brief list of common toppings for whipped cream.
- Cats are unable to withstand even trace amounts of alcohol.
- Caffeine and theobromine, found in chocolate, are stimulants that can upset your cat’s stomach.
- Caffeine-containing coffee, whether in bean, ground, or brewed form, can also be a source of a potentially lethal chemical.
- Citrus fruit—cats are extremely sensitive to the limonene and linalool found in citrus fruits.
- Dairy products are difficult for most cats to digest because of their lactose intolerance.
- Grapes and raisins are extremely toxic to cats, with the former sometimes leading to kidney failure.
- Cats can develop pancreatitis if they eat certain nuts like almonds, pecans, and walnuts.
- Spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, while staples in many kitchens, can be deadly to cats.
Please contact your veterinarian immediately if you suspect your cat has ingested something other than whipped cream that could be irritating or toxic to them.
What You Should Do If Your Cat Eats Cool Whip
Your cat can safely eat a small amount of Cool Whip without any ill effects. Cool Whip is safe unless it has the artificial sweetener xylitol.
Your cat will likely be fine once you’ve double-checked the ingredients and received the all-clear.
Is a Puppuccino OK for Cats?
You can get some whipped cream in a small cup from Starbucks, and they call it a Puppuccino or Pup Cup. Dogs are often targeted in drive-through advertising for this treat. There’s a chance, though, that many people will want to buy them for their cats, too.
A pup cup is nothing more than whipped cream, albeit whipped cream from Starbucks.
That’s why you’ll find a touch more sugar in it than in regular whipped cream. Everyone, including your cat, can run into trouble after consuming this.
As we’ve already established, many felines have trouble digesting dairy products like whipped cream.
And they can cut back on the sugar if they want to. In addition to contributing to obesity and its associated health risks, sugar provides no nutritional value whatsoever.
You should also think about how big your cat is in relation to a Puppuccino. Although a Pup Cup might not be too bad for a big dog (since it is so tiny in comparison to the dog), it would be disastrous for your little housecat.
Because a pup cup is much bigger than a cat’s bowl, your dog is likely getting a greater proportion of their daily caloric intake from the sweet dairy treat.
Cats, being smaller, may have a more severe reaction to the dairy in a pup cup. Due to their size disparity, larger dogs may easily devour your cat.
Can Cats Eat Sugar-Free Cool Whip?
The high sugar content of cool whip is one of the main reasons you shouldn’t give it to your cat. However, there is no sugar in sugar-free cool whip. As a result, many people may think it’s the best option for your cat.
However, corn syrup is a common ingredient in this cool whip, and it does contain a trace amount of sugar.
There is still sugar in this, though not as much as in regular cool whip. Being such massive animals, the sugar content is nothing to worry about.
However, our feline friends are considerably tinier. So, the corn syrup’s added sugar, however negligible, can still have an adverse effect on their diet.
In fact, corn syrup is frequently used in the treatment of severe cases of diabetes in cats.
However, that doesn’t account for the fact that cool whip still contains dairy, which can make your cat sick.
Unlike some other cool whips, this one might not be loaded with sugar. However, there is a lot of dairy in it.
Can cats eat whipped cream?
Cats and whipped cream is another common topic of inquiry. Whipped cream is made mostly of cream, which contains lactose, but it is not toxic to cats.
In addition, as was previously mentioned, many older cats develop lactose intolerance, which can make them feel a little ill.
Your cat is more likely to experience digestive distress after consuming whipped cream than Cool Whip because of the higher lactose content of the former.
This is because heavy cream is its primary ingredient, while water, sugar, oils, and a small amount of milk and cream make up the bulk of Cool Whip.
Cats shouldn’t eat whipped cream because it contains sugars that aren’t natural to their diet.
What Human Foods Can You Give Your Cat?
Even though your cat shouldn’t eat cool whip, that doesn’t mean they can’t eat other human foods. In fact, cats can safely consume small amounts of certain foods, including:
- Bananas
- Berries
- Carrots
- Cheese
- Fish
- Meat
- Melon
- Rice
However, your cat’s diet should not consist of more than 5% human food. Your cat may start to develop nutritional issues if you feed it too many table scraps.
Everything your feline friend requires is included in their food. Your cat may not get enough of the nutrients it needs from its cat food if it starts eating more of your food.
However, some felines may benefit from specially formulated home-cooked meals.
However, you should prepare these diets after consulting with your vet and supplementing your cat’s food with vitamins and minerals. Fish and rice are not a sufficient diet for your cat.
The average cat can safely consume a small amount of fish or other meat without any ill effects.
Conclusion
You shouldn’t give your cat a lot of whipped cream or cool whip because it can make them sick.
It’s possible, for instance, that your cat has a dairy allergy, which would explain why it keeps throwing up. Even if a cat tolerates dairy well as a kitten, it often develops into an adult who cannot tolerate it.
Cats shouldn’t eat cool whip because it contains sugar. It’s a waste of calories and completely unhealthy.
For this reason, we cannot stress enough that no amount of cool whip should be given to a cat. However, there is no need to contact the veterinarian if your cat sneaks some or licks some of the floors.
Cats can safely consume cool whip; however, it is not a healthy treat.