Doritos are now one of the world’s most widely consumed snack foods. Their crunchy, cheesy deliciousness is hard to resist, but it does attract a few feline taste testers. You should check if these chips are safe for pets to eat before feeding them to your cat.
Doritos are safe and non-toxic for your cat to eat occasionally, but you shouldn’t make it a habit.
The majority of Doritos’ ingredients are likely to upset your cat’s stomach and may also contribute to a variety of health problems.
The possibility of choking is a major worry when it comes to cats and Doritos.
You can tell how sharp these chips are by breaking one in half. Any size fragment could cause serious injury or death to your cat’s throat or esophagus.
The risk of choking is low because most cats are careful when eating, but accidents can always happen when you’re not looking.
There are a number of risks associated with giving cats Doritos, the most obvious of which is choking.
Do Cats Like Doritos?
The answer to this question is cat-specific; if your feline friend enjoys Doritos, for example, you’re more likely to discover licked chips than eaten ones.
The cheesy ones in particular may be appealing to some cats, while others won’t give a lick about them.
Even though cats won’t eat Doritos because of their crunchiness and sharp edges, that doesn’t mean they won’t lick them.
But, do felines enjoy Doritos? That, of course, will depend entirely on the feline in question. The Doritos my husband eats have never even remotely interested my cats.
Do Cats Hate Doritos?
Cats won’t necessarily dislike Doritos, but they also won’t care about them. Some flavors, like wasabi or nacho, will be too hot for some people, while others won’t have much of a flavor at all. It’s not uncommon for felines to reject your food offerings in favor of exploring the neighborhood for something better.
If this is your cat, be thankful you won’t have to chase it out of the potato chip bag. Doritos aren’t essential to a cat’s well-being; in fact, they’d probably be better off without them.
Dangerous Ingredients in Doritos
Vegetable oil, salt, maize, dry cheese powder, skim milk powder, and other spices are the main components of a Doritos chip. Obesity, gastrointestinal distress, and headaches are just some of the potential side effects of these ingredients.
Maize – Cats are obligate carnivores, and their digestive systems simply aren’t evolved to process plant-based foods like maize. They need to stick to a meat-only diet. These chips go through a long process from raw corn to their final form, and your pet may not be able to handle it.
Carbohydrates are another factor to think about before giving your cat a bag of Doritos. If you feed your cat a diet high in carbohydrates, it may quickly gain weight. Cats with obesity have a higher risk of developing diabetes, as well as organ and joint problems.
Dairy – Doritos chips contain a lot of cheese and milk. It may come as a surprise, but the vast majority of cats are lactose intolerant. Dairy products, such as cheese and milk, have been linked to stomach pain, nausea, and vomiting.
The salt intake of all mammals, including humans, should be carefully monitored. There is a lot of salt in a bag of Doritos. Some of the potential side effects of a high-sodium diet in humans include dehydration, hypertension, and heart problems. Cats can only handle a small amount of salt in their food, so they only need a fraction of what people do every day. Salt poisoning occurs when an individual consumes too much salt.
Can Doritos Kill My Cat?
The potential for a fatal choking incident when cats eat Doritos is a common worry among cat owners.
But there are no reports of cats choking on Doritos because most cats are more cautious eaters and would rather lick the chip than crunch it up.
You can put your mind at ease by dicing the chip into small pieces before giving it to your cat for testing.
The main risk of Doritos comes from the ingredients themselves, which can give a cat a stomachache, digestive issues, and obesity if consumed in excess.
Tossed with a variety of seasonings like dried cheese powder, skim milk powder, garlic powder, and onion powder, among others, corn, vegetable oil, and salt are the main ingredients in a bag of Doritos. These constituents are the root of the issue.
To begin, felines’ digestive systems are not designed to process plant matter. Because their digestive systems are designed to process meat, vegetables usually have little effect on them.
Tortillas contain corn, but the corn has been heavily processed, making it difficult for a cat’s digestive system to process.
Doritos are high in carbohydrates, which cats do not require, and the excess energy from these chips is quickly stored as fat. Cats that are overweight are at a higher risk for developing arthritis, organ failure, and diabetes as they age.
Cats’ second major complaint is that they don’t get enough cheese. Although many felines enjoy cheese, most felines are lactose intolerant, so it’s unlikely that they enjoy eating it.
Most cats will experience discomfort from the combination of cheese powder and skim milk powder, which can cause tummy aches, diarrhea, and even vomiting.
Most cats will still go for the cheese, but at least you’ll have something to think about.
Doritos’ high sodium content is cause for concern for any mammal. Hypertension, heart disease, and dehydration are all caused by eating a diet high in salt. That’s more than 42mg per day for a cat.
Doritos have an astounding 210mg per serving (that’s 12 chips)! Salt poisoning can cause convulsions, tremors, vomiting, coma, and even death in cats if they eat too many chips.
Finally, most Doritos flavors contain garlic and onion powder, which is poisonous to cats. Even though there is only a small amount in a single chip, if your cat eats a lot of them they can become very ill and require a trip to the vet.
Cats can become anemic if they are exposed to garlic or onions because the compounds in these foods hinder the ability of red blood cells to transport oxygen. Eating too many Doritos does come with risk, as it doesn’t take much garlic or onion to cause problems.
Doritos are completely useless as cat food because they contain zero useful nutrients. A cat doesn’t require as much (or any) of the salt, seasonings, corn, or salt in this food as a regular part of its diet.
For this reason, no human or animal should ever make Doritos a regular part of their diet.
To sum up, don’t worry too much if your cat licked a Dorito or nibbled at the edges of one. It’s best to keep your cat away from your snack altogether because of the increased risk of illness associated with excessive consumption. After all, no one likes to share their Doritos.
How Many Doritos Can You Safely Feed a Cat?
While a regular diet of Doritos probably won’t kill your cat, it’s still not something they should be eating. It’s probably fine to give your furry friend a single chip once in a while.
Depending on your cat, you may not even get more than a few nibbles or licks out of it. If they insist on trying one, cut it up into tiny pieces to make sure they don’t suffocate.
What is the Safest Dorito Flavor for Cats?
If you’re going to give your cat a bag of Doritos, the safest bet is the original nacho cheese variety. Avoiding spicy flavors is also crucial.
Due to the high levels of onion and garlic powder, Cool Ranch dressings are to be avoided at all costs.
Better Snack Alternatives for Cats
In the end, there are much healthier treats you could give your pet. Some examples of foods they might like are listed below.
Roasted fowl
Raw carrots
Finished beef
Roasted turkey
Plain rice that has been cooked
Spinach
Oatmeal
Scrambled eggs
Strawberries
Blueberries
Honeydew
Watermelon without seeds
Cantaloupe
Final Thoughts
When you’re hungry, munching on a bag of cheesy Doritos is a perfectly reasonable choice. Cats frequently show an interest in what we eat.
Doritos aren’t dangerous for cats, but you should still be careful whenever you give them something from the human food supply.
We would hate for anyone’s cat to get sick because we fed them Doritos, and we know that some cats are allergic to the ingredients in Doritos.
Unless you notice an adverse reaction, you probably don’t need to worry too much if your cat sneaked a few bites or licks.
If your cat has a particular fondness for the flavor, it’s best to use them sparingly.
