Can cats eat Easter eggs?

#MiddleburyCT #EasterEggs #Cats

DEAR PAW’S CORNER: We were coloring Easter eggs a few days ago, and our cat Jake kept begging underneath the table. Now that we’ve got lots of leftover boiled eggs, I’m wondering if it would be safe to mix a few into his food? – Sarah L., Panama City, Florida

DEAR SARAH: Because they’re hard-boiled, it’s completely safe to feed some egg to Jake. Just remember to peel the shell off first!

Eggs are a healthy protein that cats can eat. The American Veterinary Medical Association recommends that they always be cooked. Feeding raw egg to a cat can make it sick due to the potential for bacteria or other pathogens that are on the shell to transfer to the egg.

Whether the cooked egg is boiled, scrambled, poached or microwaved doesn’t matter. Don’t add seasonings to the egg, though. Salt, pepper and other spices can upset a cat’s small tummy.

If you’ve never fed eggs to Jake before, give him only a small amount at first. Add a teaspoon to his regular food or to the side of his dish. Monitor his behavior after he eats the egg. If he has an allergy to eggs, he may scratch excessively, act agitated or throw up. If he seems fine, you can give him more next time.

Here’s a cool finding about eggs and cats: Researchers at Purina reported in 2019 that coating a cat’s food in a special egg powder formulation helped stop people from having an allergic reaction to cats! A protein in cats’ saliva is responsible for 95% of cat allergies in people. Not surprisingly, Purina has developed an entire product line of cat food based on this finding, called LiveClear. So, if you suffer from allergies around cats, this might bring some relief.

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