Can Cats Eat Baby Food?
Many cat owners are always looking for little treats to give their cat. If you’re looking for alternatives to commercial cat treats, you may start digging in your cupboard to see if you can share a bit of human food with your feline friend.
While many human foods are not safe for cats, there are some that are perfectly healthy as long as given in moderation, and baby food is one of them.
While your cat will most likely not be interested in a variety of baby foods (even though you miss the moment they opened their eyes), baby food containing meat will likely be a big hit.
Best of all, baby food can be an important component in a feline diet, especially if your cat has recently had dental surgery, has trouble eating solid foods, or is young and requires a nutritional boost.
In this article we’ll cover the following:
- Cats and Baby Food: What You Need to Know
- Can Cats Eat Baby Food?
- Can Kittens Eat Baby Food?
- Benefits/Negatives of Feeding Cats Baby Food
- Alternatives to Baby Food For Cats
Cats and Baby Food: What You Need to Know
Baby food is a staple in many households, at least at some point! If you have some extra baby food and you’re wondering if you can give it to your cat, rest assured that you probably can.
Most baby foods are created for sensitive infant palates and contain high-quality ingredients. If your cat is interested in baby food and you’d like to give it to them as an additive to their food (this is particularly helpful for picky felines), you can feel good about doing so.
Can Cats Eat Baby Food?
Cats can eat baby food, but make sure you’re giving your cat baby food for the right reasons.
Baby food can be a healthy additive to your cat’s diet, especially in the following circumstances:
- During post-operative care. If your cat has had surgery and is unable to eat solid food (in some cases, wet cat food may even be too much for them) you can offer them small amounts of high-protein baby food, particularly meat varieties, to make sure they receive adequate nutrition while they heal.
- For very picky cats who won’t otherwise eat. While most cats won’t starve themselves, many cat owners find it difficult to live with a cat who doesn’t readily eat their food. Small amounts of baby food mixed in (especially with dry food) can be very enticing to an otherwise picky eater and may convince them to eat.
- If your cat has dental problems. Dental issues, including tooth extractions, are particularly common in older cats. Dental problems may limit the types of foods your cat can eat, and baby food can serve as a tasty, soft treat for cats who might otherwise be very limited in food options.
Before feeding your cat baby food, though, be careful to read the label. While most baby foods contain mild ingredients, some of them may have onion powder or minced onions added, which can be harmful to your cat. If you see onion listed amongst the ingredients, skip that flavor and look for another one. There are tons of baby food flavors, so you will probably be able to find one that your cat loves and that is safe for them.
Our advice? Check out the meat-flavored baby foods, such as Gerber Meat and Gravy. They are sure to be a hit!
This furry gal is certainly enthusiastic about baby food!
Can Kittens Eat Baby Food?
While baby food is unlikely to harm a kitten as long as they are weaned or in the process of being weaned, there are plenty of reasons why giving it to them may not be a great idea.
If your veterinarian has instructed you to offer your kitten baby food for nutritional or behavior reasons, by all means do so! But otherwise kittens are usually best served on a very boring diet of high-quality kitten food and plain water.
Look for a kitten food that has meat listed as one of the top ingredients, such as Blue Wilderness Kitten.
Getting your kitten used to eating baby food at a young age may cause them to grow up to be picky adult cats. Instead, get them used to eating regular cat food to ensure they grow up with a varied and accepting palate.
Once they grow up, feel free to be a little more creative with their diet.
Benefits/Negatives of Feeding Cats Baby Food
Baby food can be a nice treat or food additive for cats, but, as always, there are some things you should watch out for.
Baby food is generally very high in calories to accommodate the needs of a growing human infant. While this can be great for cats that need a soft and easily-digestible nutritional boost (such as very elderly cats, very picky cats, or cats that are recovering from surgery), otherwise healthy cats likely don’t need all those extra calories.
Being overweight is a huge problem for domestic cats, who tend to eat many more calories than they burn. Needlessly adding baby food to your cat’s diet may simply put them at risk for ingesting too many calories and subsequently putting on weight.
There are also some ingredients, such as onion, that are commonly found in baby food that aren’t food for cats. It’s important to read the label carefully.
While this video is precious, this is not what we mean when we say “cats can eat baby food”!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCNrYkMuKC8
Alternatives to Baby Food For Cats
If your cat doesn’t like baby food or if you’re worried about the extra calories, there are plenty of soft treats made specifically for cats that you can try.
Delectables Lickable Treats, for example, are a high-calorie, tasty alternative to human baby food. While this kind of treat is not suitable as a complete diet for your cat, it can be a very helpful additive for cats that otherwise have eating issues.
You can also try a little bit of plain, low fat yogurt.
So, can cats eat baby food?
Yes, they can. In fact, human baby food can be a helpful additive to your cat’s diet, particularly if they are elderly, recovering from surgery, or picky.
While the high-calorie content of baby food means it shouldn’t be given excessively, a little bit now and again can be beneficial.
If you aren’t comfortable giving your cat human baby food, there are liquid treats made specifically for cats that you can try, such as Delectables Lickable Treats.
What about you? Have you ever given your cat baby food? Please share with us in the comments as we would love to hear from you!
