When eating a ripe, sweet rambutan, you might have sometimes noticed your cat is attracted to it and wants to eat this fruit. This behavior might make you wonder; can cats eat rambutan or not?
Can Cats Eat Rambutan?
To make it short, cats can eat rambutan only if you feed it in small quantities as slices and remove its seed. This exotic fruit is packed with nutrition that can benefit a cat’s metabolism and overall health. But since they are obligate carnivores and have a digestive system suitable for protein-rich meat, overfeeding rambutan can disrupt their gastrointestinal and urinary health.
Keep reading the article if you are interested in feeding rambutan to your cat and want to know more about the risks and benefits.
Is Rambutan Safe For Cats?
Rambutan is safe for cats to eat, but you should follow some precautionary steps when feeding this fruit as a pet owner. Keep the portion in check, remove the peel and seeds, and cut the rambutan into small, easily chewable, digestible slices. The rambutan seeds contain high amounts of harmful substances like oxalates, phosphorus, and cyanide glycoside, which, when consumed, can negatively impact your cat’s health.
Are Cats Allowed To Eat Rambutan?
Yes, cats are allowed to eat rambutan, but it should be fed in moderation occasionally as a snack to receive full health benefits and prevent adverse effects. Other than the rambutan flesh, its flowers are also edible and safe for cats to consume.
If you want to feed rambutan to your cat, make sure that the seeds have been completely removed from the flesh. The fruit’s skin may contain different toxic pesticides sprayed on it to prevent attacks by insects. Therefore, peel the fruit carefully to avoid getting any pieces of the skin into your cat’s stomach.
Just because your cat is attracted to a rambutan’s color and smell, it does not mean it is allowed to eat in excess. Eating rambutan in excessive amounts can cause gastrointestinal issues and negatively affect your cat’s urinary system. Hence, it is better to keep the amount in check when feeding rambutan to your cat.
Is Rambutan Good For Cats?
The rambutan fruit is good for cats as it contains plenty of health benefits. This exotic tropical fruit is rich in dietary fiber, which aids in the easy passing of stool while enhancing gut health. It also contains various essential vitamins and minerals that aid in improving a cat’s body condition and take part in refining different metabolic processes.
Along with maintaining health, consuming rambutan also keeps your cat safe from diseases. Giving your cats some rambutan as snacks can be a pleasant addition to their palate. It can also work out as a healthy alternative to their usual high-calorie treats, preventing obesity.
However, consider that moderation is the key when feeding your cat fruits like rambutan. If given rambutan in large amounts and with the seeds or peel, it can adversely affect your cat’s health and may put them in danger.
Benefits Of Eating Rambutan For Cats
The rambutan fruit is packed with nutrition and, when consumed, offers various health benefits to cats. This fruit is an excellent source of choline and essential vitamins A, B, and C. These vitamins help enhance a cat’s overall health and metabolic functioning, nourish their body, and prevent diseases.
Minerals like potassium, calcium, and iron are also present in rambutans, improving skeletal and muscular health and enhancing body functioning. The high fiber content in rambutans prevents constipation and favors regular bowel movements, thus helping your cat pass stool easily.
Additionally, the fruit has water content which is excellent for maintaining your cat’s hydration levels. But to ensure that your cat receives all these health benefits, it is crucial to consider the quantity and form of rambutan when adding it into their diet. Large quantities of rambutan and feeding the seeds can cause gastrointestinal and urinary system imbalance, weight gain, and organ damage.
Health Risks Of Rambutan For Cats
Although the flesh of a rambutan does not negatively affect a cat’s health when given in small amounts, consuming the seeds poses a health risk. The seeds have high phosphorus and oxalates, toxic for cats when consumed in large portions.
When a cat overfeeds on a rambutan, the calcium inside the body combines with the high amounts of oxalates to form calcium oxalate stones. These stones can lodge into a cat’s kidney and bladder, causing urinary retention, infections, and severe pain.
Moreover, rambutan seeds have a considerable amount of cyanogenic glycoside. If eaten in excess, it can combine with free hydrogens resulting in cyanide poisoning in cats. Other than toxicity, rambutan seeds are a choking hazard and may obstruct the respiratory passage causing difficulty in breathing,
The rambutan seeds can also lodge in the gut tube, causing difficulty passing stool. A cat’s stomach cannot digest the seeds and can cause stomach ulcers, making a cat susceptible to gastrointestinal diseases if not treated on time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Rambutan Seeds Poisonous For Cats?
Yes, the rambutan seeds are highly poisonous for cats because they contain high amounts of compounds like phosphorus, oxalate, and cyanogenic glycoside. Calcium can react with oxalate to form calcium oxalate crystals, leading to kidney and bladder stones. Moreover, the cyanogenic glycoside combines with free hydrogens, causing cyanide poisoning in cats.
What Happens If Cats Eat Rambutan?
When cats eat rambutan in an appropriate amount and form, it gets digested, and all nutrients are absorbed. It provides several health benefits that improve body condition and functioning while preventing the risk of getting sick. But when rambutan is fed in large portions with seeds, it can lead to adverse effects. You would have to take your cat to a veterinarian for on-time treatment in such cases.
Is Rambutan Bad For Cats?
No, rambutan is not bad for cats if eaten in moderate amounts. In excess, the fruit can cause stomach upset. While the flesh is safe, consuming the seeds can lead to severe health complications like ulcers, bladder and kidney stones, cyanide poisoning, etc. Therefore, it is recommended to feed cats tiny portions of peeled and deseeded rambutan to allow them to benefit from it.
Conclusion
Rambutan is a delicious and nutritious exotic fruit that cats can eat. Its flesh is rich in essential vitamins, minerals, and water that keeps a cat healthy, while the seeds are dangerous for them to consume. If you opt for feeding your cat some rambutan, feed only small peeled and seedless portions occasionally as a snack to avoid any adverse effects. Also, talk to a veterinarian before adding rambutan into your cat’s diet to rule out possible allergies.
