Because honey is a sweet, sugary treat loved by many animals, it’s tempting to think it’ll make a good snack for your kitty.
But can cats eat honey? Is honey safe for cats to eat?
Here’s the short answer: yes, cats can eat honey. However, it’s not recommended to give honey to cats of any age. In fact, it’s better for cat owners never to feed honey to their feline friends.
Today, we’ll be exploring how the delicious treat affects feline health. We’ll also be answering questions such as “Can cats digest honey?” and “Can cats benefit from the nutrients derived from honey?”
What is honey?
Honey is a sugar-rich food substance honeybees make.
A healthy treat, honey is packed with crucial nutrients, including 31 different minerals, 21 amino acids, and antioxidants like flavonoids. Studies on humans show eating honey can help improve heart health, lower triglycerides, reduce blood pressure and bad cholesterol, and promote the healing of wounds and burns. Its antioxidant properties prevent cellular damage caused by free radicals, while its anti-inflammatory properties help stave off chronic diseases. It boosts the immune system and fights off bacteria, fungi, and possibly even cancer.
On the downside, honey is high in sugar and calories, so it’s best eaten in moderation.
It’s evident that honey has an abundance of health benefits. So why do vets not recommend giving cats honey?
When cats eat honey: the effects on feline health
Technically, honey isn’t toxic to cats, so your pet won’t drop dead if they eat it.
However, honey isn’t essential to your cat’s diet, which is typically high in protein, moderate in fats, and low in carbs. Most cats don’t even like honey.
The bigger issue is that honey is loaded with sugar, which can cause problems for your kitty. Feeding honey to your cat is generally not a good idea unless the serving size is tiny (one or two drops).
Cats may also eat honey for therapeutic reasons, but make sure to see a cat veterinarian first for advice.
Is sugar bad for cats?
Eating sugary foods won’t poison your cat. Unfortunately, it can cause diarrhea, vomiting, an upset stomach, and general discomfort – symptoms that can range from mild or severe. This is because the cat’s digestive system is poorly equipped to handle sugar.
Frequently feeding honey or other high-sugar foods to your cat can also result in other concerns, such as tooth decay and needless weight gain that can lead to obesity.
Lastly, cats are “sweet blind” – they can’t taste sweetness. This explains why they don’t enjoy sweet treats such as honey.
Can cats digest honey?
The cat’s digestive system has a tough time digesting sugars such as fructose and glucose. This is because cat livers lack the enzyme glucokinase, which is needed to break sugars down.
Unfortunately, honey just so happens to be 40% fructose and 30% glucose. So when cats eat honey, their body has to work extra hard to digest it.
What problems may arise if my cat eats honey?
As mentioned above, issues such as diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach aches are some of the problems that may arise after cats eat honey. It’s even possible for a cat to experience these issues after consuming only a tiny amount of the food.
Regularly feeding honey to your cat can cause tooth decay and/or obesity.
Obesity is a particular possibility. The average adult cat requires a daily caloric intake of between 250 and 350 calories. However, a single tablespoon of honey can have as many as 64 calories. This means that one tablespoon already makes up around 25% of the calories they need per day. So if you give your cat honey in addition to regular cat food, they’ll end up consuming too many calories.
Cats that are already obese or are suffering from diabetes are more prone to having an upset stomach or gaining weight from consuming honey. Diabetic cats shouldn’t even be eating honey as it will increase their insulin levels, which can be deadly.
In addition, because of their tiny mouth and throat, cats may have difficulty swallowing something as sticky as honey.
Some cats may even have an allergic reaction to honey. In general, it’s a good idea to know the symptoms of cat allergies so you know when your kitty needs treatment.
Then there’s Clostridium botulinum, a bacterium sometimes present in honey. When ingested, botulinum can cause botulism. This condition weakens the cat’s muscles, resulting in excess salivation, difficulty swallowing, eye inflammation, and constipation. In the worst-case scenario, the diaphragm becomes paralyzed, making breathing impossible and therefore causing death.
Given their weaker immune system, young kittens are particularly susceptible to botulism. For this and all the above reasons, never feed honey to kittens!
Does honey even have any health benefits for cats?
Cats are obligate carnivores a.k.a. “true carnivores.” All the nutrients they need are found in meat. For example, cats need a lot of protein, which is found in abundance in meat but only in trace amounts in honey.
Cats do benefit from the vitamins and minerals honey contains. However, these nutrients are already present in proper, healthy cat food. Our feline friends have a hard time digesting honey anyway, so why not just give them better alternatives?
Raw honey, processed honey – what’s the difference?
Raw honey is honey that’s taken straight from the honeycomb, then filtered through a cloth or mesh to remove impurities such as dead bee parts. This strained honey is then bottled and made available for purchase.
Processed honey is honey that undergoes pasteurization before it’s bottled and sold. Pasteurization gives it a clearer appearance, extends its shelf-life, and destroys yeast cells that may affect how it tastes.
Unfortunately, processed honey is more likely to contain additives such as sweeteners, making it even more sugary than raw honey.
It’s even possible processed honey has fewer antioxidants than raw, all-natural honey.
So when cats eat honey that’s been processed, they gain even fewer nutrients and far more sugar than when they eat raw honey.
When it’s okay for your cat to eat honey
As discussed above, honey contains antioxidants and has anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, which play a role in the alleviation of allergic reactions.
Therefore, a cat can eat honey as a treatment for allergies.
Of course, there are other treatments for your cat’s allergies that won’t cause any side effects. Some of these include immunotherapy, antihistamines, and decongestant sprays.
Honey also provides only temporary relief from your kitty’s allergic reactions.
How much honey should I give my cat?
If you absolutely must give your cat honey, ensure you don’t give them too much.
For smaller cats, half a teaspoon of honey per day is good enough.
For larger cats, 1 tablespoon of honey per day will suffice.
Is honey good for sick cats?
If your vet diagnoses your cat with throat inflammation or a sore throat, a small amount of honey may help soothe the ailment. It may also help with intestinal tract inflammation and ulcers.
However, don’t treat your cat with honey unless they’ve been properly diagnosed by a cat vet. Your kitty’s symptoms may be caused by another problem that has nothing to do with a sore throat or inflammation, in which case honey won’t do them any good.
For medicinal purposes, half a teaspoon of honey is enough per day. Dilute this honey in a small amount of water to make it easier for your cat to eat.
Other types of honey treats
Honey is used to sweeten various human foods. While you can offer some of these to your cat as an occasional treat, they should never be a regular component of your cat’s diet.
Honey Nut Cheerios
If you intend on giving Honey Nut Cheerios to your kitty, don’t add milk to the cereal. Adult felines don’t produce enough lactase (i.e. they’re lactose intolerant). Milk will wreak havoc on their digestive system.
While breakfast cereals may not be toxic to cats, they’re not among the kinds of foods that obligate carnivores eat. There really is no reason to feed them to your cat.
Honey ham
Ham won’t harm your cat as long as it’s eaten sparingly.
If the ham contains honey and other additives, however, you may want to reconsider. Remember what these sugary additions can do to your pet’s digestive system and body weight!
Yogurt with honey
If you’re going to feed yogurt to your cat, feed them the plain, non-fat variety and remember to examine the nutrition label for potentially harmful ingredients.
Like other such delicious treats, yogurt, whether it contains honey or not, is unnecessary food for a cat.
Manuka honey for cats
Raw Manuka honey can be used to treat a cat’s minor wounds. It’s meant to be applied externally, not eaten.
Medicinal grade Manuka honey such as Eras Natural Sciences’ Wound Honey, Manuka Honey “provides a moist wound environment and a protective barrier, preventing bacterial infection. It also helps remove damaged and dead cells, which – if left behind – provide a medium for bacteria to grow on, perpetuate inflammation and delay wound healing,” according to Blackmores.
Manuka honey also has antiseptic and antibacterial properties, making it a lethal killer of pathogens.
Finally, it can help treat various skin conditions such as feline acne, hotspots, acral lick dermatitis, and more.
You can apply Manuka honey directly to the injury or the wound dressing. However, in the absence of a dressing, your feline friend may try to lick the wound and ingest some honey in the process. To stop this from happening, use an Elizabethan collar (a.k.a. cone of shame) on your cat.
Conclusion
Can cats eat honey? Yes, but we don’t recommend it.
For cats, the negatives of eating honey far outweigh the positives. So if you want to ensure your cat has a happy and healthy life, avoid feeding them honey.