The fresh buttery, creamy, nutty, or earthy taste of avocado is something many people can resist. If you love it, cultivate it or have it as a houseplant, you deserve to know its safety to your feline pal. Can cats eat avocado, or is it harmful to these pets?
Overview
Avocado is the name given to the fruit, also known as alligator pear or avocado pear or the plant, botanically known as Persea americana) that bears the fruit. It is native to south-central Mexico and belongs to the flowering plant family known as Lauraceae.
Avocado plant is valued for its large berry (a type of fruit with a single seed), which may have pear, egg, or spherical shape, a fleshy body, skin that varies from green to nearly black eaten once it is ripe. However, there are stoneless varieties such as the cocktail avocado that you can eat with its skin.
Commercially, avocado is cultivated in the Mediterranean and tropical climates, with common cultivars being the A cultivars that have Hass (you can cook it for a short time, and it will not be bitter), Gwen, Lula, Pinkerton, Maluma, Reed, and Pinkerton and a B cultivar with Fuerte, Monroe, Zutano, Sharwil, Cleopatra, Brogden, and Ettinger.
Besides the A and B Cultivars, there are others like Spinks, Challenge, Queen, Rey, Sharpless, Taft, Dickinson, Royal, among others.
Nutrition
Avocado has about 73.23% water, 14.66% fats (accounts for 75% of its calories), and 8.53% carbohydrates, of which 6.7% is dietary fiber. It also has a little protein and amino acids.
This fruit is also a good source of folate, vitamin B6, pantothenic acid, and vitamin K with considerable amounts of vitamins C, E, B2 (riboflavin) and B3 (niacin) as well as minerals like zinc, potassium (more than bananas), phosphorus, copper, manganese, among others.
One thing that makes it considered healthy is unsaturated fats that account for about 75% of total fats with monounsaturated fat predominantly oleic acid (account for about 67%), and about 12% polyunsaturated fats like linoleic. It also has saturated fats (14%) like palmitic acid. Unsaturated fats are considered healthy fats.
The high monosaturated fats, which have a high smoking point, make avocado valuable in dips, and it replaces high-fat meats, dairy products, or fish in vegetarian salads and sandwiches.
Finally, it has phytonutrients such as phytosterols and carotenoids such as zeaxanthin (supports eyesight), lycopene, and lutein, which have many health benefits. For instance, carotenoids are potent antioxidants that will neutralize free radicals, preventing oxidative cell or tissue damage and other issues.
Uses
Avocado is delicious. Many people enjoy it in milkshakes, corn tortilla as a spread, guacamole, juices, dessert drinks, fruit, served, rice, soups, chicken or meats, combined with eggs, added to tortas or hamburgers and so on. Also, it has uses in the cosmetic and soap industry or as a house plant.
Safety to animal
Avocado has persin, a toxic fatty acid (oil-soluble) fungicidal toxin concentrated on the leaves and bark. However, the skin and pits also have a considerable amount, with the Guatemalan variety considered most toxic while Persea americana var. drymifolia leaves used as a spice, meaning they are less toxic. Therefore, various avocado varieties have different levels of persin.
Persin is toxic to cattle (cows, goats, sheep), horses, guinea pigs, rats, rabbits, and fish. If consumed in large quantities, it may cause severe harm or even kill these animals. For instance, in horses, it causes Respiratory distress, heart failure, edema, notes ASPCA.
Birds such as parakeets, large parrots, canaries, and cockatiels, are mainly very susceptible to persin poisoning, with common symptoms being difficulties in breathing, inability to perch, kidney failure, fluid piling up in their liver, lung, heart, and sudden death.
On the other hand, ruminants will suffer from mastitis or a swollen head, neck, chest, and mouth. Also, they suffer from heart damage or even die.
While raw avocado has persin, ripe ones don’t have this toxin, making them safe for humans. However, they have a little that might leach from the pits or seeds. Therefore, contamination of the pulp is possible.
Safety to cats
Cats, or even dogs, are not as vulnerable as cows, sheep, goats, birds, or horses. Therefore, avocado without pit or skin is considered generally safe for cats. Felines can digest the carbs it has.
There are no cat-specific studies that implicate avocado. It is listed as toxic due to generalization with other animals that are susceptible to this fruit. For instance, one study found that dogs fond of eating avocado ended up with symptoms similar to goats, sheep, and horses when given this fruit or plant.
If consumed by cats, unlike the other animals we have looked at, persin only presents a mild gastrointestinal upset, mainly vomiting and diarrhea. Otherwise, they are rarely affected.
So, can cats eat avocado? No. We wouldn’t recommend giving avocado to your cats since you may not know the persin content of the specific variety you have. Should it have this fungicidal toxin, your cat may suffer from gastrointestinal disturbance, even though they are mild.
Secondly, yes, it has healthy fats. However, there is no adequate information from veterinarians on nutritionists regarding benefits or clarity of how dangerous it is and toxicity sign. We don’t see the point of insisting on this fruit.
The only study that supports the safety of this fruit is one where cats were fed with an avocado meal – “the processed remainders of avocado processing for oils and human consumption, as a novel and sustainable dietary fiber source in extruded diets for felines. The dietary treatments did not impact blood work results. In conclusion, the diet appears to be an acceptable dietary fiber source for feline extruded diets.” The study doesn’t mention benefits.
Similarly, you will find websites or even cat foods with avocado like AvoDerm Natural Grain-Free Dry Cat Food, All Life Stages Duck Recipe, implying they are safe.
Additionally, its high-fat content makes it unsuitable for cats with preexisting gastritis, pancreatitis, or pancreas inflammation.
Something to scare you more is seeds. If your dogs and cats ingest avocado seed, they may suffer from gastrointestinal or esophagus obstruction. Such a block might require surgical removal.
If you choose to offer cats avocado
If you insist on giving your feline pal this fruit for the various benefits, only feed them as a treat, occasionally, and not as a meal replacement. Alternatively, you can go for the commercial feline diets with avocado.
When offering it to them, ensure you remove the seed and safely dispose and remove the skin too since it has a higher amount of persin. Also, chop it into smaller pieces to make eating easier.
Besides the various nutrients and phytochemicals we have mentioned, it is a good source of dietary fiber (soluble and insoluble), which will help prevent diarrhea or constipation and help promote gut health in weight loss, among many other benefits.
Also, it is low in sugar, unlike many other fruits. However, please don’t overdo it as it may cause gastrointestinal issues like diarrhea, vomiting, gas, and so on. Cats are strict carnivores that feed on main meats high in protein, moderate in fats, and low in carbohydrates.
Finally, since older cats tend to suffer from many health issues, including stomach sensitivities, be cautious when giving them any avocado product. This concern applies to the chronically ill ones.
My cat ate avocado
Since persin toxicity doesn’t affect cats so much, if your feline pal eats only a small amount of avocado flesh, don’t be worried since it is unlikely to cause any harm.
However, if you suspect they ingested the seed or have any abnormal symptoms, consider calling your vet or contact ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 as soon as possible.
No to guacamole
Since it has toxic ingredients such as garlic or onions, cats shouldn’t be given guacamole and affect any other avocado containing food with other harmful components.
Cation on avocado oil
Since a study revealed the presence of avocado seed oil in this avocado oil, it shows the possibility of it having persin. Therefore, unless meant for felines, please don’t give it to these animals.