Spaghetti sauce is used in spaghetti or pasta, common ones being marinara, Ragù, pesto, Alfredo, and brown butter. Are they safe or toxic to cats?
What determines the safety of the various pasta and spaghetti sauces is the ingredients they have. Let us look at famous brands and see what they have before we discuss further on their safety.
- Keto Marinara Pasta Sauce by Yo Mama’s Foods $18.04 – Tomatoes, onions, garlic, white wine, chicken stock, turmeric, olive oil, vegetable stock, basil, black pepper, and oregano.
- Ragu Pasta Sauce, Chunky Tomato Garlic and Onion, $1.79, 24 oz– Tomato puree, diced tomatoes, soybean oil, onion, dried onions, sugar, spices, salt, garlic powder, and natural flavor.
- Prego Italian Pasta Sauce, Roasted Garlic Parmesan, 24 Ounce, $1.88 – Tomato puree, onion, diced tomatoes, parmesan cheese, salt, garlic, cheese paste, water, salt, lactic acid, citric acid, flavoring, and spices.
- Hunt’s Traditional Pasta Sauce – Tomato puree and paste, salt, onion, garlic, citric and red pepper.
From the above, it is sensible to conclude most spaghetti sauces have tomato, garlic, onions, salt while others have other spices, cheese, beef, capers, black pepper, olive oil, mushrooms, sweet pepper, and so on.
Are they safe?
No. Spaghetti sauces are not safe for cats or even dogs because they have other ingredients besides tomatoes that are toxic to kitties. Note that raw tomatoes are also harmful to cats and dogs since they have solanine.
In cats, solanine will cause reduced appetite, diarrhea, drowsiness, lack of appetite, salvation, severe stomach upset, central nervous depression, among others depending on the amount ingested. Fortunately, these sources don’t have raw tomatoes.
The main reason cats shouldn’t eat spaghetti or pasta sauces is that most have garlics and onions, which are toxic to cats and dogs as they destroy red blood cells. Some of the common symptoms of their toxicity in felines include:
- Lethargy
- Weakness
- Poor muscle coordination
- Hypersalivation
- Brown or red urine
- Diarrhea and vomiting (occasional)
- Increased breathing and heart rate
- Collapse
Additionally, pasta sauce has salt, something you shouldn’t be giving your feline pal. Even for homemade diets, it is always recommended to provide kitties food without salt or seasonings.
For those with oregano, it’s good to mention that it is harmful to dogs, i.e., it has gastrointestinal irritations that may cause mild diarrhea and vomiting.
Similarly, those with wine (alcohol) are dangerous to cats and can cause lethargy, depression, drooling, weakness, vomiting or retching, collapse, low blood sugar, and pressure, reduced respiratory rate, and so on.
Finally, while kittens can handle dairy products like cheese in some pasta sauces, cats cannot tolerate much cheese, and some may suffer from milk and dairy products related to allergies.
Other toxic foods
Besides oregano, garlic, raw tomatoes, and alcohol toxic to cats, it is good to mention the following foods as harmful to yours.
- Raw eggs
- Tea and coffee
- Chocolate
- Raw dough
- Raisins and grapes
- Xylitol sweetener