Popcorn seems like one of the most delicious, fun and harmless food products for humans to consume. No movie theatre trip is complete without a tub of popcorn. Even a Netflix movie weekend at home isn’t complete without popcorn. However, should you feed popcorn to your cats? In this post, we will find out the answer to that question. When it comes to cats, the consumption of some foods can be risky, so you should take some things into account before offering popcorn to your cat. Without a doubt, cats are one of the favorite pets of many people. Unlike many other felines, cats are very sociable and much easier to tame. Although it may not seem like it, these animals are also prone to getting sick, and this can depend a lot on the diet they have. Is popcorn one of the things your cat should be wary of? Let’s find out.

Can Cats Eat Popcorn: All You Need to Know

Cats can eat popcorn?

In short, yes, cats can eat popcorn, but with conditions that we are going to comment on below.

The truth is that it is possible to give popcorn to cats, because, although they are carnivorous animals, they need to find nutrients in other foods. For example, some nutrients and carbohydrates can be found in popcorn, so it may be a good idea, although the benefits are very few.

Even so, you should know that there are some risks that can seriously compromise the health of your pet, so you should be very careful.

What should I watch out for when giving a cat popcorn?

As we said earlier, cats can eat popcorn, however, not in every commercial avatar. Commercial products, such as the popcorn you buy at the movies, are generally seasoned for a better flavour. However, this is something you should avoid.

Seasonings added to popcorn, such as butter and salt, are very harmful to your and your cat’s health.

Is popcorn toxic to cats?

Popcorn is toxic to cats in some cases, this depends a lot on the presentation you offer. As we told you a moment ago, some condiments can cause poisoning in your pet.

Since you know this, if your cat ate spiced popcorn it is best to take it to a vet.

The toxicity of popcorn towards cats isn’t easy to explain or put in a box. Like we said before, it depends on the situation. Just on its own, a popcorn kernel isn’t toxic for your cat. While it might not provide a lot of nutritional benefits (or any for that matter), it’s definitely a safe and delicious snack for your cat. However, you shouldn’t make it a regular snack for your dog since it doesn’t fulfil any dietary requirements for your dog. But, for what it’s worth, pure popcorn kernels are safe for your cats.

Popcorn toppings, on the other hand, can indeed be toxic to cats and other pets.

What makes popcorn truly unhealthy (even for us), is the obscenely high amount of salt, sugar, butter and other artificial flavouring agents added to the popcorn. These things are far unhealthier than pure popcorn kernels.

Buying plain popcorn and seasoning it by yourself is better, but it’s still not good for your cat.

The excess sugar and spice present in popcorn makes it extremely unhealthy for your cats (and for you as well). These additives can result in an extremely toxic response from your cat’s digestive system. Giving your cat popcorn regularly, with these flavorings, can cause your cat to develop high blood pressure and develop other complications.

Stay away from salty toppings as well. Cats are not very aware of dehydration and excessive salt can lead to dehydration in their body and they won’t even know what happened before suffering from the complications.

How to give popcorn to a cat?

Although popcorn in its natural state is perfect for your cats, you should know that not everyone is attracted to this food, so if it rejects it, it is best to avoid it next time.

Even so, this will not represent a problem, since a cat’s diet is mainly based on meat.

These are the things you should keep in mind before giving popcorn to your cat:

Give it in a small quantity

In case your cat is attracted to popcorn, you should give it to him in small portions, although it is recommended that it only be a treat that is given from time to time.

Watch how your cat’s health is affected by popcorn

Popcorn has had some negative track records before. These are mainly related to suffocation, so whenever you feed your cat popcorn, you need to be careful.

Watch your cat’s reaction

Even if it’s natural, unflavoured popcorn, some cats might like it and some might not. So if your cat shows no interest in popcorn and rejects it, just forget about feeding popcorn to your cat again.