Can cats eat cotton candy?
While sugar is not toxic to cats, vets agree that you should avoid feeding cotton candy to your cat.
Have you ever wondered how cats taste sugary foods?
Are you guilty of giving your furry friend a small sweet treat here and there?
I know cause I am guilty of giving some vibrantly colored cotton candy to my kitty. Until I researched why this is a bad idea.
Cats are carnivores
You know those darting eyes when a fresh can of tuna is popped open, sitting on the kitchen counter.
Their sense of taste is geared towards what they can digest: meat. Studies have shown that cat taste nerve fibers respond to salt, sour, and bitterness. This is very similar to other carnivorous mammals. The exception found in cats was their inability to react to a sweet taste.
As carnivores, cats can only really process protein and fat. They cannot process carbohydrates like a human can because they simply do not produce enough insulin.
Cats cannot taste sugar
This is different from dogs that can taste natural sugars such as fructose, glucose, and sucrose. The taste perception for sweet simply is not there in cats. Cats cannot taste sweets because they lack taste receptors designed for sweet stuff, but that does not mean that you should give them any sweets!
You may notice your cat licking away at some sweet treat like ice cream. However, it is most likely because of other nutrients like fat that it craves.
Issues of tooth problems
How often does your cat brush their teeth?
Actually, vets say that sugar does not lead to plaque accumulation in cats’ teeth. Even so, there seem to be no benefits in feeding your cat cotton candy and sweets.
In conclusion…
The next time you think about giving your cat some sweets, or in my case, cotton candy, please avoid doing so! Even vets advise against giving cats sugar as it can easily lead to signs of diabetes and obesity.
