Few people will resist the urge to eat bacon; it is among a few very evocative foods.
You will agree that if you shop in the supermarket and have that excess bucks, you will not come out of the store without a couple of bacon in your basket.
The thing about bacon is the pleasant smell associated with it.
With its smell emanating from your kitchen, no chance you will step out of the house without a bite even if you were late for work.
You can imagine how your kittie feels about that, having in mind he is a natural carnivore, making meat its primary nutrition source.
However, you may be hesitant about throwing some to your feline because you are not sure if it is safe to feed him bacon.
Your hesitation leads us to the question, “can cats eat bacon?” Well, let’s find out!
Bacon-salty love affair?
For North American people, bacon comes from a pig’s belly, while the rest of the planet derives bacon from the pig’s back or side.
The bacon is made from various cuts, typically belly and back, and is salt-cured.
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Bacon is affordable meat, easy to prepare, and is versatile.
You can cook your bacon using a stovetop or a microwave.
Well, it looks like you have no excuse not to make one because this makes it look like it’s easier to cook bacon than to peel a pineapple probably.
You can eat bacon as a crumble or as a whole and use it as a topping as well. Most people put it on sandwiches.
People love the bacon’s smell so much that entrepreneurs realized and led to such merchandise as bacon-infused drinks like vodkas and whiskeys.
Also, bacon-infused candles, sprays, and perfumes are available in the market, banking on the bacon-loving population.
Dogs too love bacon; I mean, they are carnivores.
Indeed, there are treats flavored with bacon to reward the man’s best friend for good behaviors and obeying commands.
There are treats flavored with bacon for cats as well.
While specially made bacon treats are okay and healthy for cats, you may ask if the real bacon meat is safe for your feline.
Can Cats eat bacon?
Look, the only time you will find cats eating vegetables is when eating grass, and that is for medicinal purposes.
Your cat is a carnivore. It is only natural they are drawn by the scent of bacon and the taste of meat.
So, yes, give bacon to your kittie.
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However, it will not be a great idea to throw bacon at your cat daily.
Like us, humans will not take in bacon day in, day out; cats shouldn’t either.
Slices of bacon are not a daily diet but a treat; therefore, treat it as such.
Bacon is too salty to give your feline safely.
If unchecked, your feline can cause some issues: dehydration, heart issues, high blood pressure, and weight gain.
The cat food offers enough sodium for survival; hence, no need to add more through bacon.
Pork/turkey bacon is high in fats, making all kinds of bacon somehow unhealthy for your kittie.
Moreover, your cat should never eat uncooked pork products.
Offering raw pork products can expose your feline to potentially life-ending diseases.
Ensuring you cook the bacon properly before giving it to your cat will eliminate any potentially harmful pathogens.
It will also make the bacon soft, hence making it effortless to chew and swallow, thus avoiding any chance of choking.
The dangers of bacon to your cat?
Presumably, you are a particularly big-bodied person, and you had some health problems that you decide to visit your doctor.
If you tell the doctor that you had a combination of slices of bacon and eggs for breakfast in the morning, he will probably caution you against the diet.
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Bacon has fat
and salt content that is very worrying and should be a concern when adding it to your feline’s diet.Clogged arteries, high blood pressure, heart issues, dehydration, weight gain are potential health problems that could arise if fats and salts levels become excess in the system.
Pork, just like milk, does not go well with the cat’s digestive system.
You may have watched a lot of eighties movies and influenced by people giving milk to stray cats.
Unfortunately, most of the cats are lactose intolerant, meaning that they produce little no lactase at all, an enzyme used to breakdown lactose found in dairy products.
Obesity in cats?
Have you at any instance ate food that you felt was excess, that you started to constipate?
Well, I have done that more than once, and I am sure you too.
With more cats becoming housebound, there is a threat of obesity in cats with all the variety of treats available.
They tend to eat and not knowing when to stop.
Many cat owners feed their feline before eating their meals to avoid not getting bothered as they enjoy eating.
However, it’s not surprising that even after eating, they cannot shy away from requesting more.
Making a habit of this is particularly not good for their health, especially after they have eaten their kibble.
Cats tend to fall asleep after that, which slows down metabolism and leads to fats and sugars getting stored as body fats, which can eventually lead to obesity.
Pork- the good and the bad?
Many people will hate the idea of feeding pork to pets such as dogs or cats.
Many are because of their religious beliefs or ethical reasons.
For example, Muslims and Jews don’t eat pork.
I have seen a Muslim brother refuse to buy a beef sausage in a supermarket just because of being mixed with pork sausages on display.
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Therefore, some owners who don’t consume pork don’t let their cats have it either.
But what if your kittie cannot pass up the meat for any reason?
Is it okay giving them bacon? Yes, but only in bite sizes portion, adequately cooked, and with moderation.
Moreover, most pet foods feature pork meat as a prominent ingredient.
Most even have labels advertising that the product has pork, I.e. “Bacon and chicken,” but some conceal it in vague descriptions like “meat derivatives.”
Some buyers can lose interest in the product by the mention of anything to do with pork.
Be keen to read correctly and comprehend the labels on the treats if eating bacon poses health issues to your cat.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is safe to say that cats do eat bacon.
It is only the owner’s responsibility to check the quantities and the frequency of giving the bacon treats to their feline.
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Everything should be moderate because an excess of bacon can mean excessive fats and salts level in the cats’ system and health problems like obesity, dehydration, and high blood pressure.
However, you can feed some strips of unsalted ham as a healthier alternative to bacon.
