Today’s post is a little different… instead of my food I thought I’d discuss little Missy’s favorite foods! I don’t know how your cats are, but mine is a garbage disposal, she likes just about anything. 
I got Missy in September of 2010, since I’m not sure how many months old she was I just count from then. All I know was that she was tiny and apparently I was into tacky oversized earrings and lost my straightener?
So in honor of Missy, I thought I’d put together a post of all the things she loves. I also looked them up to see if they were actually acceptable foods for cats. Some are super healthy and some she won’t be getting as frequently anymore! If you have cats or dogs I’d love for you to play along in the comments section!
Today’s Disclaimer: I’m not a vet nor do I have any formal training in veterinary medicine or nutrition. All information found here is based on my own research and practice. I’d recommend you check with your vet before making any changes to your pets diet.
1. Almond Milk
Missy LOVES almond milk, like A LOT. Any time the box comes out she will cry and cry and cry until she gets some. I thought it was fine since it’s not normal milk which I knew isn’t recommended for cats (they can’t digest lactose). Turns out almonds are on the not recommended list and therefore almond milk is not recommended. Many sites said that it depends on their tolerance level, even though Missy tolerates it well I think we will be scaling back.
Reference: http://canigivemycat.com/almond-milk
2. Oatmeal
She also LOVES to lick the oatmeal bowl totally clean. According to the interweb oats are okay for cats and dogs. Just like for humans benefits include digestive support, protein, essential vitamins and minerals.
Reference: Benefits of Oats for Dogs and Cats
3. Cheerios/Cereal
There wasn’ t a lot of information on this one. I don’t really buy cheerios that much anymore, I’m really into Puffins now. Back when I did buy them, however, she loved to munch on a few as a treat. Seemed like a lot of other people’s cats like cereal too, how about yours? (This isn’t Missy but it cracked me up.)
4. Popcorn
I wonder what Missy would do if I actually let her near our bowl of popcorn, right now she just cries till we give her some. Luckily this one is from what I found a “safe treat”
Reference: Healthy Cat Treats
5. Tuna and Tuna Can Juice
I used to give Missy a bunch of Tuna till I found out it wasn’t a great idea. Now she just gets the juice from the can whenever I open one. I was surprised to learn one of the reasons to avoid giving it regularly is that polyunsaturated fats can lower a cats stores of Vitamin E, potential leading to deficiency. I wasn’t surprised to learn that while tuna and fish is a good treat, a steady diet won’t provide enough essential vitamins or minerals. Trader Joe’s makes a cat “tuna” which I get for her as a treat sometimes.
Source: Is Tuna Bad For Cats?
6. Sunflower Seed Butter
She takes after her mama and papa’s strong love affair with sunflower seed butter. Apparently sunflower seeds are a preferred snack by cats, who knew? I’m wondering about the
Source: Why Do Cats Eat Sunflower Seeds
7. Almond and Peanut Butter’s
While she loves them both she rarely gets them anymore (unless they are mixed in aforementioned oatmeal bowl she likes to lick). See number 1 for recommendations about almonds. Peanut butter was recommended to me before when she was little and needed to get pills down. According to many sites, needing to get pills down should really be the only reason cats should have any.
Source: Can I Give My Cat Peanut Butter
Of Possible Interest:
Our Best Tips for Getting Your Cat to Let You Sleep (via Caster)
Healthy Cat Treats and Snacks (WebMD)
Healthy Snack Ideas: People food for cats and dogs (petMD)
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