Can Cats Eat Hot Dogs? Why That Is So Dangerous?

Usually, my cat eats tons of Blue Buffalo Healthy Gourmet. But, on one given day, as I was eating a hot dog from my favorite restaurant, and seeing my cat lick its lips at my hotdog, I wondered if I could give it a hot dog to eat. As good as this hot dog tastes, and how badly it appears this cat wanted a bite, I’m seriously considering throwing him a hot dog next go around. Should I or Should I Not? Can Cats Eat Hot Dogs?

The answer is no, Cats should not eat hot dogs. The reason being, a cat’s digestive system isn’t designed to process a hot dog, well, to be specific, a processed hot dog. The amount of fat, salt, preservatives, and chemicals used in processed hotdogs will make your cat sick.

As humans, our bodies can properly digest the process of a hotdog, but it is recommended, with the ingredients used to make a hotdog, that we stay away from eating them as well. Eating too many hotdogs is very dangerous to human health. Just imagine a cat having to process food that isn’t safe for us to digest.

What’s in a hot dog that is so dangerous for a cat to eat?

Well, a hot dog contains high amounts of fat, salt and even includes chemicals and preservatives in order to give it high shelf life. A cat’s diet is primarily lean meats. Its body doesn’t really know how to process high-fat counts. And in return, this will cause your cat to become obese. Cats’ bodies will just store the fat, unfortunately, versus breaking it down.

As far as the high level of salt is concerned, the cat’s body isn’t designed to process such matter either. Because of such excess, your cat will result in becoming dehydrated. In addition, your cat can even develop a disease called sodium-ion poisoning. If you notice your cat has been vomiting lately; depressed; has developed some sought of anxiety; has recently had a seizure, chances are your cat has too much salt in its diet. Be careful.

The preservatives and chemicals in a hot dog that a human’s body can process aren’t as easy for a cat. Because of this difficulty, the toxicity levels of these matters are multiplied. Very dangerous for your cat. Stay away from feeding your cat processed hot dogs.

Is there fat content, salt, and preservatives in store-bought cat foods?

Yes, but the types of fats used in cat foods are, of course, able to be digested. These fats are typically just organic animal and vegetable oil fats in small amounts. Typically cat food would consist of 8g of fat in total, with 1 gram being saturated fat. Zero calories. While a hotdog will provide a cat 16g of total fat, with 6g of that being saturated. One hundred and seventy calories. These nutritional facts are definitely unhealthy for a cat to consume.

Can I feed my cat a hot dog bun?

Feeding your cat, a processed hotdog is definitely not good for cats, but when it comes to feeding them a hot dog bun, yes, you can do so. It will not make your cat sick. Stay away from feeding your cat bread that may be flavored: garlic, chocolate, and various other types of seasonings. These types of flavored bread can, on the other hand, make them sick.

Can cats eat unprocessed hotdogs?

If you’re wondering if you can feed a cat unprocessed hotdogs, you’re in luck. Yes! It’s simple logic. If a cat is a carnivore, and you give it meat, which isn’t processed by man, then your cat is in the clear. Its digestive system is built to process such kind of food. Organic pork, chicken, and beef hotdogs are safe for your cat to eat. Well, since we’ve covered unprocessed hot dog meat being safe for your cat, you are likely to know the answer to this next question.

Can a cat eat a hamburger?

When it comes to feeding a cat hamburger, unlike processed hotdogs, it is safe for them to consume. There are a few requirements, however. The hamburger which you feed your cat must be ground beef, and it must be cooked fully. Uncooked hamburger meat can lead to diseases and sicknesses in your cat. Try not to feed hamburgers to your cat too much. Keep it to a minimum. Cats “are” carnivores and can consume meat, but try just giving hamburgers to them at small portions, possibly for a snack from time to time.

If my cat eats a hotdog, what do I do?

Fortunately, if your cat does happen to sneak a hot dog off of the kitchen table while you’re taking a phone call, it will not die. Just like mentioned above, it can develop a minor sickness, but nothing to worry about – vomiting and diarrhea at the most from eating one hotdog. If hot dogs become its regular diet, then that’s when a more serious health scare comes into play.

Is there hot dog flavored cat food?

Well, cat foods can consist of unprocessed meats: chicken, fish, beef, etc. This is the likelihood of unprocessed hot dogs. As cat owners, we tend to feed our cats straight out of the can, at room temperature. To give our cats the experience of a warm hot dog, we can do so by warming up their cat food. It’s a simple process of allowing the cat foods can to sit in warm water until its temperature has increased, and then scooping out the food into its kitty bowl shortly afterward.

Besides meats, and store-bought cat food, what else can cats eat?

Besides beef, pork, chicken, and fish, cats like to eat fresh fruits, oatmeal, fresh vegetables, cheese, bread, cooked eggs, yogurt, ice-cream, and even canned baby food. Seems as though your cat eats more like a health nut at your local gym. If you’re a healthy eater, it’s likely that you and your cat can sit down at the dining room table for a nice healthy delectable meal together. How about even taking your cat out for a night out at Chipotle and then for ice cream at Baskin-Robbins. Don’t you just love cats?

Why the need to feed your cat hotdogs?

With the many options of human foods that cats can eat, why the need to feed them hotdogs? Bread, chicken breast, and vegetables serve me well for a meal, and if my cat sniffs at it and licks its lips in desire, knowing that it is safe for them, I’ll fix it a plate.

Knowing the dangers of hotdogs for my health, why am I even eating them? The taste is incredible, but my health is in danger upon consumption. If I continue to eat hotdogs I will have to hide them from my cat, and at the same time, I’ll be diminishing my health. Why do I put pressure on myself? I should just do away with the processed hotdogs altogether and move on to unprocessed.

How else can we keep our cats healthy?

Besides denying our cats processed hotdogs, to keep them healthy, there are other responsibilities we must be held accountable for when caring for our cats.

• Brushing their teeth daily
• Providing a sufficient amount of litter boxes
• Spaying and neutering them
• Keeping them hydrated often
• Showing appreciation by accepting all gifts from them (even if it’s a dead mouse)
• Feeding them less dried foods
• And of course, feeding them unprocessed meats

If you eat a hotdog around a cat…

If you absolutely have to have an unprocessed hot dog in your diet, it may be wise to eat it away from home or in another room away from your cat. Eating a hotdog, while it drools over it, can be sought of like teasing it. It is definitely not a good idea to tease a cat. Why? This is grounds for your cat suddenly becoming unfriendly. It can even get annoyed enough to take a bite or a scratch at your arm or even face. Cats are known to lash out at humans when angry. Be considerate of your cat when eating an unprocessed hotdog. Let’s try to keep our cats’ attitudes on a nice note, shall we?

Our cats can be our best friends, which means sometimes we just want them to be happy at all costs. A hot dog can smell and look extremely tasty to our cats and we may think it a good idea to feed it to them. Without our knowledge of the dangers of a hotdog to a cat, we may throw one to them and watch it eat it in enjoyment. Mission accomplished! Our cat is happy. But, we are doing more harm than good.

Never feed your cat hot dogs. It is bad for its health and can make them very sick. Cats weren’t designed to digest hotdogs. When God made cats, God made them to eat organic foods, just like humans. But, cats are less capable of digesting processed foods, unfortunately. Care for your cats. DO NOT FEED THEM THOSE UNHEALTHY PROCESSED HOTDOGS!