Can Cats Eat Pistachios? Ensuring Food Safety for Your Pets

If you know the pistachios aren’t considered poisonous, then will you feed them to cats? But can cats eat pistachios, really? Almost all cat parents are guilty of feeding their cats a thing or two that shouldn’t be fed. A chunk of chocolate, a handful of nuts. Are you one of those humans who will unanimously agree upon giving our feline friends human food?

If your cat has ever seen you chomping on pistachios, chances are, she wants a bite too. But things to remember that cats can or can not eat pistachios, actually two schools of thought we find with different opinions.

Sometimes, we aren’t aware of the potential danger that this human food, looking innocent and edible to us, holds for the cats. Unknowingly, we try to feed these delicacies of the human world to their cats. But the question remains, can we do that? Turns out, your cats can have it in extremely small amounts, or not at all. Why? Let’s find out!

Can Cats Eat Pistachios?

Cats can and can not eat pistachios. A confusing answer, we know. Actually, the answer for feeding cats with pistachios is split into two considerations.

What we mean to say is, there are two schools of thought regarding whether or not pistachio or forms of it as food are toxic to cats. Before we comment on that, let’s break down the nutritional benefits of pistachio, just in case you have fed or mean to feed them to your cat.

A member of the nut family, pistachios are rich in vitamins B, E, K, protein, and fiber. It also has low-fat levels and is known to lower blood pressure and reduce risks of heart diseases. Since it is low in fat, it doesn’t cause weight gain in humans.

So it seemingly looks like it is a good treat and should not harm your cat. That’s what the first school of thought believes in; that you can feed pistachios to your cat in a very, very, very small amount. Maybe one pistachio nut after 5-7 days. However, an issue associated with cats and pistachios is that they can’t have salted pistachios, only regular ones. And even if your cat eats these, the pistachio nuts or such nut-based meals can never be a substitute for the carnivorous meal that is suited for cats to eat.

There is another group of cat owners that believes that you should never feed pistachios to your cats. Since cats are carnivores, they should be fed food meant for them. They need animal-protein based diets. If you feed them something plant-based, they can’t synthesize the nutrients from plant-based meals and, as a result, turn out to be unhealthy and disease-prone.

Can Cats Have Pistachio Ice Cream?

In case you didn’t know, three major ingredients go into pistachio ice-creams. They are milk, sugar, and of course, ground pistachios. Cats are cool with having milk, as you have seen Tomcat slurping on bowls of it in the most delicious manner. But the fact that it includes sugar makes it a little problematic for cats. Sugar isn’t toxic to the feline buddies. But when they are largely combined with milk and potential harm that ground pistachios possess, it becomes an issue.

While small amounts of carbohydrates are good for cats, this sweetness isn’t so good because it isn’t natural for them! So the answer is no. As this is quite rich in carbohydrate and fat content, you shouldn’t feed these to your cat. It may harm their system or cause them diarrhea and vomiting. But if you have previously fed it to them without distress, an extremely tiny amount to taste will do!

Can I feed my cat pistachio fudge?

Again, another form of sweet delicacy that is extremely tasty to you, pistachio fudge, is questionable when it is being fed to your cat buddies. Now you may say, a lot of ingredients go into making the fudge, and you can make them vegan, with or without sugar. So what’s the issue in feeding pistachio fudge to your cats?

When we are saying fudge, it is essentially chocolate-based. And anything chocolate-based is harmful to your cats, as the most serious form it can be coma or death. One thing that makes you safe from them having fudge is that cats don’t themselves have a sweet tooth. So they won’t go after sweet things. But if you are not putting any chocolate or artificial sugar in the fudge, and plan on making a healthier vegan option, then too, we need to stop you. So the final answer on feeding them with pistachio fudge, vegan or the most chocolatey one, is a complete no. It has a lot of potential harm hidden in the layers for your cat!

Are Pistachios Safe for Kittens?

Although not explicitly poisonous to cats, are these safe for kittens? The wise thing that you can do is not feed these to your kitten. You should only stick to animal-protein based meals for your cats.

Can Cats Have Other Forms of Nuts?

Since we are already discussing pistachios, we may as well discuss other forms of nut just so that you get some help. Any form of nut is rich in fat content. So when your cat has plenty of nuts, be it in different forms, it can cause tummy issues. If you are spacing out their eating time and giving them to eat at different hours of the day or different days of the week, even then, nuts possess the chance to cause infection of the pancreas, digestive issues, and vomiting.

If you’re thinking that you will not be feeding them raw nuts but processed and packed nuts, even then there are issues. Those kinds of nuts come salted most of the time. And as you know, salted nuts mean high sodium content, which we obviously don’t want. The less sodium your cat has, the better. It can save your cat from potential seizures or tremors.

So most nuts are a big no for your cats, processed or natural.

What Issues Will Cats Face If They Have Pistachios?

Digestive Issues

No matter what school of thought you choose to believe in, either of them does not deny that pistachios are very high in fiber for the cat body and digestive system, hence may cause constipation.

If you have planned to give your cat one pistachio because it is killing you for one, remember to remove the outer shell for them, as the rough shell may cause severe gastrointestinal distress.

Pancreatic Issues

Although pistachios have less fat than almonds and cashews, their fat level is high for cats. This is so much that it can easily cause them obesity and weight-related diseases. And as we know, too much of this high-fat content food causes pancreatitis in cats, and we definitely don’t want that.

Choking Hazard

The shell on the nut can get stuck inside your cat’s throat or may get stuck in the intestinal tract to cause excretory problems.

What Are Some Alternatives to Pistachios?

1. Buying green-colored treats for your cats that are based on animal protein.
2. Getting nut-shaped treats that resemble pistachios.
3. Don’t eat pistachios in front of them!
4. Contact poison control if you see signs of physical distress in your cat, and don’t feed them these nuts again.

What is the Right Cat-friendly Diet?

To pick the proper cat food, we know that adult cats thrive on high protein food. That protein should be sourced from animals, not plants, is possible. Also, the fat content in the food, as well as the fiber content, should be low and optimal.

The best thing to feed your cat is raw meat, along with other mixes of vegetables and fruits at times. A little green is good for your cats, but not so much that it causes bodily harm.

Final Words

So, are pistachios bad for cats? It is in small amounts as long as, they can digest almost any human food, but maybe not pistachio.

You have to keep in mind that the benefit that you are trying to give your cat from pistachios can be gotten from alternative sources. So although not “bad,” they aren’t as good either!