Can Cats Eat Breakfast Burritos?


Is your cat looking for ways to hijack whatever you are eating? Pets have a very natural feeling of just connecting with you by sharing whatever it is you’re doing, and cats are no different. Cooking for yourself might be like a little invitation to your pet, and in turn, they give you a very expected look. It can be so hard to ignore them then because they’re just so cute to say no to.

However, giving every time and sharing whatever you are eating with them could seriously hamper their health as well. You wouldn’t want to do that because they cannot fend for themselves in that way. 

Burrito for breakfast is a treat for us, but if your pet wants it too, you might want to consider it before doing that. Let us talk about burritos here and whether you can feed your cat the same or not. Keep on reading down to know more.

Can cats eat burritos?

Cats have a very sensitive digestive system as compared to a human because they cannot digest extreme flavors’ such as spice, sweet very much. Burrito, similarly, is made of ingredients that will have no nutritional value for the cat and rather prove to be harmful to them. Burritos contain onions, garlic, bread dough that is very toxic for a cat’s body as it can lead to various diseases. 

Therefore cats cannot eat burritos as they can prove to be fatal to their health and can cause various diseases such as anemia, gastrointestinal disorder, abdominal pain, etc.

Why are burritos toxic for cats?

Yes, burritos can be extremely toxic for a cat considering the ingredients that are in there that can lead to various life-threatening diseases. The ingredients that are used to make a burrito are onion, rice, cooked beans, cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo, tomatoes. Now, let us see why exactly burrito is toxic in the following points:

  • Onion – Cats should just stay away from onions as they don’t promote a positive and healthy body for them. Even though, if they eat it by accident, they will probably be okay. However, if they consume a good amount of it, they could develop anemia in felines. Burrito has a good amount of onion by itself and then in salsa and pico de gallo as well. It could be lethal for them. 
  • Garlic – A cat has a very sensitive digestive system, and feeding them garlic would be wrong in all sense. Even a small amount could lead to indigestion for them. Garlic is from the same family as that of an onion, and therefore your cat could get similar diseases as an onion. Burrito has a great deal of garlic as it is present in guacamole, pico de gallo, and even some salsas.
  • Rice – Rice isn’t very lethal to a cat’s health. However, it does not add any nutritional value to their health. However, feeding too much rice would lead to malnutrition as it would not meet with the adequate amount of nutritional ingredients. A burrito does consist of rice as its main ingredient.
  • Cooked Beans – beans are somewhat similar to rice. They are alright if you want to feed your cat. However, you might want to choose the most appropriate cooking method, i.e., boiling the beans. Any other method would lose any little amount of protein they would otherwise get. Burritos, on the other hand, are already filled with toxic ingredients, and adding fried or baked beans just adds to its toxicity for your cat.
  • Pico de gallo – pico de gallo is a combination of onions, tomatoes, jalapeños, etc. onion is the toxic ingredient for a cat, and jalapeño is a pepper that could be spicy for the cat. A cat’s sensitive stomach would not digest pico de gallo and, in combination with the burrito, would be lethal too.
  • Guacamole – Guacamole is made of garlic, onions, lemon juice, and avocado and is very likely to be toxic for your cat since it has onions and garlic in it. Therefore, you should refrain from giving any to your cat. It has a high-fat content that could lead to pancreatitis for your cat.
  • Cheese – cheese isn’t very lethal to cats, but too much of it could become toxic for them. A cat could develop lactose intolerance
  • Tortilla wrap – tortilla rap is made of AP flour that is not healthy for a cat, and they won’t be able to digest it.

What could be a healthier alternative?

Instead of a burrito, you could go for several human foods that can prove to be a healthier option for them:

  • You can feed your cat steamed vegetables occasionally, such as broccoli, asparagus, carrot, etc., even though they won’t prove to be very nutritious but can become a good alternative to change up the routine.
  • You can even feed your cat cheese but on rare occasions only because most cats are lactose intolerant. But just a little nibble won’t hurt them.
  • You can give them meat such as chicken and boiled meat. You can feed your catfish, but tuna is the preferable one.

What to do if your cat eats a burrito by accident?

Sometimes, your cat can be quick in what they snatch from your hands or are sly enough to eat leftover food kept on the table. This is the most usual occurrence. However, a burrito is a dangerous combination of raw onions and garlic that could prove to be fatal to them. In case your cat eats a burrito in your absence, you must consult a vet as soon as you can. Even if nothing happens, any reaction because of it could be prevented. 

You can keep a regime for your cat, such as a little walk now and then, to keep their stomachs healthy and their digestive system is running smoothly. However, if you see symptoms such as vomiting or diarrhea, go to a vet as soon as possible.

However, you must carefully observe them before taking any action to ensure that you are taking the right step that is in favor of your cat’s health. 

To see what to do if you’re cat ingests something poisonous, click here.

Conclusion 

Cats are highly curious species. They are very picky eaters, even more, picky than a human baby. However, they will do anything to have whatever you are eating. Cats are attracted to human food just like humans, and therefore, they might urge you with their cuteness to feed them some of that food. However, this is where you need to be careful because some of our food is extremely dangerous for them. 

Cats should be fed wet meat food such as canned tuna etc., as it satisfies their carnivores’ nature but controls the hazardous nature of the food item. Burrito or breakfast burrito is one such example of human food that is toxic for your pet cats because of the addition of onions, garlic, spices, etc. a combination of this could become lethal for their health.

Thus, we can conclude here that cats cannot eat breakfast burritos, and even if they do, you must consult a vet immediately to lessen any medical issues.

Amelia Kteylor

Amelia Kteylor, DVM, attended the University of Georgia. She is a cat expert with 20 years of experiences in field. She has a passion as a writer and editor for pet publishing industry too. Amelia contributes to numerous pet magazines in the areas of pet health and groom. Further, she volunteered in cat rescue centers in her leisure time.

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