Pancake is kind of our easy to do type of meal. Right? It will not be missed for at least 4 or 5 times per week.
While eating your pancakes with maple syrup, you may see your cute cat looking at you. A begging look for a small piece.
So, I can think that you may already give her a piece or its already a habit of yours.
Well, if that so, did you every through about its safety? What will have happened to your cat when you are feeding pancakes long term? If not, then this article is for you.
Can cats eat pancakes?
Cats can eat pancakes. But strictly as small amounts for occasional period. Pancake does not give much nutrition value to your cat. Therefore, it is recommended not to give it in a regular manner.
Are there any precautions to consider before giving pancakes to a cat?
Yes, there is a major precaution you need to aware of.
Typical pancake recipe uses milk and butter as its one of significant ingredient.
Unfortunately, milk and butter are hard to digest for most of cats. The most adult cats are lactose intolerant. That means they can’t properly digest dairy products.
When cats are small, at the kitten age, they develop the necessary enzyme to break down lactose. So they can digest their mother’s milk.
However, when they grow up, this ability will go away. That’s why adult cats having problems with dairy products.
What happened if you overfeed pancakes to your cat?
If you overfeed pancakes, then most likely your cat will have diarrhea. Even, it does not happen; this can lead to nasty stomach pains.
However, as I mentioned earlier, not all cats are lactose intolerant. Therefore, some cats may not affect at all, even though there is a problem with overfeeding pancakes.
It does provide lots of calories. Cats do not want a high amount of calories. If you regularly provide high-calorie foods, then your furr ball could be gain lots of unwanted weight (which is really bad for its overall health).
If your cat shows some kind of uncomfortable feeling after eating a pancake, then you can provide cool water bowel. It will calm your cat in most cases.
But if it isn’t, then it’s better to consult your vet.
Pancake compound?
Okay, let’s see nutrition compounds in a pancake. So, I can clearly explain why does this not good for your cat as a daily meal, even your cat looks fine (after eating).
The nutrition values for this table were derived from the official web page of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (PDF).
| Nutrition | Nutrition amount per serving (80g) |
| Calories | 182 |
| Fat | 7.8g |
| Cholesterol | 47mg |
| Sodium | 351mg |
| Potassium | 106mg |
| Carbohydrates | 23g |
| Protein | 5.1g |
As you can see in the above table, it does not give much value to your cat’s daily meal.
All it does is adding unwanted elements to your cat’s life. A more realistic example of this is eating junk foods by ourselves.
We all know that junk foods are bad for our health and it will seriously affect us if we consumed them regularly.
Pancake has the same effect on your cat.
Different types of pancakes
There are lots of different recipes available for pancakes. Lots of us make them in different ways.
Therefore, the ingredients and their amounts can be differing from recipe to recipe. That means some of these recipes can be more toxic than to others.
- French Crêpes – This type is famous in UK. A crêpe pan is used to make a thin pancake. Flour, milk and eggs are the major ingredients. Since milk is available, you need to careful with your cat.
- American style pancake – This is the common type in USA. It’s different from the UK version due to the size. Further, this one uses one more ingredient other than the ones used in UK version. That’s baking powder. It makes pancakes fluffier and thicker. Unfortunately, baking powder is not good for your cat too. If it been eaten too much, then it can reason for several side-effects.
- Scotch pancakes – Usually, the appearance of this type of pancake is similar to the American style pancake. Scotch pancake uses flour, eggs, sugar, milk, salt and cream of tartar as its core ingredients. These are served as a snack with jam or cream. Since this one utilize milk (can cats drink powder milk? find it here) and cream of tartar, the effect for your cat is very similar to the American style pancake.
As you can see from the above type of pancakes, they all use milk and other ingredients that do not look good for your cat.
Even though there are some recipes which do not use any of those ingredients, they will not add any advantage toward your cat’s meal.
Advantage/Disadvantages of pancakes as a meal for cats
Pancakes may not give any kind of advantage. In true voice, it is just junk food for your cat.
There are several disadvantages of pancakes if you are feeding them regularly.
It can cause diarrhea and stomach problems for your cat (if your furr ball is lactose intolerant).
Even your cat does not have such a problem with milk products; regular pancake can increase your cat’s weight in a wrong way.
Pancakes are containing eggs so is it good for your cats?
Eggs are a good source of B vitamins to begin with. Additionally, they give us vitamins A, D, E, and K.
Cats who eat pancakes with eggs can get a variety of health benefits.
However, we should consult with vet first before continuing with feeding our cat pancakes produced from eggs.
Eggs should only make up a small portion of our cat’s daily caloric intake, according to a recommendation from an animal expert that details the safe calorie intake for cats.
Additionally, uncooked eggs should never be served. That much is known. Salmonella and E. coli are a couple of the dangerous bacteria that can be discovered in some raw eggs.
The proper way of giving pancakes to your cat
So, now you may be thinking about a way of giving pancakes for your cat with all of these factors. Right?
Well, my advice is not to do that. Even as a snack. It does not add any good for your cat.
But, occasionally, giving one or two-bite of the pancake will not harm your cat in any way. So do not worry if you are already giving some.
Final Thoughts
Pancakes are a delicacies food for us, humans. But, it isn’t so cool for your cat. It does not add any value to your cats daily need of nutrition. Moreover, regular feeding of pancakes can lead your furr ball into an unhealthy lifestyle.
References
The article is reviewed by our editorial team based on our editorial policy and approved for the publication.