Can Cats Eat Chorizo? [ Is It Safe For Them? Diet Info]

It’s a question you secretly dreaded. Can cats eat chorizo? You’ve heard it a million times that cats love meats. And maybe you feed your pet eats various kinds of meat; sometimes canned and sometimes cooked.  But you just thought of giving your cat some chorizo. And now, you can’t help but wonder; can cats eat chorizo?

No! Cats can’t eat chorizo. While chorizos are one of our favorite foods, they are unhealthy for your pet. Why? Because Chorizo is cured meat and is usually processed with a lot of salt, pepper, and sometimes garlic.  While salt is beneficial for pets, when ingested in large quantities, it is toxic to cats.

Ingestion of salt, pepper, or garlic by your feline pet could lead to some vomiting, incoordination, tremors, diarrhea, lethargy, excessive urination, seizures, coma, and in severe cases, death. So, you shouldn’t feed your pet chorizo. Not even the leftovers from your kitchen!

It is essential to feed your cat a healthy diet, right? For this reason, in this article, you will learn what meats are toxic for your cat.

So, let’s get to it.

Can Cats Eat Cooked Chorizo?

Most times, people eat cured chorizos uncooked. But that depends on the type of chorizo they have. There are two kinds of chorizos; Spanish chorizo, and Mexican chorizo. The former is usually cured and mostly consumed without cooking. However, the Mexican chorizo is raw and must be cooked before eaten. If you have some Mexican chorizo in your fridge, you might be wondering if you can feed your cat some of it after cooking.

Here’s what you need to know: Cats shouldn’t eat chorizo, not even when cooked. Mexican chorizos are highly seasoned with salt, garlic, and pepper. These seasonings are toxic to cats, and cooking does little to reduce them. The best thing is never to serve your cat chorizo, whether it is cooked or uncooked. If you want to feed some chorizo to your pet, homemade chorizos are better because you can add just a little salt while making them.

What Is Toxic For Cats?

Now that you know that you shouldn’t feed your chorizos, what other food is toxic for cats?

1.    Chocolate and caffeine

While chocolates and caffeine are both dark and yummy, they are poisonous to cats. In fact, the darker your chocolates or coffee, the more poisonous it is for pets. Chocolates and caffeine contain a chemical compound called theobromine which is toxic for cats. Signs of theobromine poisoning in pets are; vomiting, diarrhea, seizure, tremor, incoordination, and in severe cases, death.

2.    Alcohol

Warning: Never give alcohol to your cat! Alcohol disrupts their nervous system and may lead to depression. Signs of alcohol poisoning in pets are vomiting, incoordination, seizure, tremor, and in severe cases, death.

3.    Grapes and raisins

If you have grapes in your fridge, keep them away from your cat. These sweet, juicy small berries are toxic to your feline pets. The ASPCA warns against the danger of feeding grapes to cats and expatiates that they can cause kidney failure in your feline pets.

4.    Onion and garlic

Onion and garlic are good spices for food. But in your cat food, it is poisonous. They both can cause GI problems for your cats when ingested. In severe cases, they could damage your pet’s red blood cell leading to illnesses such as anemia or kidney diseases.

5.    Xylitol

Xylitol is a chemical compound used in sweetening food products. They are commonly used in chewing gums, toothpaste, peanut butter, candy, baked goods, etc. While these sugar-free products may sound appealing, they are toxic to your pet and could cause low blood sugar and liver failure in pets.

6.    Citrus

Citrus fruits and their plants are toxic to cats. That is because they contain essential oil. The scents from the oil can disturb a cat’s brain and might even cause depression. According to the ASPCA, orange is toxic to cats, dogs, and horses.

Related article you might be interested in:  “Can Cats Drink Lemon Juice?“

What Meat Is Bad For Cats?

Raw meat is nutritious for cats. However, raw diets are not totally healthy because they make cats prone to bacterial infection and food poisoning. Also, meat byproducts like hair, teeth, hooves, head, etc, are bad for cats. They have no nutritional value and should never be fed to them.

The liver is also unhealthy for your cat. The liver is high in vitamin A, and when your pet eats an excess of it could lead to vitamin A poisoning. While some feed tuna to cats, it shouldn’t be a regular diet because it is doesn’t meet up the nutritional requirements for pets as specified by the ASPCA.

Moreover, Tuna contains mercury, which is toxic to most mammals including felines. Also, feeding raw fish to your cat is unhealthy. A raw fish diet could lead to thiamine deficiency, which could cause brain problems.

Related Questions

Can Cats Eat Cheese?

Although cats are associated with milk, most of them are lactose intolerant. That is because they don’t have enough lactase enzymes to break down lactose. So, your cat cannot eat cheese. If your pet ingests cheese or other dairy products, it might be unable to digest it. Some of the signs of lactose poisoning in pets are diarrhea and vomiting.

Can Cats Eat Sausage?

Cats shouldn’t eat chorizos and sausages. Sausages are nutritionally beneficial to cats. However, most commercially available sausages are processed with a lot of salt. That makes them unhealthy for your feline pet. However, if you make homemade sausages, they would be great for your pet. Moreover, if you are feeding your pet sausages, balance the diet with some fat, and a small ration of carbs. You could also dice some of the sausages in its food.

Can Cats Eat Ham?

Cats can eat ham as long as it doesn’t contain high salt contents. Ham is rich in protein, and felines need that in their diet. However, most canned hams in groceries have high salt content, which is unhealthy for your cat. So, if you want to feed your pet some ham, it is better to serve her brined ham. On the other hand, you can make homemade ham to ensure your pet eats a healthy diet.

Can cats eat scrambled eggs?

While raw eggs might be unhealthy for your pet, scrambled eggs are nutritious for pets. Eggs contain protein, fat, and amino acids that your cat needs in its daily nutrition. However, raw egg whites contain avidin, a type of protein that prevents your pet from absorbing vitamin B. Vitamin B is essential for your pet to maintain its shining coat. So, ensure that your pet’s egg is properly cooked. Therefore, cats should eat scrambled eggs instead of raw eggs.

Related article: “Can Cats Drink Ginger-Ale?”

Final Thoughts

To sum up, cats can’t eat chorizo. Some people assume that in little quantity, chorizo is not harmful to pets. However, determining a standard for what is little is quite tricky. So, unless you are making cured meat yourself, don’t feed commercially produced sausages, chorizos, and ham to your cat. Also, if your pet eats chorizos or any of those toxic foods, take her to the vet immediately.

For theobromine ingestion, it is important to know the type and quantity of chocolate ingested, and the weight of your cat. That information helps determine the level of toxicity of theobromine in your pet. Now that you are aware of the foods that are toxic to your cat, go ahead, and plan a healthy diet for your pet.