Pumpkin's Health Benefits for Cats and Our Recipe
Halloween is fast-approaching and we are filled with festive ideas for our furries! Pumpkin is a particular favourite amongst hoomans (for decorative and food purposes) however is it suitable for cats? The answer is YES - pumpkin is great for cats with many health benefits!
Cats are born to get their nutritional requirements met with meat-based proteins rather than plants - they are obligate carnivores. However, pumpkin as a complementary food source should provide cats with health benefits.
Health Benefits of Pumpkin
We have summarised the health benefits of pumpkin below for cats:
- Relieves constipation and diarrhea
Pumpkin contains a lot of fibre which helps relieve constipation and diarrhea. Vets often recommend pumpkin as an easy remedy to help with mild cases of constipation and diarrhea.
- Makes the cat feel 'full'
The fibre in pumpkin helps the cat feel 'full', which is good for cats who are obese and on a diet.
- Reduce hairballs
Hairballs develop due to the cat's grooming routine. The fibre in pumpkin help reduce hairballs developing.
- Increase intake of zinc, vitamin A and vitamin C
Pumpkin is a top source of vitamins A and C which support a cat's vision and immunity. Furthermore it contains zinc, which helps improve a cat's skin and coat. Nevertheless, with a well-balanced diet, these should not be needed to be extracted from pumpkin.
Our recipe
When serving pumpkin to cats, ensure that the pumpkin itself is as plain as possible i.e. it does not contain any other added flavourings such as spice or sugars. The pumpkin ideally should be cooked as otherwise it's too difficult for the cat to bite into.
As it's such a 'non-meaty' ingredient, cats tend not to immediately be attracted to eating pumpkin which is why we suggest mixing it with Empower Paw's cats chicken gravy - the delicious chicken aroma and taste should stimulate your cat to try it!
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsps of cooked pumpkin
- 1 tsp of Empower Paw's cats chicken gravy powder
- 1 tbsp of warm water
Method:
- Mash the cooked pumpkin.
- Mix up the gravy by adding the powder and warm water together.
- Mix the gravy with the mashed pumpkin. Serve!
Here's a beautiful video of Athena and Aura trying out this recipe. We hope this helps and your cat enjoys!