Can cats eat duck? You might have been wondering this if your cat begs for a taste when you cook duck for a holiday feast or special occasion. If humans can eat duck, is it also safe for cats to eat?
The short answer is yes, cats can safely eat duck. In fact, it can make a great little addition to your cat’s diet or can become a healthy regular treat. There are just a few precautions you’ll need to take when preparing duck for a cat.
As always, you must ask your vet before sharing any human foods with your cat. Here’s what you should know about feeding duck to cats.
How Is Duck Good For Cats?
Cats are obligate carnivores, which means that most of their daily diet should consist of protein. Duck meat is a good source of protein and will fulfill a lot of your cat’s nutritional requirements.
Duck meat also contains a decent amount of zinc, iron and B vitamins.
In some cases, cats who have allergies to chicken or turkey may better tolerate game meats like duck.
How Can I Safely Give Duck To My Cat?
First of all, you’ll need to cook the duck as simply as possible. Avoid adding any herbs or spices to the duck that might be toxic to your cat or upset their digestive system. Also, make sure that you don’t use garlic as it can be poisonous to cats.
Secondly, make sure that you render as much fat as possible out of the duck while you’re roasting it because cats do not benefit from a high fat diet.
When serving duck to your cat, only let them eat the duck’s meat, rather than the skin, which contains a much higher percentage of fat. Also, make sure that you shred the duck meat from the bones to avoid any potential choking hazards.
As with all human foods, always be wary of feeding your cat too much in case they begin to develop a preference for it, which could in turn cause them to begin to shun their usual daily diet.
Has your cat ever eaten duck meat? Did they like it? Let us know in the comments section below!