Being the most loving and caring pet parent, you are very much aware of your kitty’s nature. Usually, cats love to sneak a bite from your meal and sometimes munch on plants they like. Often, your feline is involved in things they shouldn’t do actually.
Speaking about the medicinal plant – ginger, it’s one of the prevalent spices widely known for its key benefits. But, Can Cats Eat Ginger? Yes, you can give ginger to cats. Though cats are carnivores and they love to eat meat as their primary food, it doesn’t mean that they don’t like other vegetables and fruits.
Ginger is beneficial for cats in treating a plethora of ailments that range from digestive problems to inflammation. While ginger offers copious benefits to the cat, it’s eventually important to figure out the potential risks linked with feeding ginger to felines.
To learn more about the benefits and side effects of ginger, ways to use ginger for cats, and the perfect dosage of ginger for cats, just read this in-depth post. Have a look!
Contents
Is Ginger Safe For Cats?
Is Ginger Safe for Cats? Zingiber Officinalis is the generic name of Ginger. Cats can eat ginger safely without any worries. Ginger isn’t required as a part of your daily dietary needs of your cat. Still, it can be used as a medicinal herb on an occasional basis but is not required to be used daily.
Before giving ginger to your cat, it’s important to understand ‘Is Ginger Safe for Cats’. We may not be sure that the health benefits of ginger will be the same for humans and cats. Usually, cats have their own metabolism and physiology, unlike humans.
We recommend you consult your veterinarian before giving any new food to your cat. However, it is safe to feed fresh ginger to cats in small amounts. As ginger has anti-inflammatory properties, they help in treating various digestive problems of the cat such as diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach upset.
In case, you feed too much ginger to your cat, it leads to gastrointestinal problems and sometimes, in the worst case, it causes liver damage in cats. If your cat is on medication for some health issue and if you feed ginger to your cat, it may mix with those medications causing severe health complications in the cat. Though feeding ginger to the cat is safe, it is always better to consult your vet about the same.
Do Cats Like Ginger?
Can Cats Have Ginger? The answer is a ‘Yes’. Cats can have ginger. Before that, you need to know ‘Does your cat like ginger?’ There is no standard answer to this question. The reason is that every cat is different and their preferences are variable.
Still, there are a few cats that love the taste of ginger and some other cats may not like ginger. You can check whether your cat likes ginger or not by giving a small amount of it to the cat. If your cat consumes ginger without detesting, it indicates that your cat likes ginger.
Keep in mind that cats have receptors that can sense strong smells compared to humans. Ginger has a strong taste and your cat may dislike the taste of ginger. However, ginger comes in a variety of forms so, you can use it in any way to feed ginger to your cat occasionally.
Medicinal Uses of Ginger
Are there any Medicinal Uses of Ginger for Cats? Although you can give ginger to your cat, it doesn’t mean that you can give it in high quantities. Giving ginger in small amounts to your furry friend, helps your cat stay away from stomach problems, digestion issues, nausea, etc.
Well, there are several medicinal benefits of ginger. By feeding ginger to your cat, it improves digestion, relieves nausea, and treats stomach upsets in the cat. Check the list of medicinal uses and scientific benefits of Ginger furnished below.
- Best Antioxidant
- Helps in treating respiratory issues like Asthma and Cough
- Acts as the best Anti-inflammatory Agent
- Great Anti-Cancer Agent
- Treats Stomach Upsets
- Improves Digestion
- Enhances the Immunity System because of its antimicrobial and antifungal properties
- Prevent certain types of cancers
- Diminishes Joint Pains and Arthritis Pain
- Helps in losing weight
- Boosts Metabolism
- Comprises Antiseptic Properties that give healthy skin
- Lowers Blood Pressure and prevents cardiovascular diseases
Benefits of Ginger for Cats
Cats can eat ginger without any hesitation. Several manufacturers that make cat food add ginger to it to enhance the taste as well as to make it healthy and simple to digest. Above, you’ve seen the medicinal and scientific benefits of ginger. In terms of cats, there are copious health benefits of feeding ginger to felines.
Ginger is a natural antioxidant that helps in improving the overall health of cats. Ginger has been used in foods for thousands of years as a powerful spice and the best home remedy to treat various health issues in humans. This spice can also be included in the cat’s diet to cure a variety of health problems.
We’ve compiled a list of the significant benefits of ginger for cats below. Take a look!
1. Treats Cough in Cats
Ginger is one of the perfect natural medicines that aid in treating various respiratory symptoms such as cough in felines. Ginger helps in reducing cold in the chest and it eventually leads to stopping cough in cats. When you feed ginger to cats with colds, it eliminates phlegm stagnation and relieves cough.
2. Helps in treating Cardiovascular Problems
The consumption of ginger helps in the treatment of various cardiovascular diseases. As per some studies, the consumption of ginger extract will help diminish the cause of heart abnormalities in cats.
3. Great Medicinal Herb
Ginger is a powerful medicinal herb and it has got this power from Gingerol. This natural oil in ginger brings this a unique and spicy taste as well as the flavor. There are copious medicinal properties in gingerol. Also, Ginger root is another significant part of ginger that helps treat nausea and stomach issues.
4. Alleviates Nausea & Vomiting
Ginger helps in treating nausea and vomiting in your furry companion. If your cat is continuously suffering from a series of vomiting, ginger will help reduce it. To treat vomiting and nausea, you can add a small amount of ginger to your kitty’s food.
Ginger also helps in curbing the symptoms of stomach upsets. If your cat has recently undergone surgery and is inclined to vomit due to anesthesia impact then, ginger will come to the rescue.
5. Aids in preventing Osteoarthritis
Another health benefit of ginger for cats is it reduces the symptoms of Osteoarthritis in the felines. The reason behind this benefit is that ginger has anti-inflammatory properties. These properties aid in diminishing the signs of osteoarthritis in cats.
6. Regulates Sugar Levels in Blood
Feeding ginger to cats helps regulate the blood sugar levels in cats suffering from Diabetes. In addition, ginger improves the heart health of cats.
7. Prevents specific Cancers in Cat
Ginger helps in reducing the risk of cancer in cats. Ginger comprises specific compounds such as gingerol that diminish the risk of certain cancers in felines. The types of cancers include liver cancer, colorectal cancer, and ovarian cancer.
8. Aids in Weight Loss
Feeding ginger water to cats helps them lose plenty of body weight. Even if you feed high-fat food to your cats regularly, ginger water helps to shed more weight in cats. If you feel that your cat is obese, try to include a small amount of ginger in your cat’s diet.
Ways to Use Ginger for Cats
Ginger is a powerful spicy herb that may cause gastric trouble in cats. Sometimes, ginger also causes a burning sensation and stomach pain in felines. If you feed ginger to your furry friend on an empty stomach, it causes the aforementioned health problems in your cat.
There are specific ways to safely use or feed ginger to cats. However, giving too much ginger to cats may upset your feline’s stomach. Ginger comes in a variety of forms such as fresh ginger, dried, powdered, preserved, crystals, etc. Here’s a list of possible ways to use ginger for cats.
- Raw Ginger: You can grate a little amount of raw ginger and sprinkle it on the cat’s meal.
- Ginger Root: Ginger root can also be given to cats in chopped form. You can purchase ginger root across various grocery stores and farmer’s markets. Ginger root can be chopped into small pieces or used in the form of paste to the cat’s food.
- Ginger Flower: Another form of ginger that can be given to cats is the ginger flower. You can place ginger flowers in water for some time and later feed the ginger flower water to your feline friend.
- Ginger Pills and Capsules: Some of the pet stores use ginger in pills and ointments. Though ginger pills are safe, make sure that they aren’t mixed with any other potentially dangerous substances.
- Ginger Tinctures & Ointments: Ginger tinctures and ointments are made of ginger to treat certain health issues in cats. A few pet stores also sell ginger teas that can be fed to some pets. However, consult your vet before using any of these for your cat.
- Ginger Ale or Tea: Ginger Tea is another way to use ginger in cat food. Take a teaspoon of grated ginger root and add 1 cup of water to it. Boil them until it comes reduced to half of the cup. After cooling the mixture completely, you can feed the ginger ale or tea to your kitty. Instead of using artificial ginger ale available in the market, follow this procedure to feed ginger ale to your cat.
- Ginger Powder: Use a high-quality and pure ginger powder for your cat. You can mix ginger powder with your cat’s canned food or dry food. Though ginger powder is available across various stores, make sure you purchase the best quality powder. Otherwise, you can even prepare ginger powder right at your home.
- Fermented Ginger: You can also give ginger in the form of fermented ginger. However, ensure that no alcohol is present in fermented ginger. Fermented Ginger is the best probiotic for your cat.
- Ginger Root Extract: Ginger Root Extract can be fed to the cat in the form of drops. However, make sure that you give only a few drops to your feline.
- Preserved/Crystallized Ginger: Don’t give preserved, crystallized, and candied ginger to your cat as it has a high content of sugar. Feeding sugar-related foods is harmful to your cat. However, you can use fresh or powdered crystallized ginger for your cat to acquire the benefits of ginger’s healing advantages.
Right Dosage of Feeding Ginger for Cats
The right dosage of feeding ginger to your cat depends on the weight, age, and underlying medical conditions of your cat breed. The most important thing you need to remember is that, though ginger is natural, you shouldn’t feed it as much as you want to your cat.
Make sure you feed ginger to your cat in limited amounts without causing any adverse reaction. It would be better to feed only half a teaspoon of fresh and grated ginger to your cat’s food. For instance, if your cat is 5 kilograms, you can give a tablespoon of homemade ginger tea to it. You can also add a tiny piece of grated ginger to your cat’s food.
Don’t give ginger to your cat regularly. Ginger is only an herbal and medical spice that can be fed to the cats when they want to consume it desperately. As it is a medicine, it must be given only whenever it is required. Before feeding ginger to your cat, consult your vet without fail.
Ginger Recipes for Cats
You can prepare several mouth-watering recipes with ginger and feed them to your cat. You can add ginger to a variety of foods that you feed your feline friend. In this article, we have explained some of the tasty ginger recipes for cats. Check it out!
1. Chicken Liver with Ginger
One of the delicious recipes that your cat would enjoy is giving a liver treat with ginger. You can use ginger either in raw or cooked forms. Take small-sized pieces of liver and make a small hole in each piece.
Place the powdered ginger inside each liver piece in limited quantities. Lastly, spread the remaining amount of grated ginger across the liver pieces.
Serve them in your cat’s bowl and feed them. If your cat eats those pieces happily, you can understand that your cat loved the recipe.
2. Ginger Tea
Homemade Ginger Tea is another great recipe for your cat. Take a teaspoon of freshly grated ginger and add a cup of hot water to it.
Once the water cools down, you can drain out the ginger and separate the water. This is the process of ginger tea. You can feed it to your cat directly or mix it with the cat’s food.
3. Ginger Meatballs
Take fresh beef in its raw form and make it into small balls. Roll these small balls of meat with ginger into it and freeze them. You can even add some other ingredients such as carrot, egg, spinach, etc., to augment the taste of the ginger meatballs.
Mix all the ingredients in one bowl and make them into small meatballs. Further, you can make muffins out of it using the ice cube trays.
Side Effects of Ginger
Is Ginger Bad for Cats? Precisely, feeding ginger to cats doesn’t cause any potential risks and adverse effects unless and until it is given in high quantities. Your cat can safely consume this ginger herb in moderate amounts.
If in case, your feline doesn’t like the strong smell or taste of this herb, don’t try to feed ginger to your cat. In the worst situations, there could be some side effects of ginger associated with the consumption of ginger by the cat.
1. Burning Sensation
Ginger is a spicy herb that may cause a burning sensation in the cat. When your cat consumes ginger, it causes heartburn and sometimes throat irritation to the feline.
If you feed ginger in raw form, it leads to a burning sensation in the throat and mouth of the cats. Sometimes, it leads to gastrointestinal troubles and stomach upsets.
2. Bleeding Issues
Ginger comprises salicylates and these are considered blood thinners. If you feed ginger to cats in excess quantities, the salicylate compounds may lead to bleeding issues in cats. You can prevent bleeding disorders in felines by feeding ginger to your pet in limited quantities.
3. Bloating
One of the main side effects of ginger feeding to your cat is bloating. When you feed ginger to your cat in excess, it makes your cat’s belly feel tight due to gastric trouble.
4. Diarrhea
If you give ginger water or ginger tea to your cat in excess quantity, it could lead to loose stools. Just like humans, even pets may suffer from diarrhea, indigestion, gas, and pain.
In most cases, you may not witness these health concerns in your cat after consuming ginger. If in case, your cat displays certain symptoms of diarrhea, make sure you consult your vet immediately.
5. Skin Irritation
If your cat is fed ginger, it sometimes leads to skin irritation or allergic reactions in the cat. Due to ginger, your cat may suffer from swelling, itching sensation, and other allergies.
Precautions to Take While Feeding Ginger
Is Ginger Toxic to Cats? No, ginger isn’t toxic or harmful to your cat. Still, you need to take the necessary precautions before feeding ginger to your cat.
Don’t feed ginger after surgery: Ginger contains salicylates and as a result, it may cause a blood-thinning effect. Due to this blood-thinning effect, your cat may face a fall in blood sugar levels and blood pressure as well. Hence, you shouldn’t feed ginger to your cat soon after undergoing any surgery.
Don’t give ginger to cats using medications: If your cat is suffering from high blood pressure and diabetes and you’re giving medication to reduce it, ginger shouldn’t be fed to such cats.
Pregnant Cats shouldn’t be fed ginger: If your cat is pregnant and is a nursing pet, you shouldn’t feed ginger to them without consulting the veterinarian.
Cats with allergic reactions: If your cat has allergy issues, feeding ginger may cause vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, etc.
FAQs
Here are some of the frequently asked questions about feeding ginger to cats. Most pet parents are confused about the foods that they can feed their felines. We have compiled a list of commonly asked questions alongside answers in this post. Check it out!
Can Cats Eat Ginger Roots?
Yes, cats can eat ginger root as it is completely safe to consume. Ginger roots are very hard to chew for your cat. So, try to make ginger root into fine powder and mix it with your feline’s food.
Can We Feed Ginger Ale for Cats?
No, you should not feed ginger ale to cats as it comprises a lot of sugars. Though your cats easily tend towards the strong smell of ginger ale, they cannot break down the sugars present in ginger ale just like humans. Moreover, ginger ale is a carbonated beverage that contains artificial sweeteners.
Is Ginger Flower Good To Feed For Cats?
Ginger Flower is safe and good for cats. However, there are several varieties of ginger flowers present in nature. Certain varieties of ginger lilies such as true lilies and daylilies are toxic to feed to cats.
Can Cats Have On Ginger Bread?
No, you should not feed gingerbread to cats. Feeding gingerbread to cats may cause pancreatitis and gastrointestinal distress due to the harmful ingredients present in gingerbread.
Are Ginger Snaps Good For Cats?
No, Ginger Snaps are toxic for cats. Though your cat is not allergic to the wheat dough, ginger snaps are not good for the cat’s health.
Conclusion
That’s all! This is all you need to know about ‘Can Cats Eat Ginger’. Through this article, we have clearly explained the benefits, side effects, medicinal uses, and ways to use ginger for cats.
As explained in this article, ginger aims to improve the digestive system of the cat, diminish inflammation, alleviate pain, and reduce stomach upsets. Also, ginger helps in curbing nausea and vomiting in felines, diarrhea, and anxiety and helps in easing motion sickness in your furry companion.
Make sure you don’t feed high dosages of ginger extracts to your cat. If you find any abnormality in your cat after feeding ginger, consult your vet. If you have any doubts about this article, feel free to ask us in the comments section. Please remember to bookmark our website TheCrazyCats if you want to read more content related to cats.
