Can Cats Eat Mayo? Is It Safe?

Most people have a complete idea of what they would feed their cat as soon as you bring them home. In their heads at least, they would always check to see if a type of food is safe and healthy for their pet and never give it any human foods. Well, when they spend enough time with their pet they start to feel the need to share whatever food they like with it.

Spending enough time with your pet on the couch while you munch on snacks made for humans will ultimately make the cat curious enough to beg for some. Cats are smart so even if you refuse to give them whatever you’re eating, some of them will still find a way of getting on the counter or around the fridge to get some human food by themselves.

So what happens if you get home one day and find that your cat has managed to get inside the bottle of mayo to eat some?

Can Cats Eat Mayo? Is It Safe For Them?

As weirdly as it might sound, yes, cats can in fact eat mayo. Although it is not the food you’re thinking of when considering the diet of a cat, there are instances when cats are not only allowed but also recommended to eat mayo.

Before you actually get into the fridge and break open a jar of mayo specifically for your cat, let’s go through the pros and cons of it and what it will actually do to your pet once it gets in its body.

You might also like my articles on whether cats can eat cinnamon or chocolate cake and whether cats can drink almond milk.

Health Benefits

Although mayo is considered a very unhealthy ingredient, this doesn’t mean that it holds no nutritional value, especially for some pets. You will actually find quite a few probiotic cultures inside it. These are great for promoting good bacteria that is found naturally inside the cat’s digestive system. This means that the good bacteria that will help the animal digest its food will receive a sometimes necessary boost. This means that it could improve the cat digests its food and passes the stools.

Even though cats are derived from wild animals, their digestive system is pretty sensitive. This means that it won’t take a lot to throw it off. Even the slightest illness, diet change, or increase in stress levels could lead to digestive issues. One of the most common side effects is constipation. It is so common that you’ll have a hard time knowing what caused it usually.

Mayo can be used as a supplement especially due to its helpful effects on the digestive system of the animal. Although you might not consider mayo medicine, it might be able to fix your cat’s constipation, making its stools return to normal. Don’t just give it a clump of mayo. Try mixing it with cat food instead, for easier ingestion. For the best results, you shouldn’t give it more than half a teaspoon per every 5 pounds of weight of your cat.

While you can possibly use mayo to help treat constipation, it is much easier to prevent constipation in the first place rather than treat it. It will also be a healthier way due to some of the risks associated with cats consuming mayonnaise.

Other Aspects

The interesting thing about mayo is that although it might be healthy for cats in small amounts, when too much is ingested in can become very unhealthy. This is somewhat similar to how it works for humans, but only up to a point. It is not good for dogs, though.

As you know, most of the mayonnaise brands you can find in stores will contain high amounts of fats. A cat that eats too much fat will eventually get obese, but another side effect that is very dangerous for its health will be that the fat will also start building on the intestines and other internal organs. Too much mayo can also lead to diarrhea which, if not treated in time, might cause dehydration. This is why you should be very careful with the amount of mayo you feed to your cat.

Also try to avoid mayo products that feature big amounts of dairy, because along with the fat content, it will also be bad for cats. Although most people were led to believe that cats love to eat full bowls of milk, most of them are lactose-intolerant.

If you don’t see the cat’s constipation getting better when you give it mayo, then you should stop. If the constipation lasts more than three days, it should be a reason of concern and you should take them to the vet. They will know what medicine works best and what steps you will have to follow to make the pet healthy again.

Conclusion

Although you surely thought that you will be the most responsable owner when you brought your cat home, things have most likely changed with time. There are a lot of things that you should avoid feeding to your cat, but mayo isn’t necessarily one of them. As long as you only give it in small quantities and occasionally to your cat, it can have positive effects on its body, due to its probiotic culture content.