Can Cats Eat Popcorn? Safe or Harmful Snack for Your Feline

Who does not love binge-watching a favorite show while enjoying a bowl of warm popcorn? As a cat owner, you find your cat snuggling up to keep you company, especially when you have a bowl of freshly popped popcorn. Your cats are intrigued by the scent of popcorn. Here is a question that arises: Should I share some? Is it okay for cats to eat popcorn? Here is what to know before letting your cat eat this popular snack.

Can Cats Eat Popcorn?

The answer is ambiguous. It depends on your preparation process and the portion you allow them to eat. Plain popcorn is safe for cats. If it’s prepared by adding butter, oil, chocolate, caramel, salt, and other spices like garlic, is not safe for your cat. It may lead to digestion issues. Butter has so much fat in it. Cat eating a massive portion of it may lead to diarrhea and vomiting. Additives like chocolate are toxic for your cat.

Is Popcorn Safe for Cats?

Yes, popcorn is safe for your cat, if it is:

How Much Popcorn Can I Give My Cat?

You can give two to ten freshly popped popcorn. Popcorn is going to take up a lot of space in your kitty’s stomach. This snack should not be fed as a cat food alternative, as it has no or very low nutritional value.

Why Do Cat Love Popcorn?

Freshly popped, buttered popcorn is highly aromatic, which makes your cat irresistible. Cats love to eat fatty food. That’s why your kitty aims for your bowl of popcorn.

Can Popcorn Kill Cats?

No, popcorn will not kill your cat. You just provide a very small portion but not regular basis. The ASPCA list of toxic foods does not include popcorn as a toxic food. If your cat eats lots of popcorn or flavored popcorn, that may lead to digestive issues. You need to supervise, whether your kitty chokes on the popcorn or unpopped kernels. The vet recommends not to feed popcorn to sick and pregnant cats and kittens.

Can Cats Cat Popcorn With Salt?

Salt enhances the taste of popcorn, but is toxic to your feline if added in large amounts. If a cat consumes too much salty popcorn, that may lead to illnesses such as lethargy, excessive thirst, and vomiting. So add minimum seasoning to popcorn.

You can give two to ten freshly popped popcorn. Popcorn is going to take up a lot of space in your kitty’s stomach. This snack should not be fed as a cat food alternative, as it has no or very low nutritional value.

Can Cats Eat Popcorn With Cheese?

Cheese is edible by cats. Cat enjoys popcorn with cheese. As cats are lactose intolerant, if they get excessive cheese can get digestive distress and diarrhea. 

Can Cats Eat Popcorn With Butter?

Butter is non-toxic to cats, but this does not mean butter is good for cats. It is safe only a small amount. the fat in the butter may cause diarrhea and vomiting. If you feed butter for a longer time, may cause obesity in cats. Feeding only two to five buttered popcorn is safe for your adult cats. But considering all risk factors, unbuttered plain popcorn will be safe for them.

Is Popcorn Bad For Cats – Risk Factors?

Popcorn holds very low nutritional value to cats. Cats usually need meat-based proteins. Popcorn is a source of energy-producing carbohydrates and fiber. Cat does not need carbohydrates, If you feed your cat excessive carbs, may cause nutrient malabsorption and gastrointestinal issues. Excessive consumption of popcorn may cause obesity and diabetes. 

Risk factors

A cat cannot digest unpopped kernels, which can cause diarrhea, constipation, or bloating. Flavored popcorn can be toxic to your cat, feed them excess. Many cats can suffer from corn allergy which includes signs of red eye, and inflamed skin. Popcorn is dry and has no specific shape. Accidentally your cat may choke on the snack. So, you should break up the larger bites of food to avoid choking. If your cat chokes popcorn, then immediately perform the Heimlich maneuver or rush them to your Vet. Unpopped popcorn may hurt your cat’s dental root and can cause a fractured tooth.

The Nutritional Profile Of 10gram Plain Air-popped Popcorn

Calorie	39
Fat	.45g
Carbs	7.78g
Protein	1.29g

Popcorn Alternatives as Snacks For Cat

There are many alternative treats for your furry friend. You can introduce vegetables as a snack.

According to the ASPCA the following veggies are not toxic to cats:

You can also feed some homemade cat food or snacks like bone broth and light meat soup to your cat.

So you can now enjoy warm plain popcorn with your cat while watching your favorite shows. This is an occasional treat, so don’t make it a habit. We cat owners should always feed them healthy homemade or commercial cat food considering their well-being.