banana for cats?

Question

I discovered that my cat is crazy for bananas. Whenever I eat one, she's next to me right away and tries to get some. I give her a piece every once in awhile. She generally likes fruit, but bananas are her obsession! ;o)
But I'm not sure if it's good for her.
Can I give her fruit every now and then or will it hurt her?

Answer 1

generally cats will stay away from things that are bad for them. If she likes them let her at it.

We used to give bananas to our rabbit, she would get stiff and unable to move her legs, but a banana would make her all better. and she was up and hopping shortly after eating it.

So let the little "monkey" enjoy... :)

Answer 2

Holy cow! I thought my cat was the only bizarre cat who loves bananas. He just freaks when he sees me with a banana. One of the other cats was wondering what he was getting once so I tried to offer him a piece and he wasn't having anything to do with it.

Answer 3

A little piece now and again won't hurt. Now, that she likes banana actually freaks me out. I've had cats of all kinds over the past 25 years and have never, ever had one that liked banana, let alone the smell. I've had ones that liked a bit of melon, or grapes, and the current one I have likes strawberries. Interesting.....

Answer 4

No it won't hurt her, Just enjoy this special treat with your cat. Here are a few sites that clearly list danger foods for pets.. Banana is not on the list!

Answer 5

I had a dog who loved bananas too! My cats only seem to like milk, cheese, fish, and meat. I did have a cat who loved baby food, it didn't matter the flavor, pears, banana, peas, carrots. She ate them all, but the I think she was looking for pablem!

Answer 6

Cats lack the enzymes necessary to break down the cellulose contained in fruit. It will pass through the cat's system much the same way a two-penny piece passes through that of a toddler. There is no benefit to the cat at all.

Answer 7

I have read a lot of things on poison's in foods and plants and have seen nothing about fruit. I would think that cats need potassium too so it should be OK, but maybe ask your vet the next time you are there just to be sure.

Answer 8

For ten years now Skitz has been helping herself to the dregs of my Banana Soy Smoothie breakfast, and she is fine.

I also had a dog that liked to share banana, she had a sweet tooth.

Answer 9

Hi there...bananas are fine in small quantities. However, there are many human foods that are toxic for kitties, which should be avoided including Tuna, which creates a vitamin deficiency when consumed over time (see web article " Why Tuna is bad for Cats...".

Here's the list of the most common human foods to avoid giving your kitty: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1939&articleid=1030

WHY TUNA IS BAD FOR CATS:
ASCPA: WE'RE TALKING TUNA: HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH FOR YOUR CAT?
http://www.lenhumanesoc.org/Tips/ASPCA-Tuna.htm

"TUNA FOR CATS? NO!

Tuna can be fatal to cats and is not something to be fed to them...The human variety of tuna fish contains an enzyme that destroys vitamin B1 (thiamine). Cats who regularly eat tuna can develop a vitamin B1 deficiency, which results in neurological symptoms like dilated eyes, loss of equilibrium, seizures and death if this vitamin is not replaced. The scientific name of this disease is polioencephlomalacia.

Clearwater veterinarian Richard Brancato said that though most
domestic cats do enjoy fish, feeding them a diet of only tuna can cause serious disorders.

Although it is high in protein, tuna lacks sufficient amounts of
certain amino acids, mainly taurine, to maintain feline health. There is insufficient calcium to balance the phosphorus; the ratio in canned tuna is 1-to-14.8. This results in bone disease.

Many essential vitamins such as A and most B vitamins are also lacking, Brancato said. A common disease in cats fed a mainstay of canned tuna is steatitis, or yellow fat disease, an inflammation of the fat tissue in the body due to a deficiency of vitamin E.

Source:
St. Petersburg Times, published May 14, 2000"

Answer 10

Cats have a steel stomache it seems. My cat xena will eat just about anything she seems to like. They are very picky but if they like the smell and taste and it is actual food let the cat have it except milk.