Salt refers to a type of compound in which metal ions or ammonium ions (NH4+) are combined with acid ions or non-metal ions. Many parents will ask why cats can’t eat salt. The editor below will explain why cats can’t eat salt. Besides salt, what other foods can cats not eat?

1. Why cats can’t eat salt

Cats and dogs are not suitable for eating food that is too salty. That is because they do not have sweat glands on their skin, and the salt in the body must be excreted through the kidneys. If they eat too salty food, it will increase the load on the kidneys and cause kidney failure. Failure; especially cats, because their ancestors originated in desert climates. In order to adapt to the arid environment of the desert, the urinary system evolved to have the function of reabsorbing water in urine. Under this innate and acquired special constitution, the salt content The intake should be relatively cautious.

Cats do not sweat, so they consume very little salt. In addition, their kidneys and urinary tract systems are very fragile, and they are prone to diseases such as urinary stones after eating salt. In short, the harm of cats eating salt is usually invisible, but it can be fatal if it breaks out over time.

However, it is not that you cannot eat salt at all, but you must eat salt in a "moderate" amount to maintain the penetration of body fluids and the balance of electrolytes. Generally speaking, eating one-third of the normal amount of salt for humans is enough.

2. Foods that cats cannot eat

Onions: Onions contain ingredients that can damage cats’ red blood cells. Although you won’t feed onions alone, be careful not to mix them with meat.

Fish bones and chicken bones: Some people think that cats can chew bones well. In fact, cats do not chew food, but swallow it. There is a risk of stabbing the stomach due to large bones, so it is safer to remove them.

Dessert: Some owners find it interesting to feed cakes and chocolate to cats, and think it is an insignificant thing. However, such things should be avoided because they can cause tooth decay, gain weight, etc. If these things are fed regularly, cats will develop the habit of eating sweets.

Raw pork: Because pork contains Toxoplasma gondii, be sure to order it.

Cuttlefish and octopus: There is a legend that eating cuttlefish and octopus will soften the waist joints. The actual condition is not clear, but because it is not easy to digest, it cannot be eaten, let alone a regular food.

Abalone and conch: It is said that eating these things will cause your ears to fall off, but it is true that you will suffer from photosensitivity and dermatitis, especially for thin ears.

The bones of birds and other poultry animals or fish are relatively hard. When cats bite them into pieces, they will produce some sharp fragments. These fragments can sometimes puncture the cat’s mouth or internal organs. Therefore, cats should avoid eating these bones unless they are cooked in a pressure cooker. The bones are softened or crushed and added to the feed.

Sun-dried fish contains a relatively large amount of magnesium, which can easily induce and cause urethral stones or urinary system diseases in cats, so try to keep it as low as possibleCats eat less. An adult cat needs about 0.3 to 0.5 grams of salt a day. Be careful not to eat too much salt in the cat's feed. Spicy meats can dull a cat’s sense of smell and are not suitable for cats to eat. For example, the most common KFC chicken is something that cats are willing to eat, but don’t give it to them.

The meat of squid, squid and some shellfish contains some ingredients that cats are not adaptable to. Eating too much can cause indigestion and gastrointestinal disorders in cats. Dried squid will absorb water and expand after entering the cat's stomach, so cats should not eat too much. Some seafood can also cause skin inflammation in cats. Let the cat eat a small amount before feeding, and only give an appropriate amount if there is no reaction.

Long-term excess salt is not good for cats at all. Do not feed leftovers or prepared dishes to cats. Keep cats healthy and feed them mainly cat food, so that cats can be healthy. growing up.