can cats eat figs?

People no longer eat just to survive. Today, most people, at least in first-world countries, eat more for pleasure and taste than for survival. This leads us to often view food as a reward or treat, and it is common for us to use treats at feasts or when training our pets.

There is nothing wrong with offering treats to pets, as long as those treats are pet-friendly. As loving pet owners, it’s easy to share everything that tastes delicious with our pets because we think we’re making them happy. While that may be true, many of the foods we eat are not good choices for our pets. 

Most people consider figs to be a healthy food. But many fruits, including figs, are not healthy for your cat. Figs are even poisonous to your domestic cats and can harm them, which is why cats are not allowed to eat figs.Learn why and how to include sausage in your cat’s diet for a delightful change in their meal plan. Explore the nutritional aspects and feeding recommendations to ensure your feline companion enjoys sausages responsibly.

What are figs?

Figs are not actually fruits. Rather, they are inverted flowers that are created through a very special process. The fig tree doesn’t just produce figs. Instead, a fig wasp must crawl into a male fig to reproduce. She gets stuck there and dies, followed by her offspring. When a fig wasp crawls into a female fig, it still gets stuck, only now the fig breaks it down with an enzyme called ficin. This is how the delicious fig that we eat comes from – and which actually comes from a wasp!

What’s in a fig?

Figs are mainly made up of water, fiber, and sugar. But they also contain many nutrients that are healthy for humans, such as vitamin B6, potassium, manganese, calcium, magnesium, and more. They also contain ficin, the enzyme that allows the fig to decompose a fig wasp. Additionally, figs contain a compound known as psoralen.

Are figs safe for cats?

Figs are poisonous to cats. If your cat eats a fig or part of a fig plant, he could get fig poisoning. Common signs of fig poisoning include:

• Drooling
• Diarrhea
• Vomit
• Skin irritation
• Rashes
• Loss of appetite

Why are figs poisonous to cats?

Although figs are a tasty treat for us humans, things are completely different for most of our pets, not just cats. Figs are also poisonous to horses and dogs, so you should keep all your pets away from this plant. The main compounds in figs that are toxic to our pets are ficin and psoralen. On the skin, they can cause rashes and irritation. If swallowed, they can be toxic and make your pet very sick.

Is the whole fig poisonous to cats?

It turns out that the actual fig fruit is not toxic to your cat. Instead, it is primarily the plant sap that causes the toxicity. If your cat comes into contact with the fig plant or ingests any part of it, he is likely to become ill. The peel and pulp of the fig also contain ficin. Fully ripe figs contain lower amounts of ficin and psoralen, but unripe fruits may contain a much higher dose.

What about fig cookies?

Fig cookies are probably the most popular way to eat figs. Of course, they are more like cookies and less like fruit. Granted, they are made with fig paste, but the fruit used is ripe and contains hardly any ficin or psoralen. Explore the world of catnip plants for cats and their effects. This article explains how catnip can be used to engage and enrich your feline friend’s life, emphasizing its safety and potential benefits.

Still, fig cookies are terrible for your cat. Cats are carnivores and cannot digest carbohydrates well. Fig cookies are starchy, sugary carb bombs that contain wheat flour, baking powder, artificial flavors, and many other ingredients that shouldn’t be in your pet’s diet.

Conclusion

In most cases, it is not the ripe fruit that is toxic to cats, but rather the peel of the fruit or the plant on which it grows. This is the case with figs. The ripe fig fruit is not really harmful to cats, but you should not feed it to your cat. Instead, it is the fig plant that is toxic to cats, especially the sap. If your cat comes into contact with the fig plant, they may develop rashes and skin irritations. However, if your cat swallows the plant, it may cause diarrhea, vomiting, drooling, and more.