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Can Cats Drink Soda – Is It Harmful To Them?

Can Cats Drink Soda – Is It Harmful To Them?

If you’re someone who drinks soda, you might wonder if you could share with your cat now and then. Soda might be a treat for you, and you might want to give it to your cat as a treat too. Before you do so, you should stop and ask yourself if cats can drink soda.

Cats cannot drink soda. Ingredients in soda, such as caffeine, sugar, and syrups are harmful to a cat. Soda is also high in artificial sweeteners that cats’ bodies cannot fully process, leading to severe health issues.

With all the different ingredients in soda, it was already likely that at least one thing would not be healthy for your cat. Keep reading if you want to learn what’s in soda and what kinds of soda may or may not be safe for your cat to drink. 

What Is Soda Made Of

Soda has many ingredients that are not good for neither our cats nor humans.

Here are some of the most common ingredients that you’ll find in your average soft drinks. Certain brands or different flavors may have slightly different ingredients, though:

  • Carbonated water gives your soda the fizz it has
  • High fructose corn syrup
  • Caffeine
  • Citric flavors
  • Carbon dioxide to enhance the carbonation 
  • Some natural flavors

If you can’t remember many of these ingredients or do not know what they are, a good rule of thumb is to assume that soda has lots and lots of sugar in it. Most of the ingredients found in soda are indeed different kinds of sugar, simply with different names.

Is Soda Safe For Cats

Soda is not safe for cats.

The soda itself is not toxic to cats, which means that your cat will not get poisoned by drinking it. This also means you shouldn’t get too scared if your cat suddenly sticks his tongue in your drink when you’re not looking.

Soda is made up of sugar, water, and various flavorings. The basic components are filtered water, sugar or high-fructose corn syrup, carbon dioxide (or occasionally sparkling water), natural flavors from fruits or other sources) with citric acid and phosphoric acid used as preservatives.

Some companies also add caffeine to their drinks.

As you saw by the ingredient list, there are many things in soda, and some of them are not healthy for cats or even humans. Many of the ingredients are unhealthy for cats, and in some cases, can become unsafe for your cat if eaten by a cat too often. 

What Happens If A Cat Drinks Soda

You will not notice any consequences from your cat drinking soda if they only get a few licks.

Cats are often in things they shouldn’t be, and soda may be one of those things. It’s unlikely that your cat will drink more than a couple of laps if you spill your soda. Chances are your cat won’t be drinking a whole can or bottle of soda in one sitting like a human might. 

Different cats may react differently to the same amount of soda so it’s important for each individual cat owner to know how much is safe for their pet.

But generally speaking, one or two drinks per day are okay as long as they’re made with natural sugar instead of an artificial sweetener such as high fructose corn syrup and phosphoric acid used as preservatives.

You probably won’t notice any side effects if your cat drinks soda once. Feeding your cat soda consistently will lead to more consequences than a one-off taste by your cat. 

Can Soda Kill Cats

Soda can, unfortunately, kill cats.

While you may not think that soda is enough to kill a cat, the terrible truth is that soda can indeed be deadly for cats. The soda itself is not the culprit for potential death but the high amounts of caffeine found in soda.

Both cats and dogs should not drink caffeine because it can have severe effects on animals. Even a tiny amount of caffeine can make your cat weak because it slows down its heartbeat. This can lead to your cat fainting or collapsing. In severe cases, your cat can die from caffeine. 

It would help if you did not risk the bad consequences for cats.

Do Cats Like Coca-Cola

Cats may like to drink Coca-Cola, but you should not allow your cat to drink Coca-Cola or any other kind of soda.

When it comes to your cat, your cat may like to drink or eat just about anything you put in front of them. That could include Coca-Cola. Just because it seems like your cat may enjoy drinking Coca-Cola does not mean that you should let your cat drink it.

As a cat owner, it is up to you to stop your cat from drinking or eating something that may harm them, even if they like it. Cats do not know better when it comes to their health, and as their human owner, it is up to you to make sure they stay safe and healthy. 

Can Cats Drink Coke Zero

Cats should not drink Coke Zero.

For humans, Coke Zero is a good option with fewer calories than regular soda. For cats, the number of calories does not matter. No calories that a cat eats should come from soda, but soda is still not suitable for cats even if there are few or no calories.

Coke Zero does not have any calories, but there is still caffeine, which we discussed is also bad for cats. Sure, you are removing some calories from your cat’s diet, but you are not removing the ingredients in soda that can negatively impact your cat’s health. 

You may think you are doing your cat a favor by choosing Coke Zero, but Coke Zero is still not a good option for your cat. 

Can Cats Drink Diet Coke

Your cat should not drink Diet Coke because Diet Coke still has a sweetener in the form of aspartame. 

Sugar is not good for cats, and technically, Diet Coke does not use sugar in its drink. Instead, Diet Coke includes aspartame, which is a sweetener used as a substitute for sugar. Many people believe this is a better option than some other forms of sweetener.

While aspartame may be a better choice for some people, cats still do not need aspartame included in their diet. Cats do not require flavored food in that way, so it is still better to avoid Diet Coke. 

Can Cats Drink Sprite

Cats cannot drink Sprite.

There is a common misconception that clear sodas are healthier than dark soda, but clear sodas like Sprite contain many of the same ingredients as a dark soda like Coca-Cola. It is not the color of the drink that is affecting your cat, so you should steer clear of Sprite as well. 

Sprite also contains citric acid, which is not good for your cat to have in their diet. Additives like that are not found in cat food, so you should not add them to your cat’s food through drinks like Sprite. 

What Can I Give My Cat To Drink Besides Water

Always giving your cat water may feel boring, but water is the safest, healthiest option to give to your cat.

Most people would get bored drinking only water, so they assume that their cat is also bored with a constant water supply. While your heart may be in the right place, cats do not need to drink anything other than water. It is the best way to keep your cat hydrated.

If you want to change it up for your cat, you can purchase cat milk explicitly designed for your cat. Since cats are lactose intolerant, regular milk from the fridge is not a good choice to give your cat either.

Things To Consider

In this article, we talked specifically about different kinds of soda, but you may be wondering how carbonated water plays into this discussion. Some people refer to carbonated water as soda, even though it is often very different. 

Carbonated water comes in many different forms, but let’s talk about two different things here: carbonation and flavor.

Carbonated water is just fizzy water. There is little research one way or another to say whether or not cats should drink anything carbonated. Common sense would tell us that cats should not have any carbonated drinks, flavored or not, because it can make them bloated. Cats don’t deal with bloating the same way as humans since they do not eat as many different foods. Thinking of it like this, carbonated water is best to avoid to prevent your cat from bloating. 

We should also consider that many carbonated drinks of water are flavored. The flavoring is different with every brand, so there is no one answer here.

To keep calories low, most carbonated waters are flavored with natural flavors, which often aren’t explicitly identified. These flavors should not hurt your cat.

You want to avoid carbonated drinks with citric acid because cats do not like citric acid. Your cat may not notice the citric acid until they drink it, so it is better always to check first.

Cats are carnivores and do not need anything besides water for hydration; so if you’re considering giving them a little sip of Coke Zero for example, make sure there is enough water available at all times when sharing these beverages with your pet so they don’t get dehydrated from drinking too many sugary drinks!

If you’re on the fence about giving your cat carbonated water even as a treat, I recommend skipping it altogether to keep your cat as healthy as possible. Plain water is the healthiest option for your furry friend.