Can Cats Eat Pop-Tarts – What To Know!

When you unwrap your favorite unhealthy snack, a pop tart, you probably notice that your cat is watching you with great interest. You know your cat has no idea what a pop tart is, but he looks enthralled by the pop tart in its silver liner. You want to crack a piece off to share with your cat, but can cats eat pop tarts?

Cats should not eat pop tarts. Pop-tarts have little nutritional value in a cat’s diet and contain harmful ingredients like sugar and flour. 

Pop-tarts aren’t the best snack for humans, and pop tarts aren’t the best choice for your cat either. Pop-tarts are full of harmful ingredients for your cat and will add nothing to your cat’s daily diet. To learn more about what’s in pop tarts and why cats should steer clear of this snack, continue reading.

Reasons Cats Should Not Eat Pop-Tarts

There’s more than one reason why your cat should not eat pop tarts. Keep reading to learn some reasons why you should avoid pop tarts. 

Pop-Tarts Are Full Of Sugar

You’ve probably already heard this one before when you were a child, but pop tarts are full of sugar. Sugar is not suitable for cats and should not be a part of your cat’s diet. The amount of sugar in pop tarts should be avoided. 

Pop-Tarts Are Empty Calories 

Since pop tarts have no nutritional value for cats, pop tarts are empty calories. Your cat’s body is not better from eating a pop tart and will need to work off the calories in pop tarts. You want to feed your cat good, high-quality foods that will keep him as healthy as possible. 

Your Cat May Choke On The Sprinkles

Some pop tarts (let’s be honest, the best kind) have sprinkles on the top. If your cat gets a hold of this pop tart and doesn’t notice the tiny sprinkles on top, your cat could choke on the sprinkles on top. 

Your Cat May Expect To Get Pop-Tarts

Like any treat that you give your cat that he enjoys, your cat may start to expect to get pop tarts whenever he eats one. It would help if you did not allow your cat to develop this habit with something as unhealthy as pop tarts. 

Pop-Tarts Have Carbs

Carbs are not a cat’s best friend. Cats do not need to eat carbs in their diet, so adding carbs by feeding your cat pop tarts can negatively impact their health and lead to weight gain.

Your Cat May Gain Weight 

Whether from sugar or carbs, pop tarts can lead to your cat gaining weight, not something you want. If your cat becomes too heavy, he will need a special diet.

High weight can also lead to heart issues or diabetes. A heavier cat will also become less active, which will only contribute to additional weight gain.

Are Pop-Tarts Bad For Cats

Yes, pop tarts are bad for cats. It would help if you did not try to feed your cat pop tarts. 

Pop-tarts aren’t that great for humans to eat. Cats also shouldn’t be nibbling on pop tarts, either. Do not get into the habit of giving your cat pop tarts because pop tarts should not be part of your cat’s diet. 

Pop-tarts do not have any nutritional value for your cat. This means that your cat is not gaining anything from eating pop tarts. The pop tarts are full of empty calories that may eventually lead to weight gain. 

In addition to that, which we will get into in later sections, cats are carnivores.

Cats need to eat meat to be healthy and survive. There is no meat in pop tarts, which means that your cat is missing out on the essential part of its diet. You might think you are making your cat happy by sharing your pop tart, but you are inadvertently hurting your cat. 

What’s In Pop-Tarts

Pop-tarts are made of many ingredients that are not good for cats to eat.

If you’ve ever looked at the ingredient list on a box of pop tarts, you might be surprised to see a list of words that you cannot pronounce. You may not have heard of many of the words.

Let’s skip any words that you may not know and instead focus on the ones that you often hear are bad:

• There is flour, which cats do not necessarily need in their diet.
• Corn syrup
• High fructose corn syrup, which is neither good for cats nor humans.
• Sugar

You might not notice upon first glance, but three out of four of those bullets listed are forms of sugar. Corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, and cane sugar are all types of sugar. No matter the form, your cat should not eat sugar. 

Pop Tart Alternatives For Cats 

Since pop tarts are human food that cats should not eat, there are no great pop tarts alternatives. If you want to give your cat a treat, you have options.

If you’re on the lookout for an excellent treat for your cat that is also human food, consider some of these options instead of pop tarts:

• Apples
• Strawberries
• Cooked and unseasoned seafood
• Cooked eggs
• Meats, especially chicken. Any meat should be thoroughly cooked and not served seasoned

Even though you shouldn’t feed your cat pop tarts, human food options are safe and healthy for you to give to your cat as a treat. 

When thinking about what to give your cat, think about what you would eat. For instance, if you want to eat meat, it should be cooked. Taste, however, isn’t a priority, so you can skip out on seasonings if you’re feeding it to your cat.

Things to Consider

In this article, we talked briefly about the ingredients in pop tarts, but let’s dive a little deeper into some of those ingredients that are found in pop tarts. 

Carbs

While carbs are often a part of a human diet, cats do not need carbs in their diet. A cat’s digestive system cannot break down carbs. This can lead to stomach pains and diarrhea. If cats continue to eat carbs, then you’ll start to notice that your cat will begin to pack on the pounds if your cat is not active enough to work them off. 

Sugars

A few different sugar types are found in pop tarts, like high fructose corn syrup and regular sugar. Like with carbs, sugar is not something that cats need in their diet to be healthy. Sugar will negatively impact your cat’s health. 

Sugars may lead to fewer stomach issues for your cat, but you will see faster weight gain when sugar is introduced into your cat’s diet. Cats can’t escape the negative impacts of sugar. 

Weight gain in cats can quickly lead to heart issues and diabetes. As your cat gains weight and becomes less active, especially if your cat is older, then your cat’s heart needs to work harder.

This could eventually lead to heart failure. Similarly, diabetes can also quickly develop as your cat’s blood sugar gets thrown out of whack by the increased amount of sugar in your cat’s diet.

This is to say that pop tarts have no benefits for your cat. I know that you may be tempted to share your favorite unhealthy snack with your cat, but if you want to keep your cat active and healthy, you should find a different food to share. Numerous options are healthier than pop tarts.