Can Cats Eat Chicken Broth? (Quick Answer)

Your cat is guaranteed to be by your side when preparing the chicken broth. Suppose your cat is meowing for chicken broth. Should you serve this broth to the cat? Can cats eat chicken broth?

Cats can eat chicken broth. Chicken broth is a powerhouse for cats’ essential nutrients. It contains glycine, calcium, and glucosamine. This meal also enhances fluid and calorie intake for sickly cats with poor appetites.

This post breaks down all the beneficial nutrients of chicken broth and gives tips on introducing this dish to your furry friend. It also describes how to prepare this broth for felines.

Do Cats Eat Chicken Broth?

Cats eat chicken broth due to its easy ingestion and digestion. Being carnivores, cats enjoy chicken broth’s meaty taste and would consume it if you gave it to them. Chicken broth has lots of health benefits for cats.

Below are descriptions of various nutrients in this meal and how ingesting them will benefit your cat.

Glycine

Glycine is essential for protein production in cats’ bodies. This amino acid also aids in the secretion of hydrochloric acid, which is vital for digestion. Hydrochloric acid facilitates the breakdown of food, easing its absorption in cats’ bodies.

Ingesting glycine will promote your cat’s liver health by removing toxins from this organ. Improved joint health is another benefit of consuming glycine.

Collagen

Collagen is the primary building block of several cat tissues. Consuming it promotes your cat’s bone, muscles, ligaments, and tendon health. Collagen consumption is ideal for older cats, as their bodies’ collagen production slows down.

Feeding your cat collagen strengthens their digestive tracts and intestinal lining, preventing bacteria from getting absorbed into the cat’s bloodstream.

Glucosamine

Glucosamine is an essential nutrient for cats with arthritis. Arthritis is a common disease in older cats. The cartilage around their joints breaks down, causing them to be immobile in severe cases. Glucosamine protects cats’ cartilages, slowing down arthritis progression.

Calcium

Calcium has several benefits for cats’ bodies. Aside from strengthening bones and teeth, this element boosts blood clotting, enhances nerve impulse transmission, and helps muscle contractions.

Bone Marrow

Chicken bones, the main ingredients in chicken broth, have red and yellow bone marrows, which are crucial for cats. They promote oxygen transportation in cats’ cells, which enhances their immune systems.

Water

Chicken broth is high in water, providing your cat with sufficient hydration. This is essential for cats with sensitive stomachs who tend to suffer from quick fluid loss due to diarrhea and vomiting.

Chicken broth is ideal for sick cats with reduced appetites because it’s easy to ingest and digest. This meal is nutrient-rich, making up for the nutrients your cat may be declining to eat.

Can Cats Eat Store-bought Chicken Broth?

Store-bought chicken broth is unsafe for cats. These products have ridiculous salt concentrations, which are hazardous to cats’ health. High salt amounts cause dehydration, diarrhea, appetite loss, and vomiting in these felines.

Store-bought chicken broth contains onions and garlic, which are toxic for cats. These ingredients affect cats’ red blood cells and cause anemia in severe cases.

Some store-bought chicken broths contain lead, a dangerous mineral to these felines. Lead disrupts cats’ normal cell functioning and displaces zinc and calcium, which can lead to death.

Preparing Chicken Broth for Cats

Preparing homemade chicken broth is easy. Below are steps for preparing this tasty delicacy for your feline friend.

• Fill a large pot with clean water.
• Add uncooked chicken bones into the pot. Ensure that all pieces are submerged in water. If not, add some more water. You could choose to either leave some meat on the bones or not.
• Add apple cider vinegar; one teaspoon for a gallon of water. You could opt for lemon juice if you have no vinegar at hand. Both of these ingredients are safe for cats in small amounts.
• Turn on the cooker. Ensure it’s on medium heat for thorough cooking.
• Cover the pot and wait for the broth to boil.
• Reduce the cooker’s temperature and let the broth gently simmer for six hours or until the bones dissolve. If you have enough time, let it cook for longer to attain a richer flavor.
• Remove the pot from the cooker and set it aside.
• Skim the floating fat and strain the broth, ensuring you get all the bones out, as even the littlest bit could hurt your feline friend.
• Leave the broth to cool before serving it to your cat.

You can include the Astralagus herb in the broth if your cat is allergic. This herb boosts their immune systems, making them less susceptible to reactions. Other safe and beneficial spices for cats include ginger, valerian, goldenseal, chamomile, echinacea, calendula, dandelion root, cat claw, and licorice root.

Introducing Your Cat to Chicken Broth

It’s advisable to start with small amounts when introducing your cat to chicken broth. An appropriate amount is about a quarter to half a cup daily if they enjoy the meal.

The right amount for your cat may vary due to its size and the chicken broth’s contents. If the broth is too salty, your cat should have reduced amounts. Small cats require fewer quantities compared to their bigger counterparts.

During the introduction stage, feed your cat chicken broth at non-meal times. The most appropriate is before meals to aid in their digestion.

How Do I Feed My Cat Chicken Broth?

There are two acceptable ways of feeding chicken broth to cats, as a moisture or calorie additive. Add chicken broth to dry cat food to increase the moisture content. Alternatively, serve chicken broth to boost your cat’s calorie intake.

Chicken Broth as a Moisture Additive

An entirely dry food diet leaves your cat dehydrated and susceptible to urinary, renal, and bowel diseases like bladder stones, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, UTIs, and cystitis. Finding a way to add moisture to your feline’s diet is crucial.

Adding chicken broth to your cat’s meals is the best way to increase its moisture intake. Dry cat food quickly absorbs the chicken broth, enhancing flavor and making it hard for your feline cat to resist. Your cat will not only eat all their food but also stay hydrated.

You can occasionally switch up water for chicken soup to prevent your cat from getting bored and avoiding fluids.

Chicken Broth as a Calorie Additive

Different cats require varying amounts of calories to stay healthy. Indoor cats require about 200 calories, while outdoor cats need 400 calories per day.

Maintaining your cat’s appropriate calorie intake can be challenging when relying entirely on cat foods. Chicken broth is high in proteins, making it easy to increase cats’ calories instantly. It’s also healthy and safe compared to high-carb supplements.

Tips for Feeding Your Cat Chicken Broth

Follow these tips when feeding your cat chicken broth.

Remove All Bones

Cooked chicken bones are unsafe for cats. When cats chew cooked bones, they break them into small brittle parts that may injure them. Bone splinters hurt cats’ gums and cause lacerations in their digestive tracts.

Small cats have a high chance of suffering obstruction due to chicken bones. These felines have tiny throats which can’t accommodate large chicken bones.

Most of the bone nutrients end up in the broth after the long-simmering. Your cat won’t miss any supplements if you take the bones out.

Cool the Broth Before Serving

Cats can easily burn their mouths and digestive tracts when gulping hot broth. Always cool the broth before serving it to your feline friend to avoid spending much on treatment.

Always Add Vinegar

Vinegar extracts minerals from the chicken bones, enhancing the broth’s flavor. This solution also helps break down the bones and ensures all nutrients dissolve into the broth. Your cat won’t taste the vinegar in the broth, as all its flavor vanishes during simmering.

Avoid Toxic Ingredients

Some spices that are tasty and beneficial to humans can cause adverse effects on cats. They include onions, chives, leeks, potatoes, green tomatoes, and raw yeast. Avoid these at all costs. A small amount of salt is enough seasoning for your cat.