In my experience, most cats are attracted to the smell and taste of peanut butter and will start licking it if they can get their paws on some (much like tuna, cream, etc).
But, can cats eat peanut butter and is it safe for them to do so?
Well, like a lot of foods that we enjoy, peanut butter isn’t toxic or poisonous to cats or anything like that – but it’s just not a good idea that they eat much of it.
Cats are carnivores. They like eating meat and need to eat meat to get the all-important animal-based proteins and amino acids.
Peanut butter is made mostly of peanuts, of course. Along with oil, salt, sweeteners, and other additives. All of which doesn’t sound appealing to us when we read them out loud, and certainly aren’t good for cats.
It will also shock you if you’re not aware of this but peanut butter is also around 50% fat. A little kitty would pile on the weight pretty quickly with constant access to peanut butter.
Can Cats Eat Peanut Butter and Jelly?
If anything, the jelly, or jam as it is in the combination of peanut butter and jelly makes this even worse for cats.
Jam is loaded with sugar and preservatives. Combined with the fatty peanut butter this is a combination that will not agree with most cats, even if they do like it.
So, while it’s not particularly harmful, I would keep peanut butter and jelly well away from your cat is it’s not doing them any favors.
Can Cats Be Allergic to Peanut Butter?
It’s possible for a cat to be allergic to almost anything in theory, albeit it’s very unlikely in most cases.
Every cat is different, and as such has different tastes, likes, dislikes, and reactions to different foods and ingredients.
If your cat does eat some peanut butter and show some ill-effects as a result, I’d take them to the vet for anything more than a brief vomit to get rid of the peanut butter.
I’ve never heard of cats being allergic to peanut butter and it’s not on the ASPCA’s list of toxic and harmful foods.
So, don’t panic if you discover some peanut butter has gone missing and you can see your cat licking their lips!
In Summary
Peanut butter, peanut butter and jelly, and everything that involves either peanut butter and jam should not become part of your cat’s diet.
Although it’s not strictly harmful, there is no good nutritional benefit to cats eating these foods. It does appeal to the sweet-toothed kitties, but I’d keep it well out of their reach.