Rice is one of the cheapest and easiest healthy foods to cook. But, can cats eat rice? Does it meet their nutritional needs and is it safe?
I can answer these questions for you.
Cooked rice is safe for cats to eat, yes. You may have even seen it used in some of their foods you’ve bought from the store.
Rice is used in some cat foods because it’s inexpensive, filling, and it high in carbs which is necessary for keeping energy levels up.
If you’re preparing the rice yourself I recommend cooking it in chicken broth to give it a more appealing taste and mix small bits chopped up in with their wet food or some meat.
Remember that cats are obligate carnivores. They rely on meat for most of their dietary needs, rice, and other foods should make up 20-25% of their diet at most.
Is Uncooked Rice Bad for Cats?
Yes. Uncooked rice is bad for just about anyone, thing, and animal I can think of eating it.
Uncooked rice is very coarse and hard to digest. It will swell up when it’s inside the stomach and cause some serious discomfort in most cases.
It can also cause food diarrhea and vomiting due to being unclean and still containing pesticides. Which is why you always have to rinse rice before cooking it.
So, as you can see, there are more than enough reasons to make sure your kitty doesn’t eat any raw or uncooked rice. It’s potentially very dangerous, and at best going to cause them some pain and discomfort.
Is Rice Good for Cats?
As mentioned above a small amount of rice in a cat’s diet is a good thing. They will usually get this from shop bought cat foods, but you can also add some to their diet yourself.
I’ve heard from a few different sources that rice can help stimulate bowel movement if a cat is constipated.
This is something I’d refer to a vet personally. But if all else has failed there’s no harm in trying this.
In Summary
Cooked rice is fine for cats in moderation and even provides some useful carbs into their diet.
Uncooked rice is potentially very dangerous and should never be given to cats to eat. They shouldn’t eat it by chance if they find a packet so don’t panic and put it all behind lock and key!