A lot of smoothie bowls use acai as an ingredient. This berry that keeps showing up on your Instagram feed is more than just pretty. We’re about to tell you about all the health benefits of acai, but are they safe for your cats?
When you give your cat treats and food, you should first think about what it needs to stay healthy. Cats don’t have sensors for sweet taste, so they can’t taste sugar. Also, their bodies mostly need proteins, which is pretty normal. They need 10% of their daily nutrition to come from treats, so you can’t just give them proteins.
We will talk about the pros and cons of acai for cats in this piece. By the end, you will know if your cat can have some or not.
What is Acai?
The acai berry is a small, dark purple fruit that comes from the Acai palm tree. The Acai palm is a tall, thin tree that grows in Central and South America. More people know about it these days because it is healthy and full of nutrients.
There are many good nutrients in acai, so it is sometimes called a “superfood.” Because it has a lot of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and omega fatty acids, this type of fruit is very good for you. Native people of the Amazon have used it for hundreds of years to treat a wide range of illnesses, such as being tired, having stomach issues, and having skin issues.
Acai berries are drupes, which means they have a skin on the outside, a soft layer in the middle, and a hard core in the middle. Based on what the acai fruit is going to be used for, it is picked from the tree and then turned into a powder, juice, or puree.
Is Acai Safe For Cats?
Sure, but not too much. You should know that cats shouldn’t get most of their food from acai. On top of what it already eats, you should always give your cat healthy things like fish, meat, and vegetables. Also, make sure the acai is brand new and doesn’t have any chemicals added that could be bad for cats.
Acai is sometimes a good thing for cats to eat, but it shouldn’t be their main source of food.
That theobromine in acai might worry you, but there is only 0.0014mg/g of it in acai berries, so your cat would have to eat a lot more than a bowl full of them for it to be dangerous for your dog.
What Are the Benefits of Acai for Cats?
Heart disease: If you think that Acai might be good for your cat’s heart, even though there may not be any study to back this up,
2. Losing weight: most of us know how hard it is to get our cats to do things like exercise or cleaning their teeth. Your cat probably won’t get enough exercise unless it lives outside or you try extra hard to get it moving by getting an exercise wheel or playing games with it. Your cat can stay at a healthy weight if you give it Acai as a treat instead of bad human snacks.
3. Helps fight arthritis: over 70% – 90% of aging cats over 12 years will likely suffer from arthritis (a chronic, painful, progressive condition involving the joints of cats.) Acai contains anthocyanins that possess anti-inflammatory effects that aid in reducing the symptoms associated with arthritis.
4. Acai will significantly impact cholesterol levels: when your cat consumes fiber from vegetables, fruits like Acai, and beans, their cholesterol levels will be lowered.
Read: Should cats have watermelons?
What Are the risk of Acai for Cats?
You should know that giving your cat acai berries can be good in some ways and bad in others. You’ll know how much to give and what to do if your cat takes poison.
What might make your cat allergic? You can’t be sure, just like people are allergic to different things. Acids called ficin and ficusin are found in acai that are known to make cats sick. Watch your cat very carefully the first time you feed it acai.
It’s good for you because it makes you stronger, opens up your blood vessels, and makes your heart beat faster. Cats should not eat chocolate, though, because theobromine makes them sick. Theobromine is very dangerous for cats to eat because they can’t break it down.
Can cats Eat Acai?
Acai seems to be more beneficial to humans than to cats. For your cat to get the nutrient that acai has to offer, it has to consume a significant amount daily, which may not be safe.
In small quantities, conventionally, cats can eat acai without problems, except your cat is allergic to the fruit’s ficin and ficusin content.
There is also the risk of theobromine poisoning if you constantly keep feeding your cat acai, but if you feed your cat acai reasonably, you may not need to get rushing to the vet.
Read: Should cats eat guava?
Is Acai Safe for Kittens and Senior Cats?
Even though the anthocyanins in acai can help older cats with some of their joint pain, it is not a good idea to give them acai. Be very careful about what you give them to eat and drink so that they can enjoy the rest of their time on earth.
As for kittens, this is a story from a pet owner whose kitten died after eating acai tablets. Having said that, I can’t say that acai berries are bad for kittens because the ones in the story only ate the peel, which is a concentrated form of acai and probably had other ingredients that could be bad for their bodies.
If you’re still not sure about giving your cats acai, start by giving them small amounts and see how they behave before making it a regular treat.
Proper Serving Size and Frequency of Acai for Cats
To be safe, you shouldn’t give your cat more than one or two Acai berries a week. You shouldn’t bother your cat with something that isn’t good for them, and this berry isn’t good for you or your cat either.
Can Cats Eat Acai Bowls? Final thoughts
It’s possible that the cat will eat the whole bowl or even more before you notice any poisoning signs. People are most worried about theobromine, a chemical that can be harmful and is found in chocolate. This is the compound that makes people not want to feed acai to their cats, but your cat only needs to eat 200 milligrams for every kg of body weight to become toxic.
Theobromine amounts in acai berries are very low (0.0014 mg/g), so your cat might need to eat more than a bowl to get sick.
You should think about the pros and cons of acai before letting your cat eat these tasty berries, and if you notice anything out of the ordinary, you should always call your vet.
