As a foodie, I love to bake and cook; that means I get to try out different recipes. Flan is one of those nice things the tongue can taste that I always love to treat myself to. There is a whole sense of fulfillment from getting to prepare ingredients, mix and bake a flan dessert, but is flan safe for cats?
Cats have sensitive body systems and many human-grade foods shouldn’t be given to cats as treats since they don’t contribute to the cat’s nutritional requirements in any way. Flan is amongst those human treats that shouldn’t be given to our feline friends as they contain so much sugar and milk which is known to cause stomach upset, diabetes, and overweight in cats.
The basic nutrient your cat requires is animal-based proteins and taurine as they can’t produce taurine for themselves. Technically your cat will be able to eat some custard dessert without immediate problems but eating large amounts of these sweet human treats can cause lots of health problems which we will be detailed in the post.
What Is Flan?
When we speak of flan, we refer to two kinds; dessert flan and fruit flan. The dessert flan is a baked custard with caramel toppings which can be likened to the french’s crème caramel. This flan is made of condensed milk, eggs, and whole or cream milk. The dessert flan is usually flavored with orange, vanilla, coffee, or coconut. As a result of egg masses custard:s delicate nature, this flan is baked with a water bath.
Also, we have the fruit flan which is a sweet pastry with a fruit flan filling. In baking fruit flan, a special ring of metals is used. These metals don’t have bottoms, making it easier to remove the mold, unlike your regular cake pans. After placing the flan ring on a baking sheet, toppings such as pastry cream and fresh fruits like apricot, strawberries, peaches, or blueberries are used individually or combined.
Can Cats Eat Flan?
Not the best cat food is flan. Eggs, milk, and sugar produce flan. Many cats are lactose intolerant, but milk is tempting. Sugary treats that induce diabetes and obesity are useless for cats because they cannot taste it. Protein, taurine, and students are needed by cats.
Cats may eat fruit flan without grapes and other dangerous fruits. Flan is best avoided, but if you must, give your cat little.
Can Cats Eat Caramel Flan
Caramel isn’t toxic to cats in small amounts but the consumption of raw sugar for cats is a terrible idea. It is not an easy task to get your cat used to cleaning its teeth. So why engage in an act that could aid tooth decay, high blood sugar, and excessive weight in your feline friend?
Uncooked brown caramel sugar may upset cats.
Desserts sicken many cats. Feeding cats sugar can cause hormonal difficulties, illnesses, and infections. Heavy cream can cause bloating, stomachache, and diarrhea in lactose-intolerant cats. Ask your vegetarian.
Cat sodium overload may result from more salt butter sealing. It gives your cat calories, not vitamins and minerals. Reduce pet sugar to save money at the vet.
Treats should provide 10% of cats’ calories. Cats can eat strawberries, apples, guava, and apricots but not caramel sauce. A high-calorie caramel fridge is hazardous for cats.
Is Flan Safe For Cats?
Cats should not eat flan because they may be allergic to some components and you may not know about underlying health issues.
Little flan may not be dangerous to your cat if given periodically, but giving it often risks diabetes, weight gain, and behavioral issues by spreading pent-up energies over the house.
Below are the ingredient used in making flan and how they could impact your cat’s health:
Milk
Ignoring its health benefits, cats don’t like milk. VMD, MS, DACVN, and Board Certified Veterinary Nutritionist Cailin Heinze says cats are lactose intolerant and experience diarrhea despite loving milk daily.
Cats become lactose intolerant when flan contains condensed milk, cream, and whole grain. We can’t tell how much dairy will upset your cat’s stomach because cats react differently.
Sugar
Like I have said in most posts on this site, cats cannot taste sugar. Hence, if you are having sentiments of giving your feline friend a sweet treat, be rest assured that they can’t taste sugar.
Sugar just like in humans puts your cat at risk of developing diabetes. The majority of cats are quite unwilling to partake in exercise activities like dogs which is why we come up with creative ways to get them exercising either by making use of a lick mat or getting cat trees with exercise wheels.
Sugar will also leave your kitten with so much energy which means they will constitute a nuisance except you have trained them so well how many of us train our cats well?
Salted butter
Butter snacks are high in calories, so your cat may overeat. At 6 pounds, cats need 24–35 calories per pound, or 144–210 calories.
A tablespoon of salted butter comprises 71 mg of sodium, which your cat should not exceed 1.25g per kg. Flan can cause salt poisoning in cats.
What Should You Do If Your Cat Eats Flan?
Check if your cat eats flan inadvertently or if you give it flan. The only way to tell if the flan has affected your cat is to watch for changes in walking, hiding, halting, or missing the litter box.
Next, phone your vet to report everything you saw. Your vet can advise you on small issues or ask you to come over for major ones.
Can Cats Have Flan? – Final Thoughts
Technically cats can have flan, but in little amounts and once in a while, but as a rule of thumb, when you feed/introduce to your cat any new feed or treat, you have to observe your feline friend for any signs of toxicity, allergy or upset stomach and discontinue if need be.
Like with all other treats, flan should be a once in a while and given in little amounts to prevent the likelihood of your cat developing serious diseases such as diabetes, or having spells of lactose intolerance symptoms.
