Can Cats Eat Corn (Is It Safe Or Bad To Have?)

Corn is widely used as a food source by humans – from soda to cereal. It has numerous health benefits, with some varieties of corn packed with antioxidants. These antioxidants, called carotenoids, help in removing the free radicals in your body, which would otherwise cause damage to your cells and result in chronic diseases. Corn also has dietary fiber, which helps in preventing constipation and improves your digestive system. 

Corn - including corn flakes, corn starch, corn husks, corn kernel snacks, corn chips, popcorn, and cornbread - is also high in protein and is a good source of nutrients for vegetarians and vegans. It is easy to grow and can be farmed in many parts of the world. 

All these health benefits of corn make it a major part of the food humans eat. But does that mean corn will benefit your cat's health.

Can Cats Eat Corn? (in short)

Cats can eat corn without any immediate side effects. In fact, most of the cat food that you find on supermarket shelves does have corn as one of their ingredients. Since its widely available and has good fiber content, companies use it as a filler ingredient in their cat food to help the nutritional value. 

Can Cats Eat Corn on The Cob?

It's not recommended to feed cats corn on the cob. While small amounts of corn may not be harmful to cats, the cob itself can be a choking hazard and cause intestinal blockages if swallowed. In addition, cats are obligate carnivores, meaning their diet should consist mainly of animal-based protein. 

Corn does not provide significant nutritional value for cats and is not a necessary part of their diet. So offering a potential choking hazard is not a wise move.

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If you want to offer your pet snacks, it's better to stick to cat-specific treats that are specifically formulated for their nutritional needs.

Is Corn Good For Cats Digestion?

Corn helps in digestion and regulates your feline friend’s bowel movements and is often found in cat food that is best for cats that throw up. So a diet rich in corn-based food is helpful to your cat. Also, the fiber content in corn means your cat will feel satiated faster. This can help in weight control as the cat will only eat as much as required and not try to gorge on the whole meal at once. 

Corn is also low in fat content. This means you can substitute corn-based foods for those that have high fat in them, and your kitty will be grateful for the change. But you must keep in mind this only applies to whole corn.

Refined corn oil should be avoided as it tends to be very high in fat. Another advantage your cat will have with corn-based food is the high protein that comes with it.  

All these advantages may seem good for your cat’s health. While corn is not exactly toxic for your cat in the same way onion or garlic can be, they’re still not something you should give them on a daily basis. Cats are obligate carnivores, which means their digestive system is designed for meat-based food. 

They prefer to hunt and kill their prey before eating them. So they can’t subsist only on corn-based food and should be given meat products.

Is Corn Bad For Cats?

Cats don’t need a lot of carbs, but that’s exactly what corn provides. Corn has sucrose in them. This can lead to a spike in blood sugar levels for your cat after they eat a corn-based meal. When this happens regularly, it can cause numerous health issues, including heart-related diseases. 

Some cats can have a corn allergy. It’s important to first check with a small sample to see if your cat is allergic to corn. Only if your kitty is not showing any sign of stomach pain or diarrhea and vomiting should you continue with a corn-based food. 

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Other signs you need to look out for include scratching, sneezing, and coughing, among others. These indicate that your cat does not have a tolerance for corn. 

Also, when your cat may end up developing an intolerance for gluten if you feed them too much corn. This is because there is zein in corn, which your cat may not be able to digest. If your cat is indeed suffering from gluten intolerance, it would show symptoms such as bloating, fatigue, and weight loss, among others. 

Another factor to consider with corn in cat food is the presence of phytic acid. This particular substance is responsible for the body’s inability to digest minerals such as zinc and iron.

As a result, your cat would end up dealing with the effects of poor digestion. 

There is a workaround for this – you can soak or ferment the corn to remove the phytic acid. But the downside of doing this is that you would also be getting rid of the beneficial minerals, making the corn useless. 

Too much corn can also be harmful because of carbohydrates. Cats don’t digest carbs well and they don’t need them as much as they need animal protein. 

Corn should only be consumed by adult cats, if at all. Kittens should not be given corn-based food as they have very sensitive stomachs. Also, kittens require some important minerals and vitamins to help in their growth. 

This should come from meat-based food rather than giving them corn, which will only just be a filler.

How To Feed Cats Corn

Considering that most commercial cat foods available in supermarkets have some amount of corn, you should avoid giving your feline any further in addition to what they already get. This is especially true in cases when the cat is overweight and needs to have a moderated diet. 

If you do give your cat some corn, make sure it is plain corn. This has to be done in moderation and only on rare occasions. You should not add salt or butter to the corn. Also avoid putting any seasoning on the corn, as you would do if you were eating it yourself. 

In case you want to use corn as a treat for good behavior, use only vet-approved food that is made specifically for cats. You could also give less than the usual amount of food you give to your cat in case the amount of corn present in it is too high. 

This way, you can be sure that your cat is remaining healthy, not eating too many calories and gaining weight. 

Read this next: Can Cats Eat Steak? Cooked Or Raw?

Can Cats Eat Corn? The Verdict

Cats are obligate carnivores, so they prefer meat-based foods. But they can sometimes get excited by the foods their humans are having and would want a piece of that. While you might want to give into those cute eyes of your cat, you’ll need to make sure you don’t overdo it as that would harm the health of your feline friend. 

Corn is not toxic for your cat but too much corn in the food can have a negative impact. 

However, if you’re worried something in your cat’s diet could be making her sick due to concerning symptoms like an upset stomach, obesity, allergic reactions, or diarrhea, by all means, contact your veterinarian. It is always best to consult a vet than trying to figure things out for yourself.