Can Cats Eat Pizza? Yes or No?

If you ask most people around the world what their favorite food is, pizza will certainly feature in the top ten. This Italian dish has been around since at least the 10th century. In the United States itself, at least 13% of the country’s population would have eaten a pizza irrespective of which day you pick.

It has a combination of a tasty crust, tomato sauce, and cheese that is certainly very addictive. Even if it’s packed with calories, and overeating fat leads to obesity, it’s hard to say no to pizza! 

Considering how tasty you find a pizza, it’s only fair that you wonder if your feline friend's cat stomach would also enjoy a piece. 

Would it be safe to let your cat have a slice of your pizza?

Can Cats Eat Pizza?

The short answer is that your cat should not be eating pizza.

Maybe a really tiny slice of pizza could be all right, but anything more could end up upsetting your cat’s digestive system. Pizza comes with different components, with each part impacting your cat in different ways. 

The crust, the cheese, and the toppings are all likely to cause various issues for your feline friend when they steal a nibble from your plate. 

Is Pizza Bad For Cats?

Pizza Crust

The crust of the pizza itself is made using flour, water, yeast, and salt. Olive oil is also sometimes added to prepare the crust. Salt is certainly something you shouldn’t let your cat have. However, the crust itself does not have any nutritional value. Rather, it is filled with calories itself. 

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Even if your cat eats a bit of the crust, it may not be all that dangerous. But you should make sure the crust is fully baked. In case your cat eats raw dough, it will end up being poisonous for them. 

Cheese

Cheese is one of the most common pizza toppings. The cheesy layer on top of the crust would be one of the key issues for your cat. Cats tend to love cheese, but it’s not always the case the other way around. 

Cheese is bad for your cat's stomach!

Most cats are lactose intolerant, as they don’t have the enzyme that can break down the lactose. It remains in their stomach. Soon it would start to ferment, releasing gases and causing bloating as well as stomach cramps. 

Even if your cat is not lactose intolerant, cheese comes with a lot of fat. Eating too much cheese can end up causing weight gain, which in turn will put pressure on their bones as well as internal organs. 

This would end up causing various problems as they grow older. It’s safe for a cheesy pizza is best to be kept away from your cat. 

Tomato sauce

The tomato sauce that goes on pizzas is made using various ingredients. It has a lot of salt plus garlic and onions are more often than not added to the preparation. They are a part of the Allium family had also highly toxic to cats.

The tomatoes themselves are a different thing altogether. If unripe tomatoes are used to make the sauce, it can be toxic for your cat. 

This is because they have a chemical named solanine which does not agree with your feline friend. Usually, however, the tomato sauce is made with ripe ones. But it’s better to keep your cat away in case a bit of solanine has sneaked in.

Read this next: Can Cats Eat Lasagna? (Is Lasagna Safe or Bad for Cats?)

Onion, Garlic, and Other Additives

Your cat should be kept away from garlic and onion at all costs. Both the raw vegetable and the powder versions are toxic for your feline friend. They have a chemical named n-propyl disulfide which attaches itself to the red blood cells present in your cat. 

The cat’s immune system reacts to this and attacks the cells to break them down. Since red blood cells carry the oxygen required by the body, this attack on them could end up causing anemia in your cat. 

Common symptoms your cat will show are weakness, a loss of appetite, and general lethargy. They also might have a different urine color, as the red blood cells are removed from the body.

Your cat may also end up developing pale gums, due to a lack of blood. 

Salt is another ingredient that is not entirely good for your cat. Just as is the case with humans, a small amount for the entire day is fine. 

But more than required salt would end up causing an imbalance in the electrolytes of your cat’s body. If that happens, your cat may not be able to walk properly, lose balance and even have seizures. 

Common Pizza Toppings

Whether the toppings on a pizza would be harmful to your cat would entirely depend on what you put on the meal. Pepperoni and other such processed meats are likely to be high in fat as well as salt. An occasional piece may not be a problem. 

But if you share a piece every time you eat pizza, it will start to affect your cat. Unseasoned lean meats such as chicken or turkey should be fine.

Some cats like mushrooms, but their protein needs should be met only through animal meat as their digestive system has evolved for that. Although a cooked mushroom in itself may not harm your cat, it could cause issues with the additives that you would have put including salt and onions. 

Read this next: Can Cats Eat Onions? (Are Onions Bad Or Toxic For Cats)

Can Cats Eat Pizza? The Verdict

Can cats eat pizza? Not really! Remember, they are obligate carnivores and require protein sources instead of high-fat content ingredients. If you really want to share your pizza with your cat, then it should only be an exceedingly small piece. 

The piece should be very slim so that it doesn’t cause a choking hazard for your pet cat. You should keep an eye on your cat for any signs of distress, diarrhea, vomiting, or an upset stomach after you share the piece. 

Overall, it’s not a good idea to share large quantities of pizza with your cat. Instead, if your feline friend wants to share your human food, you should give them their own cat treats. 

This way, you can have your separate meals together and still not have any health-related issues. You won’t have to worry about going to the vet as well, since the treats would be made to the cat’s specifications.