Can I give a hot dog to my cat?

Our cat might be trying to get a piece of your hot dog the same way we would. But will it hurt them in any way?

Hot dogs are a quick and easy meal; if your pet smells meat cooking, they’ll probably be curious about what’s happening in the kitchen.

Once you’ve put together your hot dog, they might move in for the kill and try to get a piece. You might think that a hot dog is made of nothing but meat.

So, can a cat do it or not?

You shouldn’t give a cat a hot dog for the same reasons you shouldn’t eat a hot dog yourself. We’ll explain each reason in more depth below…

Can I give a hot dog to my cat? Answer: We don’t recommend it.

Even though cats eat meat and hot dogs have meat in them, they are not the best source of protein for them.

Cats don’t eat processed meats because we humans do something to them that no other animal on Earth does.

Cats would eat raw and fresh meat. You probably won’t feed them raw meat every day, and you shouldn’t. However, some of the best cat foods are very close to the kinds of meals a cat wants.

Sodium Issues
The main problem with hot dogs is that they usually have a lot of salt.

You won’t want to raise your cat’s sodium levels too much. You’ll notice that wet and dry cat food doesn’t have a lot of sodium. This is because cats, like people, don’t do well with a lot of sodium.

The curing process adds salt, which is also why things like lunch meats have more sodium.

Nitrate Issues

Different brands of hot dogs have different amounts of nitrates, and you can even buy some that don’t have any nitrates or have been cut down.

Even so, your cat shouldn’t eat a hot dog. Cats would not eat nitrates if left to their own devices in the wild.

We’re learning more and more that people shouldn’t eat too many nitrates, and since your cat is smaller, you can bet that they only need a small number of nitrates to cause problems.

High amount of fat

Hot dogs have a lot of fat, so cats will eat them even less likely.
Cats like lean meat, and if you feed them things like hot dogs, you could make them fat or overweight. So it’s best to feed them their usual cat food daily and keep them away from your food.

It is the best thing to do and will give your cat the best chance of living a long and healthy life.

It’s easy to get into the ritual of giving your cat the food you eat since it’s easy to get, and they want to know what you’re eating. If they get a whiff of something tasty, they will want some too.
Consider their natural diet while determining what to feed them.

Toppings

If you put anything on your hot dog, it’s more likely that your cat shouldn’t eat it.
Ketchup and mustard are two of the common condiments, but a cat shouldn’t have them. If you’ve gone all out and added relish, a pickle, minced onions, or more, you’re just making things more complicated and clear that your cat should not eat this.

Have some cat treats on hand when your cat begs for human food. It will keep them from getting the food they want and give them some food. You can find treats for cats made just for them at grocery stores or pet stores.

Get them something with catnip, and only give it to them when you’re eating something perfect, so they don’t feel left out.