[Carbo]

My cat, (7 year old, female), has discoverd peanut butter and loves it.
I allowed her to lick a bit off my finger and that got me to wondering: is pb a good or bad dietary item for her? Not a steady feeding, of course, but as an occasional treat. She has always had furball problems, (refuses to take any kind of furball medicine), and I'm hoping this might help.

 

[yingying]

I don't think peanut butter is a good dietary item for cat. They cannot digest it. And other ingredients (sugar, flavor, etc.) in pb is not good for cat either. Pb is also high in fat, so if your cat is already a bit chubby, feeding pb frequently can make her overweight.

I'm not sure if peanut butter can help with hairball condition. But if you want a safer home diet for treating hairball, try cooked pumpkin (or any winter squash). Or buy a pot of cat grass and see if she likes it. And a daily grooming is the best way of hairball control

 

[Carbo]

Thanks for your input. I know pb isn't a natural for cats, but I plead guilty to sometimes spoiling her. 8)
As for the furballs, they are definitely an issue here. I do brush her daily but she still has issues with them. About a month ago I started to add a spoonful of canned pumpkin to her wet food. She's eating it all with gusto, but last night she spit up a large one. :|

 

[Jacq]

I remember seeing in one of the "Ask a Vet" videos that peanut butter wasn't bad for cats, but it wasn't good either. Nutritionally they don't get anything out of it. (I see you're in the states, where pb often has a lot of added sugar - it seems a waste because cats can't really taste sweetness anyways).

 

[MowMow]

I wouldn't feel that good feeding my guys commercial peanut butter. There are too many added sugar, oils , salt and ....stuff that isn't very good for them.

Real peanut butter probably wouldn't be a problem, in small amounts. There's nothing in it that can benefit them, though.

 

[yingying]

I know pb isn't a natural for cats, but I plead guilty to sometimes spoiling her.

If you want to spoil your girl, I would suggest some cheddar cheese or plain yogurt. My cats go crazy for these Only in small amount though, as cow milk can cause diarrhea in some cats.

About a month ago I started to add a spoonful of canned pumpkin to her wet food. She's eating it all with gusto, but last night she spit up a large one.

Same here I groom my Metoo everyday, and I don't get a lot of loose hair from her even using Furminator. I also give her a teaspoon of butternut squash every other day, plus the hairball gel once a week. Yet she still throw up a big hairball once every 2 months. I don't know what else I can do either... I guess it's genetic and also due to her grooming herself too frenquently. Because my other cat Meatball, although more fluffy and shed more, never has hairball issue even without all the treatments :/

 

[doodlebug]

I believe a treat is a treat and doesn't need to be good for them, but shouldn't be bad. After all we eat all kinds if things that aren't necessarily good for us.

If the cat likes peanut butter above all other treats, then give her some. Keep the amount limited and buy an all natural, limited sugar product. It's not going to hurt her if it's not a significant portion of her diet.

Regarding hairballs...What you're trying to avoid is having the hair get stuck in the digestive tract and causing a blockage. It doesn't matter which end they come out of as long as they come out (obviously coming out the back is more pleasant than cleaning up puke). So I don't regard a cat that pukes up a hairball as having a problem.