Coconut oil good for cats?

[rawstrength]

Today I put coconut oil on my hands to help with some dry skin. When I was petting my cat she licked all the oil off. So I gave her a spoonful of coconut oil and she ate it all up.
Is coconut oil OK for cats to eat? Should I keep giving it to her? She seems to really like it, plus she is obese :rolleyes: . Maybe it could help her?

[JennaBoBenna]

I don't see why not :) I give it to my rat all of the time

[Snownoir]

Coco oil is good for everyone!! :D Haa haa... its great for cats for the same reasons its good for us. Just watch the amount you give her. Think about your serving size and her weight and try to adjust accordingly. My pups love it. I give them a spoonful every other day or so. When I have some on hand. ;)

[NYbutterfly]

Funny you mention it, I was thinking the same thing. I use coconut oil instead of lotion as my moisturizer and my cat licks my hands like crazy when I go to pet him. I was considering giving him some from a spoon. I would first do a google search to see what cat's should not eat. I've done it once before and you'd be amazed at some of the food's listed.

[Snownoir]

Yea. Avocados are supposed to be poisonous to dogs, but Max has eaten so many its scary. We freaked out the first time it happened and read nothing but bad things online but since he lived, had NO adverse reactions, and sneaks them when no one is in the room, I think he's fine. Another thing I've read is bad for dogs is nuts. He thinks they are the coolest treat to fall from the sky (he can clean up a backyard with a walnut tree in no time). So, yea, take caution but if your cat has licked it off your hand and is fine, it will continue to be fine. There are no poisons in it, unlike apples and their cyanide (they can't break it down like we can, thus it just builds up in their system slowly till they die).

:)

[littleindiangirl]

Just thought I should point out that cats can't taste sweet things. They lack those taste buds since they are carnivores and don't need to distinguish like omnivores and herbivores do.

[Whisper]

Glad I am not a cat then!!! ;)

I remember when I was told at the age of 5 that dogs could not see in colour --I cried for hours for my pet corgi!! I thought it was such a dreadful thing not to be able to see all the beautiful things except in the colours that were on the black and white television, i.e. black, greys and whites!

Then recently I saw how a kestrel is supposed to see the world -- how weird is that!!:eek:

Take care ,
Whisper

[Tea]

My dog and cat are both extremely pick eaters but they LOVE coconut oil. I found this out the other day. Pretty neat.

[MelissaO]

I use it to moisturize and 2 out 4 of my cats wait for me to get out of the bathroom so they can lick my legs. Humm it is my girl cats that like it - maybe they are trying to watch their figures too;) By boy cats could care less about it.

[oceanluv]

my boy cat loves it, also. the only time he is interested in my GS is when I put coconut oil in. I give him about a tsp as a treat once a week or so. it's so cute to watch him lick it all up and then give himself a good bath after, lol.
:p

[oceanluv]

I meant 1 tsp of cocnut oil, not the green smoothie. :o

[beppa66]

I meant 1 tsp of cocnut oil, not the green smoothie. :o

Ha-ha. I thought my animals were the only oddballs.
The cat loves spinach stems, kale, hemp, chlorella, coconut oil and goji berries.
And our beagle... he loves bananas, pineapple, apples, chlorella, green smoothies, goji berries, pulp from the juicer, clementines, watermelon, avocados, flax, ok...let's face it he's a pig.

;) hee-hee.

[rawstrength]

Thanks for the replies, everyone.
The only plant foods that my cat likes to eat are coconut oil and wheatgrass.
Melissa - what you said is interesting. My cat is female, too.

[freespirit]

my kittens hava a little bowl of coconut oil next to their water dish- they love it! and their coats are so incredibly soft. I just got a new kitten and his fur was so dry it felt dirty- after one week of raw food and coco oil he's as soft as a baby's bottom

[Inca_faerie]

My kitten loves it! I caught him nibbling some off my manna bread the other day. I also give him coconut milk he seems pretty into it.

[juliebove]

I've been buying coconut yogurt and a frozen dessert for my daughter and the cat just loves them.

[brydee]

My cats,dogs and geese love it!

I give a teaspoon or so every other day, someone said something bad about apples is this just cats or dogs also? my dogs get ACV and seem to do really well on it.

My cats also try stealing green smoothies

[pixie_333]

i'm glad i saw this post!

i cook some of my cats food and last night i was wondering if i could use coconut oil to fry it. i didn't use any oil to play safe.
some things she won't eat raw, but loves cooked.

my cat LOVES melon! honey dew and green melons are her favs. i haven't tried the other varities yet.

somebody mentioned sweets and how they can't taste it... i've heard this before. but one of my friends cats loves to eat chocolate and you can't keep it out unattended or else the cat will eat it all! mine has never had an interest in it and frowns on the smell.

[anneh]

Hi there, was just reading this and you make a good point. Btw I think only Macadamia nuts are poisonous, my dog loves all other nuts so he gets some occasionally and daily I add a tablespoon pumpkin and sunflower seeds to his crushed raw veggie mix. Have been feeding avocado to my dogs for years with never a problem although they probably only get one or two a week and of course not the pit or the skin. Glad you pointed out about the apple seeds :)anneh
Yea. Avocados are supposed to be poisonous to dogs, but Max has eaten so many its scary. We freaked out the first time it happened and read nothing but bad things online but since he lived, had NO adverse reactions, and sneaks them when no one is in the room, I think he's fine. Another thing I've read is bad for dogs is nuts. He thinks they are the coolest treat to fall from the sky (he can clean up a backyard with a walnut tree in no time). So, yea, take caution but if your cat has licked it off your hand and is fine, it will continue to be fine. There are no poisons in it, unlike apples and their cyanide (they can't break it down like we can, thus it just builds up in their system slowly till they die).

:)

[liz08]

I'm sure a bit of coconut oil is fine for either cats or dogs. I've heard a little here and there about people trying it out on their pets for the health benefits. I don't know that they need it for any reason, but if you want to try supplementing their diets with it a bit, I'm sure you could. You could even try melting the coconut oil (http://www.seacoastvitamins.com/supplement/nature-s-way-efa-gold-coconut-oil-16-oz-1883) a little and drizzling it over their food. It seems like it would be even easier than having them lick it from a spoon.

[streetsurfer]

My cats,dogs and geese love it!

I give a teaspoon or so every other day, someone said something bad about apples is this just cats or dogs also? my dogs get ACV and seem to do really well on it.

My cats also try stealing green smoothies

I don't want to take the thread off course, but may I ask how you administer the acv? Would I slowly start adding little bits to the water? Thank you. I would like to try acv and coconut oil with our cat. I think she will like the oil, as she already digs my salad dressings.

[k8sl8]

It's always best to check with your veterinarian... It's really easy to give a pet 'too much' of something, and for a small animal, calories DO count. Consider a teaspoon serving for a 125 lb. human will be just a few drops for a small dog or cat in relation. Remember, they are meat eaters, as God made them... with rip and tear teeth.

[anneh]

My dog has been getting coconut oil for a a couple of years, my holistic vet said its a great idea and The Whole Dog Journal also had loads of information about it one month. Btw for those of you who wish your dog didn't have to have meat in its diet for good health but don't like looking at the meat and don't want to feed "dead" kibble try The Honest Kitchen dehydrated food, very nice and if you go to their site lots of info. I get it locally and he gets that for dinner and a vegetarian breakfast of mashed organic beans sauteed in coconut oil with baked acorn squash or sweet potato. I also add a little raw crushed green leafy veggies (I use my Greenstar juicer with the adapter on it) to the Honest Kitchen food along with some crushed sunflower and pumpkin seeds for added protein. anneh
I'm sure a bit of coconut oil is fine for either cats or dogs. I've heard a little here and there about people trying it out on their pets for the health benefits. I don't know that they need it for any reason, but if you want to try supplementing their diets with it a bit, I'm sure you could. You could even try melting the coconut oil (http://www.seacoastvitamins.com/supplement/nature-s-way-efa-gold-coconut-oil-16-oz-1883) a little and drizzling it over their food. It seems like it would be even easier than having them lick it from a spoon.