Can Cats Eat Watermelon? Yes, BUT!!

Can cats eat watermelon? The topic seems to be as ancient as the debate over whether the chicken or the egg came first.

Every year, particularly during the hot summer months, our feline pals manage to slip their claws and paws onto a delicious juicy slice of watermelon—or find the proper youngster to throw them a piece of it.

It is important to understand that a cat’s diet comprises mostly of meat and not so much fruit and vegetables. Because of this, we know they’re not necessarily after the nutritional value, but rather, the water content, sweetness, and texture that watermelon contains within it.

Yes, BUT..

The answer to the question, can cats eat watermelon is yes, cats can eat watermelon, BUT, If you find your cat eating watermelon, make sure they didn’t swallow any of the seeds. Watermelon seeds contain a trace of cyanide, which is toxic to cats. We, as humans would need to eat 100-300 seeds before feeling the effects of the cyanide.

Watermelon Benefits 

Watermelon is excellent for our felines and us in moderation from the hydration value it provides alone. Did you know that this sweet fruit is composed of around 92 percent water? That’s a little more than 1 gal of water in a 10lb watermelon! Making this melon an excellent post-workout treat!

Also, watermelon is high in vitamin C and citrulline, an amino acid that helps with the flow of blood through the body and lowers blood pressure, both of which are beneficial to the heart.

Moderation is essential in everything. Remember that cats, like humans, must limit their sugar consumption. This melon contains around 9g of sugar per 1 cup diced serving or 11g of carbohydrates per 1 cup diced serving.

Summary

In short conclusion, the answer is yes, your feline companion can have watermelon in moderation along with the rind, just avoid any seeds.

Blueberries and strawberries are an excellent healthy alternative to watermelon as well, for those of you who like sharing a piece of fruit with your cat companion occasionally.

Well, we found out that cats can indeed eat watermelon, but I guess we’ll never get the answer to, “which came first, the chicken or the egg?”, will we?

5 Facts About Watermelon:

1. Watermelon is actually a vegetable

It belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family, the same as squash and pumpkin, and gourds

2. Guinness Book Of World Records

The heaviest watermelon weighs 159 kg (350.5 lb) and was grown by Chris Kent (USA) of Sevierville, Tennessee, USA,

3. Watermelon takes about 90 days to grow from seed to harvest

Smaller varieties, of course, may be ready before the bigger ones, but still very impressive!

4. Over 1,200 varieties of watermelon are grown worldwide

Watermelon is grown in 96 countries and has over 1,200 variations. The United States presently ranks seventh in the world in terms of watermelon production.

5. Over 3,000 years of history

It has a history of enjoyment so juicy that seeds of this fruit were found buried deep in King Tut’s tomb in Egypt so that he would stay hydrated in the afterlife.