cats and pistachios

by J
(Houston)

My cat ate a pistachio the other day.

I dropped it on the floor and didn't rush to pick it up, b/c it did not occur to me he would be interested!
Over the last couple of days, I've given him 2-3, per day. Are pistachios good or bad or neutral for cats? I don't recall seeing pistachios on the list of foods not to feed cats.

Answer by Kate
Hi
well i haven't heard anything in particular about ill effects from cats eating pistachios either. I guess that the main worries would be allergic reaction like some humans get or getting stuck in throat and choking. They are also high in fat I believe and so too many would not be a good thing.

Perhaps someone else here may be able to comment further or have experience of this situation.

personally I would not give my cats nuts of any description, just because I would worry about the choking hazard etc.

best wishes Kate

Comments for cats and pistachios

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Cats and Pistachios
by: Anonymous

Pistachios are not toxic to cats but are high in fat and the shells can be a choking hazard to them. Also they can be salted wich can be bad for cats as well. That being said my cat also loves pistachios but only will eat a small amount and I always supervise him VERY CLOSELY making sure there is nothing he can choke on and that he doesn’t eat to much. Happy trails to you and your cats!
Alll my pets went nuts for pistachios
by: Tetesa

This is the odd thing I Had at one time a Pomeranian, chinchilla and two cats they all went nuts when I tried to eat pistachios so one day I gave it to them and they all went crazy just very small pieces and another thing they all had in common they all loved plain Cheerios and when I bought carrots my one cat would go nuts It was like catnip she wants to roll on the and she wouldn't eat them but she would smell the bag so I opened it up one day and threw some on the floor to see what she would do she just laid on them
Pistachios are like Catnip to my cat
by: Anonymous

I caught my cat trying to eat a pistachio in a Shell that wouldn't crack that I had thrown in a waste basket. I took it away from him and gave him a few nuts, he started playing with his toys and running around like a kitten. He actually chews the nuts.
Just the nut, NO shells
by: Michaelle

Getting sick on the shell doesn't mean the nut itself is bad for the cat. I really, really don't reccomend the shells.
nuts for cats
by: Anonymous

I have a little feral boy kitty. Doc was rescued as a kitten after being observed eating the fallen seeds from a neighborhood bird feeder. Red & white millet, sunflower, cracked corn, etc. He ate a variety of seeds. When I am eating sunflower seeds he gobbles them up too. He recently ate some pistachios. I can't speak for other cats, but he is fine with them. He will only eat a few at a time. Sunflower seeds are this favorite...he will eat them non-stop if he can. I have to hide the bag. Not because they are bad. They are full of fat, and they will put too much weight on him.
Peewee's Pistachio Treats
by: Anonymous

My cat Peewee LOVES pistachios. He hears me cracking the shells and comes running. But he only eats two or three before he leaves again. This is like a special treat for him as I only buy pistachios once or twice a year. He has never had any problems. I don't let him near the shells tho. They smell just like the pistachio that he would try to eat it, but they are a lot harder to handle than the actual nut. So I don't recommend the shells.
Watch out
by: Anonymous

Our cat ate sevearal pistachio shells, and threw up several, we thought we dogged the bullet, but a couple of days later he was having emergency surgery for a bowel obstruction.

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