Cats are curious little animals and love to poke around and taste everything. If you’re in the kitchen and have limes around, your cat would not think twice before getting its paw on the limes. But just like us, certain foods can adversely affect a cat’s health.
For starters, felines are small on things with a sour taste. Both limes and citrus fruit have a rather sour taste which can be unpleasant for the felines no matter how many times they poke it with their paws. limes act as cleaning agent as well.
But this can be good for your kitty cat as certain foods will wreak havoc on your cat’s health, and lime may be one of those foods. It is crucial to know what should go in your cat’s diet and what shouldn’t, whether it is the daily meals or treats.
Talking of lime and citrus, can cats eat lime? Are there any potential dangers of consuming lime? Let’s dig in and find out.
Can Cats Eat Lime?
Unfortunately, no. Cats cannot eat lime or any other citrus fruit because it is unsafe for them. According to the ASPCA, limes and other citrus fruits are toxic to cats. Certain psoralen compounds and aromatic oils in lime and citrus fruit make limes toxic for cats.
These toxins will cause digestive systems complications for your furry friend. Lack of proper treatment may even be lethal for your adorable cat. If you find your cat consuming limes, you should immediately take your pet to the vet.
In addition, limes also contain a higher amount of sugar and acids, which can bump up the acidity levels in your cat’s stomach.
Similarly, lime trees or plants are also toxic for cats. They contain the same toxins present in limes. If you have lime trees in your backyard, keeping your cat away from them is best. Or else accidental feedings can make your furry friend sick.
Nutritional Information Of Limes
Limes are an excellent source of vitamin C and other essential nutrients. According to the USDA, a 100-gram serving of limes contains a decent amount of vitamin C, potassium, antioxidants, over 30 calories, and 10.5 grams of carbohydrates.
The vitamin C in limes is so potent that it will cover almost half of your daily requirements of vitamin C. The high amount of vitamin C in limes is the primary reason why most pet owners are tempted to feed their cat limes.
However, cats are one of those animals that can produce vitamin C in their bodies. So, there’s no point in risking your pet’s health to offer your pet vitamin C.
Effects Of Lime Consumption On Cats
Lime consumption can have adverse effects on cats. But should you be worried if your cat eats a small number of limes? or
How many limes can cats eat?
Small Quantity – In case of consuming a small quantity of lime, you shouldn’t be worried. While limes are toxic for cats, small amounts, like licking lime juice, will not harm.
Large Quantities – In case of larger consumption, you should immediately take your pet to the vet. If your cat eats lime in large quantities, it will give them a toxic effect and can cause health problems.
In terms of determining the specific amount of lime or how many limes are toxic to cats, ideally, your cat should not consume any amount of lime. Whether it is the lime peel, fruit, or seed part, it will cause toxicity in your pet friend.
It will be okay if your cat eats lime in small amounts. It will only cause gastrointestinal distress and drooling. However, it can be tricky to determine whether your cat has had a small or large quantity.
What is considered small for you may be too much for your cat, so any amount of lime should be avoided?
It is important to note that limes have two compounds, including limonene and psoralen. Both are found in the lime peels and not necessarily the lime juice. So, if your cat consumes the peel part, it will be more dangerous for your furry friend.
The same goes for lime seeds and lime juice as well. Lemon juice is also considered bad for cats.
In small amounts, if the cat licked some lime juice, it would not do much harm to your cat. However, large consumption will induce adverse reactions in your pet. Nevertheless, lime peels, seeds, lime, or lemon juice should be avoided.
Impact On Cat’s Health
Lime poisoning can be bad for your pet’s overall health. If your kitty eats a major portion of limes, here are some symptoms that your kitty may experience:
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Depression/weakness
- Hypothermia
- Salivation/drooling
- Stomach upset
If you notice any of the other symptoms, even if they are not too strong, you should still take your pet to the veterinarian immediately. For expert help, you can also get in touch with Pet Poison Helpline.
More importantly, you should know that cats eating lime kill them. This impact is because citrus fruits contain limonin which absorbs through the gastrointestinal tract of your furry friend. Similarly, limes can also absorb psoralen through your pet’s body.
This will result in kidney failure and liver problems in particular. Furthermore, it will not take substantially larger amounts to cause toxicity. Cats have a liver that quickly metabolizes toxins to neutralize them.
Ultimately, the consequence is that your furry friend will get extremely sick due to the psoralen and limonin, as they will dissolve quickly in their bloodstreams.
Ingesting limes fruit induces vomiting in cats. But if the cats eat limes, the high levels of psoralen will eventually kill your cat.
Are Cats Attracted to Limes? The Smell of Lime & Your Feline
Generally, most cats hate lime due to the pungent smell of lime. If your cat ever pokes around some limes, it will probably run away without licking the juice or eating the peel.
However, since most cats are curious about almost everything, deter cats may be tempted to eat limes. If you notice any extreme reactions, that will indicate that your cat ate too much lime, so you should take your cat to the vet immediately.
What’s interesting is that cats associate the smell of limes as an indication of danger and tend to avoid it.
Despite their self-protective capabilities, cats may not fully use them. To determine the smell of lime, a cat will have to rigorously smell the lemon. But since it is not always done, your cat may ignore it and eat some lime which is why there are certain safety measures you can take.
Lime Safety for Cats
If you’re planning on feeding limes to cats, stop. It would help if you didn’t even consider it due to the harmful effects limes may induce on your cat. No cat should have to suffer from lime poisoning.
There are certain safety measures that you can take regardless of the self-protective measures of your cat.
For starters, you need to cover lime juice, limes, lime rind, and lime yogurt. Secondly, you also need to keep your cat away from lime tree leaves and their extracts in the form of lime essential oils.
Lime essential oils are also not safe for cats. Essential oils are used in some ways, including diffusion, oral administration, and skin conditions. Lime and citrus essentials oils are derived from the plant, roots, and leave parts of lime trees.
Citrus oils contain the same harmful toxins and will cause skin issues to your pet. Lime oil may also lead to toxicity symptoms, specifically affecting the lungs, intestines, and skin part of your pet.
Citrus and Lime oil pose health threats to your cat and should be avoided at all costs. Taking certain additional steps may be time-consuming for you, but your cat’s health relies heavily on it.
On the contrary, there are certain alternatives that your cat can have instead.
Lime Alternatives for Cats
Citrus fruits are a no-go for cats, but there are certain foods you can offer your cat as treats instead. To get you started, here are some alternatives:
- Apples
- Blueberries
- Cranberries
- Apricots
All these fruits are considered safe for your feline friend. They may contain Vitamins A, B, and C, potassium, magnesium, beta-carotene, and other essential nutrients that help improve the overall health of your pet substantially.
Before offering your cat any human food, make sure to consult your veterinarian first to avoid any complications in the future.
Conclusion – Can Cats Eat Lime?
Cats cannot eat any form of lime whatsoever, regardless of the flesh part, rind part, or even the leaves part. Limes are toxic to cats that can harm them and lead to complications, including vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, drooling, stomach upset, and trembling.
Feeding will lead to lime poisoning in your pet. To avoid potential damage, you should rush your pet to the local vet as soon as possible. Furthermore, when feeding treats, you should offer them in moderation and never in excess.
