Strawberry lovers know there’s a lot to love about fruit.
Unfortunately, your feline is obsessed with strawberries. She seems to enjoy the taste of the berries and consumes them in large quantities.
You can give her strawberries now and then as an enjoyable snack, but she’ll soon be insatiable. So, why is my cat obsessed with strawberries?
Most cats love to eat fresh berries and fruits. Your feline is no exception.
So, why is my cat obsessed with strawberries? Many cats love strawberries because their taste is sweet.
It also helps that their exterior is crunchy and soft inside. Your cat may eat strawberries as a snack or as part of a meal.
She may even lick her paws after eating them because of the residual juice that’s left on her paws.
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Why Is My Cat Obsessed With Strawberries?
They Look Like Snacks
If you offer your cat a strawberry as a reward for good behavior or for a special reason, she may start to think of them as a treat rather than food.
Because of the enticing flavor and catnip-like response, your kitty may assume that they are also good for her.
Strawberries Have Health Benefits
Cats notice when they obtain a new meal or treat and this motivates them to continue eating them in the future.
Strawberries are high in vitamins and antioxidants, so a cat may eat them for that reason alone.
Your Cat May Crave Sugar
The sugar found in strawberries is highly attractive to cats. The sugar can lead to tooth decay in cats if consumed in excess and regularly. To help prevent this, you can feed your cat water while she’s eating strawberries or give her a wet food that has a similar flavor to strawberries.
They’re Fun to Play With
It’s likely that your cat prefers strawberries because she enjoys eating them so much and because they are fun to bat around with her feet, hands or toys.
Cats can readily grasp strawberries in their mouths and hold them there while batting them around with their feet or paws. She may not eat them at all; instead, she may enjoy simply playing with them as a kitty toy.
Cats like snatching relatively big objects off the ground and batting them around with their paws and teeth.
Cats Are Drawn to the Sweetness
Cats like sweet things as well, and strawberries are sweet as well.
Their preferences, like anything they eat, is motivated by the pleasure they derive from the food and the sense of satisfaction they receive from chewing, swallowing and digesting it.
Some cats are drawn to sweet items, and a particularly large cat may be particularly attracted to items that are larger than she is and that might involve complicated bits of chewing and swallowing that she enjoys doing.
Strawberries Cause Cats to Be Silly
Although strawberries are not related to catnip or other types of catnip-like plants, they can cause cats to act silly and to engage in playful behavior similar to the type of behavior that cats experience when they eat catnip.
Cats have been seen rubbing their noses on or licking up strawberry juice and then rolling on the floor or rubbing themselves against things in a lighthearted way after doing so.
This impact might be caused when strawberries are eaten because strawberries contain natural sugars and acids that coat the tongue and lips.
Can Cats Eat Strawberries?
Strawberries are safe for cats to eat if they are fresh and not overripe.
Vitamin C, magnesium, fiber, potassium, omega-3 fatty and amino acids are nutrients that are found in strawberries and that are good for cats to eat.
As a result, a modest portion once or twice a week can be considered safe for some cats.
However, you must keep strawberries in the refrigerator in a covered container or wrapped in a paper bag to keep them fresh and avoid having them spoil.
Cats are obligate carnivores with digestive systems designed to digest meat, not fruit.
Specific vitamin and mineral overload from eating too much fruit is not normally a problem for healthy cats.
As a result, giving your cat a tiny slice or two of fresh strawberry each week as a treat is usually not a problem.
If they have a habit that attracts them to eating fruits or other foods that are toxic to pets, though, you should stop them from eating the toxic food as quickly as possible.
Do Cats Like The Smell Of Strawberries?
Strawberry scent attracts cats just as much as a catnip does does.
Although cats do not react to the compounds that are found in strawberries that are similar to the chemicals that cause catnip plants to smell like catnip does, the strawberry scent itself may attract your cat to strawberries.
To counter this, you can wipe down your kitchen and other surfaces or place scented soaps around your home to mask the scent of the strawberries themselves and keep your cat away from the strawberries.
And cats are sensitive and will not necessarily like everyone and everything they smell or see, though.
Citrus fruits and others with a bitter flavor will rarely be appealing to cats and may not be attractive at all to your cat. However, your kitty may find other fruits like bananas, peaches and grapes appealing because they taste sweet with a tart or tarty flavor.
Can Cats Eat Strawberry Leaves?
Strawberry leaves should definitely not be fed to cats.
Because strawberry leaves are jagged and linked by tiny stems, they can be quite tricky for cats to eat and difficult for cats to digest as well.
As a result, eating strawberry leaves can be painful, cause gastrointestinal problems and lead to acute diarrhea if eaten in substantial quantities by one cat.
Eating too much strawberry leaves can also cause serious problems for a cat’s health, including kidney damage and kidney failure in severe cases of exposure.
Cutting the leaves off a strawberry plant and feeding them to cats as treats is also not advised because it can lead to gastrointestinal upset and sickness in cats that eat enough of the strawberry plant’s leaves.
Your cat may like the fragrance of the plants and your strawberries, but the berries themselves should be kept away from your cat and the cat should be kept away from the strawberries.
Also Read: Can Cats Eat Strawberry Ice Cream?
Conclusion
Your cat loves strawberries because they’re sweet and delicious, and they’re easy for her to eat.
Fruit is healthy for cats, so adding strawberries to her diet is a healthy choice for her. Strawberries are sweet and crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, so your cat appreciates their texture and flavor.
As fruits go, strawberries are low in calories and high in fiber, which can promote healthy skin and muscles in your cat’s body. So, enjoy a few strawberries with your cat every now and then.
However, try to keep the strawberries in limited quantities to prevent your cat from becoming overly enthusiastic about their new-found favorite treat.
