Can Cats Eat Green Beans?

You might feel tempted to give your cat a bite of your green beans, but can cats eat green beans? They sure can—as long as the beans are prepared properly and served in moderation. Here’s everything you need to know about green beans and cats.

Consult your vet before feeding your cat new foods.

Can Cats Have Green Beans?

Yes, cats can have green beans, which are considered a safe and nutritious feline treat.

If your cat likes green beans, it’s fine for them to have a few now and then as a treat. But cats don’t need to eat green beans, so don’t worry if your cat turns up their nose at them.

Are Green Beans Good for Cats?

Green beans are high in many beneficial nutrients, including:

• Fiber

• Folate

• Vitamin C

• Vitamin A

• Calcium

• Iron

Green beans also contain protein and are a good natural source of other vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytonutrients. While most research has been conducted on humans rather than cats, here are some potential benefits green beans may offer:

• They are a high-fiber food that is also low in sugar, which promotes a sense of fullness without adding a lot of calories to your cat’s diet. This can help with weight management.

• They contain folate, a type of B vitamin that is needed to make red blood cells.

• They contain vitamin C, an antioxidant that supports the immune system.

• They contain vitamin A, which promotes good vision and supports the immune system.

• They contain calcium, which is needed for bone health.

• They contain iron, which is required for red blood cells to carry oxygen.

• They contain phytonutrients—substances found in plants that can have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.

Can Green Beans Be Bad for Cats?

While green beans can be beneficial for cats, they aren’t without their risks, including:

• Including too much of any type of food in a cat’s diet can lead to nutritional imbalances. This is especially true in the case of green beans because cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they have to eat animal tissue to satisfy most of their nutritional needs. If a cat fills up on green beans, they’re less likely to eat enough of a nutritious cat food that meets all their dietary needs.

• New foods can cause an upset stomach. This is especially true if a cat eats too much too quickly or has a sensitive tummy.

• Green beans prepared with certain seasonings can be toxic to cats. While green beans themselves are not toxic to cats, they are sometimes cooked with toxic foods. For example, even small amounts of onion, garlic, leeks, shallots, or chives can damage a cat’s blood cells, leading to potentially fatal anemia (low red blood cell count).

How Many Green Beans Can Cats Have?

Every day, 90% of a cat’s calories should come from a nutritionally complete and balanced cat food. This ensures that your kitty will get all the protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, and other important nutrients they need to be healthy. Therefore, treats of all sorts should make up no more than around 10% of a cat’s diet.

Feeding two or three 1-inch pieces of green bean a day should cause no problems for most cats. However, because kittens under 6 months of age are growing and developing so quickly, it’s best to feed them only foods designed for cats.

If your cat accidentally eats a lot of plain green beans, don’t worry. Simply monitor your cat to make sure they keep eating their regular cat food and don’t develop any worrisome symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, or constipation. If you do see these symptoms, contact your veterinarian.

How To Safely Feed Green Beans to Cats

It’s easy to prepare green beans that are safe for cats to eat. Here are some tips for safely feeding your cat green beans:

• For fresh green beans: Wash fresh green beans and trim off any stems. Cats can eat raw or cooked fresh green beans. If the beans are cooked, just make sure they don’t include any toxic seasonings.

• For frozen green beans: You can feed cats green beans that were frozen as long as you cook them without any seasonings.

• For canned green beans: Cats can eat canned green beans (with no salt added) straight from the can or cooked plain.

• Avoid seasoned green beans: Again, do not feed seasoned green beans to your cat! Some ingredients, like garlic and onion, can be very dangerous to our feline family members.

Talk to your veterinarian if you have any questions or concerns about feeding your cat green beans.