Can Cats Consume Tapioca? Here’s What You Should Know!

Cats are inquisitive creatures with eyes bigger than their stomachs. Cats are notorious for going crazy when you open any food, but is it safe to feed it to them? Tapioca is safe for cats, but don’t feed them too much of it because it isn’t very nutritious for them!
The honest answer to the question “can cats eat tapioca?” is “why are you asking?” The answer will differ depending on the nature of the inquiry. We’ll go over a few different ways to answer the question below.

Will My Cat Perish if They Consume Tapioca?

No. If you found your cat face-first in a cup of tapioca pudding, don’t worry. The more serious concern with your cat eating tapioca isn’t the pearls themselves. Boba tea, a popular and trendy drink, uses tapioca pearls to add dimension to the tea. Tea is extremely dangerous for cats because it contains caffeine, which is extremely dangerous.
Tapioca pudding, on the other hand, contains an absurd amount of sugar, which is bad for cats. It is also made with milk products, which cats are allergic to.
In both cases, you’ll be more concerned about your cat consuming whatever the tapioca pearls are in than the tapioca pearls themselves.

This does not imply that tapioca is safe for cats. If they consume tapioca at all, it should be in very small quantities. Tapioca absorbs liquids, causing dehydration or constipation. It’s also high in starch, sugar, and carbohydrates, all of which are bad for any creature, let alone an obligate carnivore.

Made for Cats Nutrition Simple

Cats are carnivores by nature. Obligate carnivores, also known as “hypercarnivores,” eat at least 70% animal proteins in the wild. A cat’s diet in captivity should contain at least 30% protein on a dry matter basis, and it should contain no more than 25% carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates are a good source of quick energy for humans and can even be beneficial to cats on a small scale. They are, however, not nutritionally dense for these true carnivores, and they do not derive the same amount of nutrients as humans or dogs.
Tapioca starch is a common ingredient in grain-free cat foods, especially dry kibble. Because starch is used as a binding ingredient in kibble, it will be difficult to avoid it entirely.

To Grain-Free or Not to Grain-Free? That is the issue

Many cat owners are debating whether to put their cats on a grain-free diet. There are vocal supporters on both sides of the debate, but veterinary science has concluded that cats should not consume grains.
Cats, as previously stated, are carnivorous. While many people believe dogs are carnivorous, scientific evidence shows that they are omnivorous. That same observation, however, reveals that cats are entirely carnivorous.

Carnivorous animals prefer a diet high in protein, if not exclusively so. Carbohydrates are not a primary food source for them. Carbohydrates aren’t perfect for everyone. While they’re great for people who can burn them off through physical activity, the energy and satiation they provide are depleted faster than protein-rich sources.
While going grain-free is a good start, you should also consider lowering your cat’s overall carbohydrate intake. Cat food can contain a lot of carbohydrates even if they don’t eat grains.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Tapioca Starch

Tapioca starch is an excellent choice for pet food manufacturers looking to create grain-free kibble. It’s a popular replacement for wheat flour in kibble because it’s grain and gluten-free.
Because tapioca starch is not harmful to cats, it is becoming a popular ingredient in pet food recipes. Tapioca starch is also an important ingredient in grain-free and low-ingredient foods!
Tapioca absorbs a wide range of liquids, making it an excellent binding agent for kibbles. It not only dehydrates the food and condenses it into kibble form, but it also keeps the kibble fresh when stored correctly. Tapioca starch is grain-free and gluten-free. So, any cats or pet parents who have gluten sensitivities or allergies will be relieved to know that it will not harm them. Tapioca is also an excellent binding agent, allowing foods to stick together more easily into the kibble form that we are all familiar with.
Tapioca starch, good or bad, is still a starch. Tapioca starch has a high carbohydrate content and can be just as bad as regular wheat flours when used in high concentrations. Furthermore, tapioca starch can be high in sugars, making it unsuitable for cats (or any animal.)

The Disgusting

Apart from its high fluid absorption and carbohydrate properties, tapioca starch is not particularly repulsive. Tapioca starch can cause constipation in animals when consumed in large quantities.

When we eat tapioca, we usually soak it in fluid-dense environments such as tea or pudding. If your cat consumes too much dry tapioca starch, they may become ill, but this should not be an issue in commercial cat foods.
However, if you cook with tapioca starch and you’re here because your cat is covered in it, you should give them some liquid, dense foods, such as canned wet food, to balance everything out.

Can I Feed Tapioca to My Cat?

No. Because tapioca pearls are not inherently toxic, your cat will not die if they consume them. The black pearls we all associate with pudding and tea, on the other hand, are high in sugar and made with artificial syrups to improve their taste. Even though tapioca pearls are not toxic, you should not feed them to your cat on a regular basis.
You should not feed your cat tapioca pudding or boba tea because the pudding and tea are toxic to cats.

Last Thoughts

Curiosity can be fatal to a cat. Tapioca, on the other hand, is not poisonous to your pet if they consume it. While tapioca is non-toxic to cats, you should use caution when feeding it to them. The majority of the things we serve with tapioca are, at best, harmful to cats. Tapioca should only be given to your cat if it is included in a specific cat food.

source https://babypetdaily.com/can-cats-consume-tapioca-heres-what-you-should-know/