can cats eat ham

A cat will materialise the instant a ham sandwich is unwrapped, and it is easy to hand over a scrap to those pleading eyes. A tiny piece of plain cooked ham will not poison a healthy cat, but ham is one of the worse meats to share, and there are good reasons to keep it a rare, small treat at most. Here is the honest verdict.

Ham is not toxic to cats in the way that, say, chocolate or onions are. So if your cat has stolen a bit of ham off your plate, there is no cause for alarm. The problem is not poison but everything else about ham, because ham is a heavily processed, salty, fatty meat, and none of those qualities suit a small carnivore. It clears the not-toxic bar and fails almost every other test.

the trouble with ham

Salt is the biggest issue. Ham is cured and very high in sodium, far more than a cat should have, and cats need only a small amount of salt in their diet. Too much salt is hard on a cat, and a diet of salty human meats is a poor idea for an animal that size. Processed deli hams are the worst offenders, packed with salt and often with preservatives and additives a cat has no business eating.

Then there is fat. Ham is fatty, and rich, fatty foods can upset a cat's stomach and add unnecessary calories that push an indoor cat toward being overweight, with all the problems that brings. And because ham is processed rather than plain fresh meat, it carries seasonings, sugars, and preservatives that vary from product to product but rarely do a cat any favours. Watch especially for anything glazed, honey-roasted, or seasoned, and never give ham that has been cooked with onion or garlic, which are toxic to cats.

so should you give your cat ham

If you want to, a very small piece of plain, unseasoned cooked ham on rare occasions will not harm a healthy cat, but it should be an exception, not a habit, and never a replacement for proper food. Keep it tiny, keep it infrequent, and skip it entirely for cats that are overweight, on a special diet, or have any health condition, particularly heart or kidney issues, where the salt is a real concern.

Honestly, though, there are far better ways to treat a cat to meat. A little plain cooked chicken gives a cat the protein it actually wants without the salt, fat, and processing that come with ham, and most cats are just as thrilled by it. Ham impresses no one worth impressing. If you are going to spoil your cat, spoil it with something its body was built for, and keep the ham for your sandwich.

Related reading from my desk: can cats eat chicken, a far better meat treat, and can cats eat cheese, another salty human food cats are better off without.

This is general guidance, not veterinary advice. Salty foods are a particular concern for cats with heart or kidney conditions, check with your vet. I am a cat with opinions, not a veterinarian.