Can Cats Eat Hard Boiled Eggs?

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Is the incredible edible egg also incredible for your cat? Can cats eat hard-boiled eggs, or eggs in any form?

Eggs, as long as they’re cooked, are safe for cats to eat. If your cat shows interest in eggs, they can be a healthy treat for them since they contain a lot of protein.

Since cats are obligate carnivores, their bodies are designed to thrive specifically on meat. In the wild, most of their diet is made up of protein and fat, with only 1-2% coming from carbs.

Even though eggs aren’t specifically a natural food source for cats, they are made up of protein and fat, and could serve as a nice treat to give them from time to time. And according to Chewy, eggs can actually be considered a superfood for your cat!

As to whether or not your cat will even eat eggs, that’s another story… But if your furry friend does show an interest, you don’t have to worry about giving them some!

However, even though these may be a “superfood”, just a tiny portion will do. A large egg contains nearly half of the daily recommended calories for most house cats! Because felines are so small, they just do not need that many calories to survive, especially house cats that are relatively inactive.

So for a nice treat, a few bites worth is more than enough. The majority of their diet should come from food that is specifically formulated for their needs.

Egg yolks are perfectly safe for your cat to consume, just avoid giving them too much. Supplemental food sources should only make up between 10-15% of your cat’s diet, according to experts.

Keep in mind that the yolk contains the majority of an egg’s fat and calories and little protein. Egg whites, on the other hand, contain much less fat and calories but still provide a great source of protein for your cat.

If you’re worried about how much is appropriate to give them, you can always just stick with the egg white portion only, as it’s healthier for your cat.

Can you feed the egg shell to your cat?

There is nothing harmful in egg shells, and actually, they are a great source of calcium. In fact, did you know you can buy eggshell powder to feed your cats as a calcium supplement?

Eggshells, in their regular form, would however be difficult for your cat to chew and are a potential choking hazard. Unless you have the equipment to process eggshells into powder form, you’ll want to leave out the shell.

Can cats eat raw eggs?

You don’t want to serve raw eggs to your cat, since eggs can carry the salmonella bacteria. Even though it’s very unlikely to make your cat seriously ill, some people consider it better to be overly cautious.

But beyond the miniscule risk of infection, there’s another reason why you might not want to feed raw eggs to your cat.

This is that egg whites, when raw, contain a protein called avidin. Too much of this protein could cause the essential vitamin Biotin (aka Vitamin B7) to bind, leading to malabsorption, which could over time could lead to biotin deficiency in your cat. It would take a lot of raw egg whites to cause a deficiency, but it adds to list of reasons why you’re better off just cooking it.

What about soft boiled or runny eggs? Are they safe for cats?

Advice varies on this, but technically soft-boiled and runny eggs are undercooked.

The risk of your cat getting salmonella poisoning from a slightly undercooked egg is minuscule, but if you just cook it all the way you can avoid the risk completely.

How to cook eggs for your cat

Eggs for your cat can be cooked any style you’d like – hard boiled, scrambled, over-easy, etc are all OK here.

We recommend following these guidelines:

1. Hold off on extras like butter, salt, and other seasonings
2. Make sure the egg is fully cooked to avoid risk of salmonella poisoning
3. Cut up in bite sized pieces for your cat to easily eat

Butter contains a lot of fat and calories, so you want to leave it out when you cook. Extra seasonings aren’t the best either, especially stay away from garlic and onion powder as they are not good for cats.

Hard boiled eggs are actually a really good way to cook if you need a totally plain egg (no butter, oil, salt), since you don’t need to worry about the eggs sticking to a pan. They can also be cooked ahead of time and kept in the fridge for awhile, making them a good option for a quick and easy snack for your kitties.

The Bottom Line

Eggs can be a great food to feed your cat for a treat, IF they happen to like eggs. Of course not all cats will be interested in eggs, but if you want to try feeding them to your cat – go for it!

Just remember, serve them cooked, plain, and only give them a tiny portion. All in all, eggs are a great way to supplement your cat’s diet and give them some extra protein.