Thanksgiving Treats For Pets

By Elisa Black-Taylor

Midnight wants a treat too

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Today I'd just like to offer a few simple Thanksgiving treats that are safe for our pets. Most of you already know these and can maybe add a few of your own at the end.

Cooked turkey minus the bone and skin are good treats for both cats and dogs. These can be fed alone or mixed with some cooked sweet potato or pumpkin.

Cooked vegetables such as green beans, English peas, broccoli and squash are also good choices. My cats love boiled squash or even a bit of squash casserole with cheese and eggs.

If you have a small pet such as a hamster or gerbil, some broccoli or English peas are perfect as a treat.

It's a tradition in the U.S. to make the leftover turkey into turkey salad to use in sandwiches for a quick meal over the weekend. Cats are crazy about mayonnaise and the turkey salad is a good treat for your cat so long as it's fed in moderation.

Now for some precautions since all kinds of food are served for the Thanksgiving feast. Keep pets away from fruit salads as these often contain raisins or grapes. Keep food away from pets if they contain artificial sweeteners as these can be toxic to them. Avocado is also a no-no for pets.

Do not feed dressing or stuffing to a pet as most contain either onion or onion powder, which can also make a pet very ill. Sage is not a good food for pets and is a key ingredient in dressing. So even though we all love a good Thanksgiving dressing, don't be tempted to offer a morsel to your pets.

Also a word of caution not to feed any food that has sat out too long. Meat and mayonnaise can quickly spoil.

It's important to plan ahead on Thanksgiving treats that are safe for pets. So do your homework. If there's a food not mentioned here that you'd really like to offer your pet, please Google it to be sure it's safe. There's nothing worse than a trip to the vet with a sick pet when we'd rather be out shopping on Black Friday.

Please feel free to add your own Thanksgiving treats or any bad foods I may have missed.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Elisa

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Thanksgiving Treats For Pets

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Nov 24, 2011
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@Jo
by: Elisa

Thanks Jo. I hadn't thought about the raw dough. That's a new one on me. And be careful if you use sweet potato over pumpkin. More starch. My cats go crazy over mayonnaise. I have to get creative when fixing sandwiches these days.

Nov 24, 2011
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couple of serious no-nos
by: jo singer

Great article!

Don't forget the chocolate and caffiene no-nos, and curious cats wanting to sample raw dough! It expands in the warm belly and makes for potential disaster. Happy and safe Thanksgiving, bonks and purrs!

Nov 24, 2011
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Wonderful
by: Brandy

In Canada our Thanksgiving is over (In October), but Christmas is around the corner, so i will remember some of these wonderful ideas.

After smelling the turkey cooking for so many hours my cats would throw a mutiny if they didn't get some turkey. I never put much thought in giving them other treats off our menu but you have given me a few good ideas to try.

I mix cooked pumpkin into their food already as it helps with hairballs. In fact, dare I say it, we have been hairball free since June. Hope that doesn't jinx it! I open a can of pumpkin and then I freeze most of it in ice cube trays and take it out as I need it.

Nov 24, 2011
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Starch
by: Elisa

Just be cautious about starchy foods such as sweet potatoes and feed in moderation. If your cat has any health issues Google any food before feeding. I even Google things at the grocery store to be sure it's a safe food for my cats.

Nov 24, 2011
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Loved your article
by: Ruth

Happy Thanksgiving Elisa, I loved your article and hopefully it will be read by people who have no idea certain foods can be harmful even toxic to cats.
As you know we don't have Thanksgiving in our country, it's just an ordinary day here, but one of our cats has been unwell this week and he's better now so we are also thankful and happy.
xx

Nov 24, 2011
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@Grahame
by: elisa

I really wish you'd write an article. I'd love to read yours because you have some interesting thoughts. I did learn something on this one. I never knew sage was harmful to pets. I do write about some off the wall subjects. My daughter is constantly shaking her head at me in disbelief. And I only write on subjects that interest me. So I guess you could say I write for myself then share my thoughts.

Nov 24, 2011
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Cats' Thanksgiving Dinner--celebrated round the world now
by: Grahame

Elisa, your posts are always so interesting. I look forward to them, and to see what has attracted your attention next. Your most recent, on holiday food, may well save a kitty or two.

For both Thanksgiving and for Christmas, I roast a fowl especially for my cats. They have their own special holiday crockery, place mats, and wheat grass for their veg. I love doing this for my cats who deserve the very best.

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Comments

Thanksgiving Treats For Pets — 4 Comments

Oker on November 27, 2014 at 12:17 pm said:
I would stick to meat for cats. Thanksgiving and Christmas don’t mean anything to our pets. They will be happy to get attention and their normal food. If you want to give treats, go to a petstore. No need to feed pets from your dinner table. Just my thoughts on the subject.
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- Elisa on November 27, 2014 at 12:36 pm said:
  I don’t think people will do it as much with cats as with dogs. Dogs will sit in front of you and beg until you give in. Many cats are too afraid to stick around a house full of people. This is a very old article and I just wanted to give a few give/don’t give examples.
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- Michael Broad on November 27, 2014 at 1:11 pm said:
  I am a bit naughty because I am too soft. I will tend to give my cat the odd human food treat. But I do watch their weight 😉
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- Ruth aka Kattaddorra on November 27, 2014 at 4:19 pm said:
  You are so right Oker.
  We make sure our cats are fed and content with the food they enjoy and is good for them before sitting down to our own meals, then they don’t need to ask for any treats they don’t really need and may be in fact bad for them.
  Reply ↓