Last Updated on April 13, 2020
Cats enjoy a wide variety of food which isn’t their own cat food, but have you ever wondered, can a cat eat pizza? You may be surprised to know that most kittens and even some adult cats enjoy pizza, especially the kind loaded with cheese and meats. While cheese and seasoned meat will not harm your cat in small amounts, there are some ingredients found on most pizzas that will.
Ingredients Harmful to Cats
Garlic is the most harmful ingredient that you’ll find in pizza. It’s poisonous to both cats and dogs. Most pizza will have garlic even if you didn’t order a garlic pizza, so be careful.
Next, perhaps the most common ingredient on a pizza, tomato. The leaves and stems of a tomato plant can lead to death, and eating unripened tomatoes (green ones) are highly poisonous. The good news is that most of the harmful chemicals found in tomatoes are gone when the tomato has been fully ripened but you have to remember that cats are much, much smaller than us. Cooking also dissolves most of the poisons as well. Sauce may not be poisonous in small amounts but it can cause intestinal distress and in high doses, can be poisonous.
Don’t forget onions!
Garlic and onions are both in the same “family” and both are extremely toxic. Other members of the onion family include chives, leeks, and shallots.
What About the Fat Content?
You already know pizza is very fattening, but this doesn’t mean your cat knows or even cares! Most pizzas are very high in fat and will not only cause your cat to pile on the pounds, but these particular fats increase the chances of feline diabetes. The fats in the cheeses, oils, and meats are the worst but don’t think for one second that the crust is okay!
Yeast is something that cats have a hard time digesting. While cooked bread and dough are considered to be harmless to your cat, raw yeast can kill a cat in a matter of hours. Most cats will not eat pizza dough uncooked or even cooked unless it’s loaded with butter and oil. My one cat LOVES the smell of pizza and garlic bread and I have caught him eating both in the past so be very careful if your cat jumps up on your tables and counter spaces. Never leave pizza sitting out. Put it away as soon as you are done and throw away any unwanted leftovers in a sealed bag.
Cute but Deadly
While the internet will mostly agree, cats stealing pizza is absolutely adorable, it is far too dangerous to be laughing and aww’ing at. Do not encourage your cat to eat pizza. If your cat accidentally gets hold of some pizza, do not panic. Make sure they drink plenty of water and keep an eye on them for a few days to make sure they are not sick. If your cat ate pizza and becomes poisoned, you will know within 6 hours, as symptoms such as vomiting, crying, diarrhea, panting, and fatigue will start.
Take no risk with your cat, it’s not worth it. You control what they eat, so keep them healthy!
I gave my cat the slightest bit of Pizza Hut crust and he did not eat it. He just sat their licking it and then went back to playing with his catnip toys
Ok, i gave my cat i TINY piece of pizza. By tiny, i mean the size of my fingernail. Will he be ok???
my cat ate pizza once
it disappered so uh
So, we can feed our cats pizza, but we should only give them VERY small amounts because the…..
Bread is hard to digest
Tomato can be dangerous
And…
Garlic is very poisonus, so you should double, no triple check so there is no garlic at all.
Is that everything?
Eh, i just give my cat a litttle bit of the ham pork meat things and sometimes shrimp if i have any.
Thanks for your comment Mr.Bastian. The dough is what is harder to digest for cats. Tomatoes are toxic when they are not fully ripened. Garlic is considered the most poisonous ingredient on a pizza when it comes to cats. The easiest way to avoid any harm is just to not give any to your cat. If you want to share, be sure to just stick to clean meats and cheese. What I mean by clean meats are ones that do not contain Italian seasoning such as the sausage commonly found on pizza as a topping. Always limit the amount you give to them as well as cheese and human-grade meats are very fattening. Once in a while is okay but this is not something they should be eating more than a few times a month.
Jeez finally I know that my little kit Kats shouldn’t be eating pizza ???
I never knew that cats would have a hard time digesting yeast and can also be dangerous for their lives. I guess I would have to enjoy a pizza for myself. This just made me curious because I plan to eat out on my own this weekend just to reward myself for working hard, and I thought of bringing my cat with me since it is the only companion I have these days. This has made me realize that it is not advisable to feed it with pizza.
Thanks for helping me understand that the garlic is a poisonous food for both cats and dogs. With that in mind, I will make sure to ask the chef of the pizza place to remove those. Actually, I also don’t like garlic, so it will also benefit me. I am researching about this since I wanted to celebrate the 2nd birthday of my cat in a pizza place for a twist.
Thanks for your comment Millie. Unfortunately, garlic and other possibly dangerous spices and herbs are found in most pizza sauces. I recommend getting your cat an extra special wet food or a feline approved dessert. There are recipes online for making cats cake that is meant for them as well.
why would you take a cat to a pizza place? I would take my baby to a sushi resturant.
Why not?
Thanks for your comment Luna. It is hard to say if it will or will not cause them harm. Feral cats typically get into garbage a lot outdoors and that is part of the reason the lifespan of a feral cat is 60% lower (about 6 years on average). I would not worry about it too much. You didn’t know about this. A lot of people don’t. This is the reason for sharing it.
I was at a campfire & in the middle of nowhere there were these two small cats. One looked only about 2-5 months old & the other looked maybe 1-2 yrs. We had nothing with us but Costco pizza. I shredded up some slices & put them on a plate & they were eating a lot of it. I’m worried about these feral kitties will they be ok in the woods? I have no idea how they got there but we couldn’t get close without them running. Have I poisoned them??? 🙁
My cat just ate half of my pizza crust while I was in the bathroom…is it going to hurt her…is there anything I should do?
While pizza crust is not good for cats, she should be okay. Just make sure she drinks lots of water.
Yes I know my cat likes pizza to
My cat bit a little bit of my pizza and then ran off with it, I’ve found it and there doesn’t seem to be any actually eaten.
Its just cheese pizza but I can’t help but worry, this is one of my babies we’re talking about. She seems okay but she continues to wipe her face. Help?!
Thank you for your comment Kate. I don’t think you have anything to worry about. As mentioned, my one cat loves pizza and I do occasionally give him the cheese off of it. Cheese pizza in that small of an amount wont harm her, specially because she ended up spitting it out. Cleaning after eating or tasting rich food is normal. When I get the more rich recipes of canned cat food, both my cats will spend up to an hour cleaning and wiping their faces.
I didn’t know a cat would want pizza, lol.
You haven’t seen Twiggy when pizza is around. LOL! The cheese and meat smells are what get him, but he also loved Italian food. I swear he is the white version of Garfield.
My cat likes cheese I can’t remember what kind it was but I don’t know if it was bad or not for her can you please let me know what kinds of cheese is bad for cats?
Thanks for your comment Kit Kat. Cheese that has any seasoning should be avoided. While cheese is not considered toxic, it should only be given to cats in moderation.