Can cats eat flan? As a foodie, I love to bake and cook; that means I get to try out different recipes. Flan is one of those nice things the tongue can taste that I always love to treat myself to. There is a whole sense of fulfillment from getting to prepare ingredients, mix and bake a flan dessert, but is flan safe for cats?
Cats have sensitive body systems and many human-grade foods shouldn’t be given to cats as treats since they don’t contribute to the cat’s nutritional requirements in any way. Flan is amongst those human treats that shouldn’t be given to our feline friends as they contain so much sugar and milk which is known to cause stomach upset, diabetes, and overweight in cats.
The basic nutrient your cat requires is animal-based proteins and taurine as they can’t produce taurine for themselves. Technically your cat will be able to eat some custard dessert without immediate problems but eating large amounts of these sweet human treats can cause lots of health problems which we will be detailed in the post.
Table of Contents
- What Is Flan?
- Can Cats Eat Flan?
- Can Cats Eat Caramel Flan
- Is Flan Safe For Cats?
- What Should You Do If Your Cat Eats Flan?
- Can Cats Have Flan? – Final Thoughts
What Is Flan?
When we speak of flan, we refer to two kinds; dessert flan and fruit flan. The dessert flan is a baked custard with caramel toppings which can be likened to the french’s crème caramel. This flan is made of condensed milk, eggs, and whole or cream milk. The dessert flan is usually flavored with orange, vanilla, coffee, or coconut. As a result of egg masses custard:s delicate nature, this flan is baked with a water bath.
Also, we have the fruit flan which is a sweet pastry with a fruit flan filling. In baking fruit flan, a special ring of metals is used. These metals don’t have bottoms, making it easier to remove the mold, unlike your regular cake pans. After placing the flan ring on a baking sheet, toppings such as pastry cream and fresh fruits like apricot, strawberries, peaches, or blueberries are used individually or combined.
Can Cats Eat Flan?
Cats can eat flan, but it isn’t the best treat for them. Flan is a custard dessert made with sugar, milk, and eggs. Although it may seem that cats love milk, the majority of cats exhibit lactose intolerance symptoms after consuming dairy products. Also, cats can not taste sugar so it’s unnecessary to give them sugary treats that will end up causing diabetes and obesity. What your cat requires is a diet high in protein, taurine, and a blend of other students.
Cats can eat fruit flan as long as you don’t include grapes and other fruits that are known to be toxic to cats. However, it is always best to err on the side of caution and avoid giving your kitty flan, but if you must, give them very little.
Can Cats Eat Caramel Flan
Caramel isn’t toxic to cats in small amounts but the consumption of raw sugar for cats is a terrible idea. It is not an easy task to get your cat used to cleaning its teeth. So why engage in an act that could aid tooth decay, high blood sugar, and excessive weight in your feline friend?
A cat that is experiencing behavioral change such as hyperactivity or difficulty in concentrating on basic things may exhibit symptoms if they consume raw sugar from brown caramel.
Sugar can cause a variety of diseases for your feline friend. Hormonal-related issues, sicknesses, and infections are likely to occur if your cat consumes much sugar. You should avoid any situation that would make you give a lactose intolerant cat heavy cream as they may experience bloating, upset stomach, and mess up the whole place with diarrhea. Consult with your vegetarian to know the best action to take.
The salt butter used contains more seals than plain butter which means higher sodium content which could cause sodium poisoning in your cat. Furthermore, it lacks minerals or vitamins that are essential for your kitty’s well-being rather, it contains a high amount of calories. To lower your cat’s medical bills, you have to cut sugar from its diet.
Only 10% of a cat’s daily calorie intake should be gotten from treats and not more. Strawberries, apples, guava, and apricot will not harm your cat’s health in small quantities, but when caramel sauce is poured on them. Refrain from sharing a caramel fridge with your cats as it contains so many calories.
Is Flan Safe For Cats?
Flan is not safe for cats as your feline friend may be allergic to some ingredients used and you may not be aware of underlying health issues in your cat’s body which could be evaluated by eating flan.
Little flan may not be toxic to your cat if given once in a while, but if you make it a constant treat for your cat you could be putting your feline friend at risk of developing diabetes, gain such weight, and exhibiting behavioral disorders by scattering the whole house as a result of pent up energies.
Below are the ingredient used in making flan and how they could impact your cat’s health:
Milk
Well, our impression about cats and milk is that cats love milk, and milk is great for them, but this is not the case. Your feline friend may love the idea of making up some milk if you give it every day, but according to a VMD, MS, DACVN, and Board Certified Veterinary Nutritionist Cailin Heinze, cats are lactose intolerant, and feeding them with milk will lead to digestive issues such as an upset stomach/diarrhea.
The dairy products used in making flan (condense milk, cream, and whole mill) will all cause your cat to display symptoms of lactose intolerance. Different costs will react differently, hence, we cannot determine a specific amount of dairy product that could irritate your cat’s digestive system.
Sugar
Like I have said in most posts on this site, cats cannot taste sugar. Hence, if you are having sentiments of giving your feline friend a sweet treat, be rest assured that they can’t taste sugar.
Sugar just like in humans puts your cat at risk of developing diabetes. The majority of cats are quite unwilling to partake in exercise activities like dogs which is why we come up with creative ways to get them exercising either by making use of a lick mat or getting cat trees with exercise wheels.
Sugar will also leave your kitten with so much energy which means they will constitute a nuisance except you have trained them so well how many of us train our cats well?
Salted butter
Butter already contains so many calories which means your cat is likely going to exceed its calorie intake when it consumes treats that contain butter. Cats shouldn’t take beyond 24 to 35 calories per pound, for a 6-pound cat that would be 144 to 210 calories.
Besides the calorie scare, a tablespoon of salted butter contains 71 mg of sodium and your cat isn’t meant to consume beyond 1.25g of sodium per kg of body weight. All these means your cat could suffer sodium poisoning from consuming flan.
What Should You Do If Your Cat Eats Flan?
If you give your cat flan, or if your cat consumes flan by mistake, the first thing to do is to observe the cat. You can’t assume toxicity or poisoning, you need to be sure that the flan has affected your feline friend and the only way to be sure is to observe and look out for any abnormalities in walking, if the cat is hiding or stopping frequently, or even miss the litter box.
The next thing to do is to call your vet and explain everything that you’ve observed, your vet will be able to tell you what to do if it’s a minor case or asks you to come over if it seems like something serious is taking place.
Can Cats Have Flan? – Final Thoughts
Technically cats can have flan, but in little amounts and once in a while, but as a rule of thumb, when you feed/introduce to your cat any new feed or treat, you have to observe your feline friend for any signs of toxicity, allergy or upset stomach and discontinue if need be.
Like with all other treats, flan should be a once in a while and given in little amounts to prevent the likelihood of your cat developing serious diseases such as diabetes, or having spells of lactose intolerance symptoms.
