Pesto, the classic Italian sauce made with basil, pine nuts, garlic, and olive oil, is a staple condiment in many households. Its rich, herby flavor pairs well with pastas, sandwiches, pizzas, and more. But what about sharing a bite of pesto-covered food with your curious cat? Can cats eat pesto?
At first glance, it may seem harmless to let your cat lick pesto from your plate. However, pesto contains several ingredients that can be toxic and dangerous for cats to ingest.
A Brief History of Pesto
Pesto originated in Genoa, Italy, with the earliest known pesto recipes dating back to the 19th century. The name comes from the Genoese verb “pestâ” meaning “to crush or pound”, referring to the original preparation method of crushing ingredients with a mortar and pestle.
Traditional pesto alla Genovese contains basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil and Parmesan cheese. While many variations exist today, these core ingredients have remained over time. During the 19th and 20th centuries, pesto became a popular condiment across Italy and Europe, before expanding globally.
Early pesto recipes emphasized the use of basil grown in Liguria, where the climate and soil imparted unique flavor qualities. The use of local basil and the labor-intensive preparation method limited pesto’s spread initially. With globalization and industrialization, pesto production increased, allowing its popularity to grow worldwide.
Pesto’s appeal comes from its flavorful ingredients and versatility. It can add a flavor punch to pastas, pizzas, appetizers, soups, salads and more. While originally a regional delicacy, pesto evolved into a global phenomenon, yet maintains its classic Genovese roots.
A Close Look at Pesto Ingredients
To determine if cats can safely eat pesto, we need to examine its ingredients and nutritional profile. Here’s a breakdown of the main components of pesto and their effects on cats:
Basil
- Basil is the namesake ingredient of pesto, providing its vibrant green color and signature flavor. For humans, basil can aid digestion and provide antioxidants. However, basil contains essential oils that can cause gastrointestinal upset in cats if large amounts are consumed. Cats lack the enzymes to digest greens like basil properly. Small amounts of basil shouldn’t harm cats, but large quantities may cause vomiting or diarrhea.
Garlic
- Garlic contains compounds called thiosulfates and disulfides which are toxic to cats when ingested. Just a small amount of garlic can cause oxidative damage to cats’ red blood cells leading to hemolytic anemia, a potentially fatal condition. Garlic is around 5 times more toxic to cats than onions. Since pesto recipes call for several cloves of garlic, even a small taste could endanger cats.
Pine Nuts
- While not toxic, pine nuts pose a risk as they are high in fat and difficult for cats to digest properly. A few pine nuts shouldn’t cause issues, but overconsumption may lead to gastrointestinal problems. Cats should not eat high-fat foods regularly, so pine nuts in pesto present an excessive fat risk. Some cats may be allergic to nuts as well.
Olive Oil
- Like pine nuts, olive oil gives pesto a high fat content. While olive oil has some health benefits, too much can overwhelm cats’ limited ability to digest fat. Excess oil can cause vomiting, diarrhea or pancreatitis. Olive oil also contains phenols that may be toxic to cats in large doses.
Cheese
- Pesto’s Parmesan cheese contains lactose, which most cats struggle to digest. While small amounts of cheese are generally safe, excess cheese can lead to gastrointestinal issues in cats. The high-fat content of cheese also adds to pesto’s overall richness.
Other Potential Ingredients
- Modern pesto recipes sometimes add ingredients like nuts, avocados, or leafy greens. These may introduce new allergy or toxicity risks. Sticking to traditional pesto with just basil, pine nuts, garlic, and olive oil reduces unsafe ingredients for cats.
In summary, while no single pesto ingredient (except garlic) is severely toxic, the combination and doses used make pesto risky for cats. The high fat content coupled with basil, garlic and other variables means pesto should be avoided as a feline meal.
Health Risks of Cats Consuming Pesto
Given what we know about pesto’s ingredients, what specific health risks does pesto pose when eaten by cats? Here are some of the most common adverse effects:
- Garlic toxicity – Destruction of red blood cells leads to anemia, weakness, collapse, and difficulty breathing
- Gastrointestinal distress – Vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration from high-fat content
- Pancreatitis – Inflammation of the pancreas from high dietary fat
- Allergic reaction – Skin irritation, itchiness, hives or swelling of face/throat
- Nut allergy (pine nuts) – Vomiting, diarrhea, skin irritation
- Weight gain – Obesity from high calories/fat content
- Nutritional imbalance – Lacking key amino acids, vitamins, minerals cats need
The most severe risk is garlic toxicity leading to anemia or related conditions. But even mild cases of pesto consumption can upset a cat’s digestive system and cause hours of illness or discomfort. Repeated exposure to pesto could trigger allergies in predisposed cats as well.
Kittens, elderly cats, or those with underlying health issues are most vulnerable to pesto’s risks. Healthy adult cats may better tolerate trace amounts, but pesto offers no benefits to offset its dangers. Consulting a vet is recommended to assess your cat’s individual sensitivity and risk factors regarding pesto.
Expert Recommendations on Cats and Pesto
Given the clear risks outlined above, what do veterinary experts and animal health specialists recommend regarding cats consuming pesto?
The consensus among vets is clear – do not feed any amount of pesto to cats. For example:
- “Even small amounts of pesto can be dangerous to cats due to the garlic content. I recommend pet owners avoid giving their cats any human foods with garlic or onions.” – Dr. Linda Simon, DVM
- “While tiny tastes may not contain enough garlic to cause toxicity, it’s best to play it safe and keep pesto away from cats entirely. The fat content can also cause digestive upset.” – Dr. Gabrielle F. Katz, DVM
- “Pesto has no nutritional value for cats and contains multiple hazardous ingredients. No amount has shown to be definitively safe, so I advise against allowing cats to consume pesto.” – Dr. Sara Redding Ochoa, DVM
Veterinary organizations like the ASPCA also warn against cats consuming pesto, garlic, onions or excess fat. Some human foods may be safe for cats, but pesto’s risks outweigh any benefits.
At best, tiny traces of pesto on a dish pose a minimal threat to cats if ingested infrequently. But since approved human foods like cooked meat or small amounts of cheese can provide cats safe treat options without these risks, it’s best to avoid sharing pesto.
What Does Current Research Say About Cats Eating Pesto?
Various scientific studies provide evidence regarding the effects of pesto and its ingredients on cats:
- Garlic toxicity – Multiple studies confirm garlic can damage feline red blood cells even in small doses. Toxicity increased with higher garlic concentrations.
- High-fat diets – Research shows high-fat diets are linked to increased incidence of feline obesity, pancreatitis and other conditions.
- Basil toxicity – Limited studies, but essential oils in basil may cause liver issues or neurological symptoms in cats if consumed in large amounts.
- Lactose intolerance – Most cats lose the ability to digest lactose after weaning due to lacking lactase enzymes needed to process dairy.
- Allergies – Documented cases of cats developing allergies to basil, pine nuts or other pesto ingredients from repeated exposure.
Current research aligns with historical data showing pesto and its ingredients pose a toxicity risk for cats. Newer studies have deepened our understanding of the doses and mechanisms involved. But the consensus remains clear – pesto is not safe for feline consumption.
Could Pesto Become More Cat-Friendly in the Future?
If the current formulation of pesto contains multiple ingredients toxic to cats, could the recipe ever be modified to become more cat-friendly? Wishful cat owners may hope so, but a pesto safe for cats presents challenges:
- Removing garlic – This diminishes pesto’s defining flavor. Alternatives like garlic powder still pose risks.
- Lowering fat content – More basil and less oil/nuts could help but alters texture and taste.
- Adding missing nutrients – Cats need more protein, vitamins and minerals than pesto provides.
- Masking tastes – Strong flavors like garlic overwhelm cat taste preferences for meat, fish.
- Allergy risks – Basil, nuts or cheese could still trigger allergic reactions in some cats.
Fundamentally altering pesto makes it no longer resemble traditional pesto in look or taste. Home cooks may try recipes with cat-safe ingredients, but commercial pesto is unlikely to change. The attention needed to balance flavor and nutrition for both humans and cats is challenging.
The better solution is developing cat-specific pesto-like products, formulated under veterinary guidance to meet feline dietary requirements. But these would diverge so far from conventional pesto that they’d be distinct products.
For traditional pesto, removing the toxicity risks to make it cat-safe requires such extensive changes that the end result can scarcely be called pesto. The core ingredients and flavor people expect from pesto are at odds with cats’ health needs.
So while pesto may hold nostalgic appeal for owners wishing to share it with pets, expecting commercial pesto recipes to become cat-friendly in future is unrealistic.
Should Cats Avoid All Human Foods? Counter-Arguments
This analysis covers multiple angles showing why cats should avoid pesto. But some counter-arguments exist:
Counter-point: “My cat steals a tiny bit of pesto from my plate and handles it fine.”
Response: Trace pesto intake may not cause immediate issues, but long-term exposure can increase toxicity/allergy risks. Plus, negative effects aren’t always visible, like slow-onset pancreatitis.
Counter-point: “Garlic is healthy for people, so a little must be okay for cats.”
Response: Garlic’s toxicity is well-proven in cats, who metabolize it very differently than humans. What’s healthy for humans can be dangerous for cats.
Counter-point: “I added extra basil/olive oil which should make the pesto safer.”
Response: Increasing basil magnifies risk of toxicity and upset stomach. Extra oil adds more fat and calories cats shouldn’t consume.
Counter-point: “My cat seems to enjoy the taste of pesto.”
Response: Cats are drawn to strong tastes but cannot gauge food safety like humans can. Just because a cat enjoys a flavor doesn’t mean a food is safe to digest regularly.
Counter-point: “All human foods carry some risk, so pesto in moderation should be fine.”
Response: Some human foods like plain cooked chicken are proven safe for cats to eat in small amounts. Pesto provides no benefits to offset its risks.
In summary, none of these counter-claims provide compelling evidence to contradict the established vet consensus against feeding cats pesto. The unavoidable reality is that pesto’s recipe makes it unsuitable and hazardous as feline food.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if my cat licks a tiny bit of pesto?
A small lick likely won’t cause immediate issues, but pesto should still always be kept out of reach of cats. Avoid exposure whenever possible.
Can’t I just give my cat a little bit of the pesto sauce?
No, any amount of traditional pesto poses risks to cats and provides no health or nutrition benefits. It’s best kept away entirely.
Are homemade pesto recipes safer for cats?
Homemade pesto without garlic or with reduced oils may have slightly lower risks but can still cause stomach upset. It’s best to avoid feeding cats any pesto.
Could dried basil or pine nuts alone be safer for cats?
Dried basil and pine nuts on their own are less risky than pesto but still offer no nutritional value. Occasional tiny portions may be ok, but they provide no health benefits for cats.
What signs of pesto poisoning should I watch for in my cat?
Lethargy, weakness, vomiting, diarrhea, pale or discolored gums, breathing issues, or collapse are key signs of toxicity requiring urgent vet care.
Conclusion
Can cats eat pesto? A thorough analysis shows that cats should never consume traditional pesto. Originating in Italy but now popular worldwide, pesto’s core ingredients of basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil and Parmesan pose multiple health risks if eaten by cats. The most dangerous substance is garlic, which can trigger toxicity and life-threatening anemia even in small doses. But pesto’s high fat content and other components can also cause harmful conditions for cats.
Veterinary experts strongly advise against allowing cats to ingest pesto, given the dangers and lack of nutritional upside. Some small tastes may not cause immediate issues, but pesto has no benefit for cats to offset risks of toxicity, obesity, pancreatitis or other problems. Pesto is unlikely to become cat-safe through recipe modifications in the future, given the constraints of altering its flavor profile.
