Can Cats Eat Broccoli? Yes, Plain and in Small Bits

Why plain broccoli is safe for cats

Broccoli contains nothing known to be toxic to cats. The ASPCA includes it in its list of vegetables you can safely share with pets, served raw or cooked in small bite-size pieces, and without seasoning if cooked. It is low in calories and contains fiber and some vitamins.

Cornell's Feline Health Center explains that cats are obligate carnivores, relying on nutrients found only in animal products, so they do not need vegetables. Some cats like to chew on greens, and a soft floret is a safe way to let them, but it adds little nutritionally.

Broccoli dishes to keep away from your cat

The broccoli is fine; what it is cooked with often is not. Broccoli and cheese casserole, broccoli cheddar soup and cheese sauce add dairy and fat, and Cornell notes many cats are lactose intolerant. Butter and oil add more fat.

Many broccoli recipes include garlic, onion or shallot, which damage red blood cells and are more dangerous to cats than to dogs, according to the ASPCA. If your cat ate a dish made with onion or garlic, call your vet, ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 or Pet Poison Helpline at (855) 764-7661; a fee may apply.

How to prepare broccoli for your cat

Wash the broccoli and cut off a small floret. Steaming or boiling it until soft, then cooling it, makes it easier for a cat to chew and digest than raw broccoli. Chop it into pieces smaller than a pea, and leave out salt, butter, oil and seasoning.

Avoid the thick stalk, which is tough and fibrous and harder to swallow safely. Offer the pieces on their own or mixed into a little of your cat's regular food, and throw away anything left after an hour.

A feeding mat under a ceramic bowl keeps any shared food in one place and easy to clean up.

How much broccoli a cat can have

Cornell suggests treats stay under 10 to 15 percent of a cat's daily calories. For an average 8 to 10 lb adult cat, a teaspoon of finely chopped cooked broccoli once or twice a week is plenty. Smaller cats should have a little less.

Too much at once can cause gas or loose stools. If your cat has kidney disease, a urinary condition, diabetes or a prescription diet, ask your vet before adding vegetables, because some diets are carefully balanced.

Can kittens eat broccoli?

Kittens do not need vegetables. A weaned kitten can taste a crumb of soft, plain cooked broccoli without harm, but its stomach is small and fills easily, and it needs the full nutrition of a complete kitten food to grow.

If you offer a taste, make it a single tiny piece and watch for vomiting or loose stools over the next day. Never give kittens broccoli in sauces or casseroles.

Signs broccoli disagreed with your cat, and when to call the vet

The usual reaction to too much broccoli is mild: gas, a soft stool or diarrhea, or a single vomit within a few hours to a day. That generally settles once the vegetable stops.

Call your vet the same day if vomiting or diarrhea continues past 24 hours, if your cat stops eating, hides or seems lethargic, or if they are retching or pawing at the mouth after eating. After a dish with onion or garlic, watch for pale gums, weakness or dark urine over the following days, and get them seen if these appear.

Other greens and treats for cats

If your cat enjoys chewing greens, cat grass grown from wheat or oat seed gives them something safe to graze on. Small amounts of plain cooked carrot, green beans or cucumber are other vegetables the ASPCA lists as fine to share.

For a treat most cats value more, a few shreds of plain cooked chicken or turkey, with no skin or seasoning, are hard to beat. Keep lilies away from cats entirely: they are not a food, but every part of the plant is dangerous to them.

This page is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your pet.