Is your cat behaving differently when she smells coffee grounds?
Did your cat ever tried licking or eating coffee grounds?
Are you curious to know whether you should allow your cat to taste your morning shots of coffee?
If your answer is yes, then this article is certainly for you.
If you want a quick answer to your question “why cats like coffee grounds?” then let me give you the quick answer first.
Cats have enormous sensitive nose, which are obviously more powerful than a human being.
Due to this reason, different types of odor often catch their interest and turn them on.
Cats also like the odor of catnip, spices, some perfumes, cleaning agents, bleach (strictly keep it away from your cat), some plants and so on.
However, the reality is that majority of cats do not like the aroma and smell coming from the coffee grounds.
Out of curiosity, some of the cats may try to smell and lick coffee grounds.
Most of the cats do not like the taste and flavor of coffee grounds.
But once some of the cats taste the coffee, then few of them may get addicted to its taste.
This is the main reason why some cats do like to lick coffee grounds.
Now, I will explore this topic in more depth and try to answer the most burning queries regarding cats eating coffee grounds.
Table of Contents
- Why Your Cat Likes to Lick Coffee Grounds?
- Are Coffee Grounds Toxic for Cats?
- What to Do If Your Cat Eats Coffee Grounds?
- Do Cats Hate The Smell of Coffee?
- Do Cats Think Coffee Smells Like Poop?
- Why Does Your Cat Like Black Coffee?
- Conclusion
Why Your Cat Likes to Lick Coffee Grounds?
Coffee might be a perfect thing to start your day, but it is of course not a smart option for your pets.
When your cat comes sniffing at your morning cup of joe, it is absolutely understandable to be a little concerned about their interests.
However, you should completely refrain from fulfilling their interest which may give out bad results if you do not pay proper attention.
Cats are peculiar creatures and some cats may get attracted to the aroma of coffee grounds.
They even try out tasting those coffee grounds and out of curiosity lick the coffee grounds as well.
As a cat owner, you should have the knowledge about what is best and what is bad for your small critters.
Most cats are eccentric about what their owner is having in their coffee mugs and plates.
They have this urge to dip their head in it and try to find out what the food item is.
But remember, too much of coffee grounds is certainly toxic for your little friend.
Therefore, you need to make sure your cat doesn’t try to eat that coffee grounds at any cost.
Some cats may like coffee grounds and some cats may not.
If your cat gets curious by the smell of coffee and starts licking or eating it then you should move them away from those coffee grounds.
While one or two licks maybe okay but more of it can be poisonous for your cat.
Because coffee contains caffeine and excessive intake of caffeine is not safe for your pets.
Plus, ingestion of unused coffee grounds may cause serious toxicity in your cats.
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Are Coffee Grounds Toxic for Cats?
Many people ask if their cats can drink coffee and the answer to this question is a straight “No”.
Coffee is not good for your cat’s health as it contains harmful substance known as caffeine.
Too much of caffeine consumption can lead to severe health issues and may turn out to be fatal for your feline companion.
Never allow your cats to even lick the coffee grounds as it can affect your cat more than you can think of.
Substances like Caffeine and Theobromine present in the coffee grounds are the deadly ones for your cats.
The body your cat is pretty small and it is very sensitive to each and every little thing they come in contact with.
When a cat enters into its maturity stage then it becomes lactose intolerant.
After turning into an adult, the enzymes present in a cat’s stomach that break down dairy products start slowing down.
Due to this fact, your cat may suffer from diarrhea or upset stomach on consuming most dairy products.
Caffeine is a type of chemical known as Methylxanthine.
Cats are highly sensitive to this chemical and their body can not cope up properly once the overdose of caffeine enters into their body.
Even low doses of caffeine may cause your cat a mild tummy upset.
When a cat consumes coffee, it’s body usually struggles to remove caffeine from its system which may lead to caffeine toxicity.
If your cat accidentally licked some coffee grounds, it is possible that the cat could experience some pain and discomfort after some time.
So, yes excessive consumption of coffee grounds is certainly toxic for your cat.
What to Do If Your Cat Eats Coffee Grounds?
If your cat tries to consume coffee grounds then you should immediately stop it from doing that.
I have already mentioned that the caffeine content of the coffee is very harmful for your pets.
In animals, caffeine is the main reason that raises their the blood pressure and causes cardiac arrhythmias which is dangerous.
Caffeine affects the gastrointestinal tract and can cause vomiting and diarrhea too.
Your cat may also lose muscle control which can result in seizures or tremors (if consumed a heavy dose of coffee).
If you observe that you cat has consumed lot of coffee grounds, then you should immediately call your local veterinarian for urgent treatment.
You can even contact Pet Poison Helpline, which is a 24/7 animal poison control center.
You can call them at 1-800-213-6680 as soon as you realize that your cat has consumed excessive caffeine.
The primary symptoms that your cat has ingested lot of coffee grounds may include restlessness and hyperactivity along with panting, vomiting, elevated blood pressure, increased heart rate and increased body temperature.
The other notable symptoms consist of more urination, seizures, tremors and in some cases even death may happen.
These symptoms can vary from mild to severe according to the amount of caffeine consumed by your cat.
Large ingestion of caffeine can be fatal especially if not taken proper treatment in time.
If your cat has consumed a higher dose then the symptoms are likely to start within 30 minutes and will last up to 12 hours.
The level of toxicity is determined by the amount of caffeine ingested by your cat as well as the size, age and weight of your cat.
Therefore, always have an estimate of how much coffee grounds your cat has consumed so that you can provide all the details to your vet.
With this information, it would be easier for the vet to operate on your cat and cure your cat as soon as possible.
Do Cats Hate The Smell of Coffee?
Yes, many cats dislike the smell of coffee.
They don’t like the strong concentrated smell coming from the coffee grounds.
But sometimes some cats may like the taste and flavor of your coffee.
Whether they like the smell of coffee or not, you should keep your coffee miles away from your cat.
Cats have a far more extreme reaction to caffeine that is present in the coffee grounds.
It can even affect even the healthiest cat.
A slurp of coffee or a normal lick certainly won’t kill them but a large dose may have greater impact on your cat’s overall health.
Do Cats Think Coffee Smells Like Poop?
Yes, in some cases, cats do think coffee grounds like a poop.
I have mentioned earlier that cats have tremendously sensitive noses.
Some cats may or may not like the smell of coffee because it can act as a deterrent to some cats.
According to the Petpoisionhelpline.com article, most of the cats do not like the smell or taste of the coffee grounds.
And ingestion of high amount of caffeine can cause severe health issues for your cat.
We can’t assume whether your cat likes or dislikes the aroma of coffee because their interest levels keep changing over time.
We can assume that some cats think that coffee smells like poop in some cases.
Because there are such cases happened where cats try to bury coffee grounds like if they do with their poop.
The Furan-2-ylmethanethiol and 3-mercapto-3-methylbutyl formate mercaptans are the key odorants mainly found in coffee grounds.
They smell eerily similar to the concentrated cat urine when isolated.
And the cats can smell this accurately.
Cats are very particular about the smells in their environment.
So, this maybe the reason that the cat tries to bury the coffee grounds because it doesn’t like the smell coming out from the grounds.
Why Does Your Cat Like Black Coffee?
We already discussed that cats are excited about different fragrances.
While some cats may react weird and some maybe curious when exposed to new and unfamiliar smells.
This is probably one of the reasons your cat likes black coffee.
But, even if your cat likes black coffee, don’t let it consume it.
There is 96 mg of caffeine present in a single serving of black coffee.
And, according to the studies done, around 14 mg of caffeine per pound of the body weight is harmful for a normal adult cat.
It can lead to signs of restlessness and agitation.
However, this also varies upon the size and age of your cat.
Overdose can lead to cardio toxicity and may probably result in your cat’s death.
As a pet parent, you maybe rosy of fulfilling the needs and interests of your feline child which is completely understandable.
But when it comes to such things which can be fatal for them, then just don’t let them eat coffee grounds at all.
Don’t let your cat have access to such things.
Secure your coffee grounds in a safe place where your cat can’t reach.
You can keep it in a locked cupboard.
Make sure to clean your coffee mugs instantly after using it if your cat has a habit of licking the leftover coffee from your mugs.
If your coffee accidentally spills somewhere then clean it instantly.
And if your cat has consumed lots of caffeine then call the pet helpline as soon as possible.
Conclusion
Hence, we can conclude that some cats may like the aroma and taste of the coffee grounds while some may not.
Not to depend on their likes or dislikes, one shouldn’t let their cats consume coffee anyway.
Consuming coffee is very dangerous for your pets as I have already mentioned above.
And as the owner you should have enough knowledge about what is safe for you canine and what is not.
In emergency cases, call your local veterinarian or contact the pet helpline number (provided above) immediately if you find something wrong with your pet.
Not only coffee, but other food products like chocolates, cold drinks, soda, etc. also contain caffeine.
So, don’t let your cat have access to all such products that are very harmful for their health.
When they try to taste your coffee don’t allow them to do so and just simply pamper them with their favorite treat.
Instead of these food items, you can treat your cats with delicious pet food such as Purina Fancy Feast Grain Free Cat Food which you can get online easily.
References:
https://faqcats.com/do-cats-like-coffee/
https://excitedcats.com/cat-drank-coffee-what-to-do/
https://fluffyplanet.com/cat-drank-coffee/
https://pets.stackexchange.com/questions/2841/what-happens-if-cats-drink-coffee