Ai gatti piace il sale?

Who doesn’t love a salty pretzel or a few pieces of pepperoni? While your feline friend may be meowing and pawing at your legs for a chance to taste such treats, you can’t help but wonder, do cats like salt? Being that salt is one of the three tastes cat tongues detect, they do love salty things. However, that leads to the next question: Is salt healthy for cats?

This is an important topic for cat owners to know, so let’s not waste another second!

Yes, cats like salt. Or maybe it’s better to say that they love salt. Either way, anything salty is a tempting treat to cats, and they will find anything salty appetizing (even nonfood items). This is one of the reasons cats like to lick at your tears or sweat.

I gatti possono avere sale?

Yes, cats can have salt. In fact, they need salt to survive. Like most creatures with sentience, salt is needed for nervous system processes and nutrient movement. Salt also helps signals move through the body for when a cat has to use the litter box. Without salt, a cat’s body would shut down and be unable to function properly.

Guarda questo video educativo per sapere se i gatti dovrebbero avere il sale:

Quanto sale è sicuro per i gatti?

Take a look at cat food—wet or dry, it doesn’t matter. You will notice that there is far more sodium in cat food than you probably thought. But how much salt do cats really need? About 21-40 mg di sale al giorno.

That’s it.

To humans, that doesn’t sound like much. For cats, it’s plenty. Now, keep in mind that some larger cats can consume a bit more salt.

You do have to be mindful, though, of just how much of the salty stuff your cat is munching on. Salt is present in wet and dry food, as well as treats. If you notice that your cat’s urine has changed or that they are displaying signs of urinary or kidney issues, start removing some sources of salt from their diet.

Qual è la carenza di sodio nei gatti?

C'è un delicato equilibrio tra troppo poco e troppo sale per i felini. Molti gatti hanno bisogno di sale nella loro dieta, altrimenti potrebbero soffrirne carenza di sodio. This means that your cat doesn’t have enough salt in their bloodstream for proper functioning. Since sodium is essential to all living things, you will have to give your cat additional salt to help with the lack of it.

La carenza di sodio può causare complicazioni neurologiche. Se noti che il tuo gatto si comporta in modo strano, portalo dal veterinario.

Inoltre, la carenza di sodio può essere causata da altri problemi medici, come insufficienza renale, ipotiroidismo, insufficienza cardiaca congestizia, sindrome nefrosica e altro. Ancora una volta, le cure veterinarie sono l'unico modo per sapere con certezza cosa sta succedendo.

Il sale fa ammalare i gatti?

In the appropriate quantities, no, salt won’t make cats sick. If your feline companion does manage to consume more than 42 mg of salt a day, they could end up getting sick. Large doses of salt could be downright damaging.

Quando un gatto ha troppo sale, può sviluppare avvelenamento da sale. I sintomi dell'avvelenamento da sale includono:

Diarrea

Letargia
Vomito
Mancanza di appetito

Disidratazione
Perdita di coordinazione ed equilibrio
Convulsioni

Aggressione
Febbre

Any time you see these symptoms, don’t wait. Take your cat to the veterinarian immediately, as salt poisoning can be deadly if left untreated.

Inoltre, vuoi tenere alcuni tipi di sali lontani dal tuo felino. Salgemma, acqua salata (acqua di mare), lampade al sale dell'Himalaya e sale da tavola possono essere tutti incredibilmente pericolosi.

Un caso di avvelenamento da sale

Ai gatti piace il sale? Troppo, in alcuni casi. Prendi, ad esempio, il Gatto neozelandese di nome Ruby who had a bit too much Zen around the salt lamp. Ruby’s owner, Maddie Smith, had brought home a Himalayan salt lamp. She didn’t know that Ruby had been licking at it until the cat was behaving very strangely—walking with her head down.

Startled by the change in her four-legged companion, Maddie swept up Ruby and took her to an emergency vet. At the vet, Maddie learned that her cat had toxic levels of sodium in her bloodstream. This, in turn, caused Ruby’s brain to swell, which manifested as staggered walking and a drooped head.

Maddie figured it out—that Ruby had gotten to the salt lamp. It was the only change she had made. So, if you plan on getting a salt lamp, make sure you keep your cats far away from it.

Come tratti l'avvelenamento da sale nei gatti?

Gli incidenti accadono. Forse Tiger ha spinto la saliera dal piano di lavoro e ha iniziato a leccare il sale versato sul pavimento. Forse il tuo gatto ha iniziato a bere l'acqua dall'acquario (anche un no-no). Se prevedi che il tuo gatto ha un'overdose di sale, monitoralo per eventuali sintomi. Se noti anche il minimo cambiamento, chiama il veterinario e fagli sapere cosa è successo. Dovresti entrare subito.

The vet may administer IV fluids to help flush the sodium from your cat’s body. This method is highly effective at bringing your cat’s sodium levels to normal. Tests will also be performed to see how your cat’s organs are faring and if their brain activity is normal.

Dopodiché, il tuo gatto avrà bisogno di liquidi e molto riposo.

When spotted early, salt poisoning is easy enough to treat; the prognosis is also good. However, it’s when you wait that permanent brain damage could occur. So keep your eyes peeled to your curious cat whenever they are around salt.

Tieni le zampe lontane dalla lampada di sale

Do cats like salt? They certainly do! Cats will lick salt lamps and go after any salty morsel they can find. In fact, cats like salt so much that they are at constant risk of sodium poisoning. It’s best to keep track of how much salt your cat is consuming, especially if they are older or at risk of urinary or kidney issues. In short, make sure your cat is on a low-sodium diet.