Can Bengal Cats Eat Egg?

One of the most popular questions we get asked here on this website is whether or not Bengal cats can eat eggs?

If you’ve ever cooked up an egg in the kitchen, or been sitting down to have your scrambled eggs on toast for breakfast, or some fried egg and a sandwich or something like that wouldn’t be too surprising to see your Bengal cat come trundling over to where you’re sitting and try to eat some of that egg.

But is it actually safe for Bengal cats to eat egg?

In this article we’re going to delve a little bit deeper into this topic and find out, as part of our series on what foods are safe for your Bengal cat.

Can Bengal Cats Eat Cooked Egg?

Let’s start by looking at the safety of cooked egg for your Bengal.

Fundamentally, cooked egg is perfectly safe for your Bengal cat.

However, there are a few caveats that we feel are important to discuss:

1. Avoid wherever possible feeding your cat eggs that have been cooked in lots of oil, butter and/or salt. This scenario is most likely to arise when feeding your Bengal leftovers of egg dishes that you have prepared for yourself. Scrambled eggs are probably the biggest culprit here, as you’re likely to have a combination of the above including milk and/or cream. As we’ve covered in a previous article on this site, milk and dairy products aren’t good for your Bengal and can cause stomach trouble, so avoid anything but the most minute quantities as a very occasional treat only. Excessive salt consumption is bad for your Bengal, and the added calories from butter or oil aren’t great either. Remember that obesity is a serious risk for cats, so you want to avoid this happening any way possible.
2. If cooking egg for your Bengal to eat, allow it to cool down sufficiently before feeding it to them. You don’t want to accidentally burn your Bengal’s mouth or throat on boiling hot egg. Remember, what is cool enough for a human to eat may be too hot for a cat.

Can Bengal Cats Eat Raw Egg?

This is where things get a bit more complicated.

Some experts argue that raw egg is safe, while others claim it should be avoided due to risk of food borne illness.

A big factor here will be the quality of the raw egg you are feeding your cat. If you are using fresh, free range eggs, then we would be more inclined to say that raw egg is Ok.

However, if you are feeding factory/cage-farmed eggs from an unknown source, then that should probably be avoided unless cooked.

We suggest erring on the safe side. Unless you have a specific reason or need for why you are feeding your Bengal raw egg, we reckon that cooked is the safer option.

Can Bengal Cats Eat Egg Yolk?

Yolks contain the majority of an egg’s nutritional value (and is generally the tastiest part of an egg for both humans and cats alike). If you’re going to feed your Bengal egg yolk, then make sure it is cooked first (see our comments above about feeding raw egg).

Can Bengal Cats Eat Egg Shell?

The final area we are going to look at in this article is whether or not Bengal cats can eat egg shell.

Egg shells are a great source of calcium for your cat. We recommend boiling the egg shells firs (to reduce risk of salmonella) and then crushing into your cat’s kibble/dry-food or wet food. We recommend using a mortar and pestle to achieve sufficient levels of crushing to make the egg shell as safe as possible for your cat.

You want to crush the egg shell thoroughly as there is always a risk that sharp edges on larger pieces may cause intestinal trauma.

Conclusion

In conclusion, you can see that egg is a suitable treat for your Bengal cat – and they will love you for feeding it to them.

However, there are some caveats you need to be aware of, mainly that cooked egg is preferable to raw egg and you also want to avoid as much as possible anything cooked in lots of fat, salt, butter etc. Remember that feeding an average weight cat one egg is the equivalent of an average weight human eating 15 eggs! So make sure that you only feed a small quantity.

Provided you follow the guidelines in this article, your Bengal will be safe and happy tucking in to some juicy, tasty egg.