can cats eat goldfish crackers

Can Cats Eat Goldfish Crackers?

Goldfish crackers do not make an appropriate snack or food type for cats.

However, if you drop a piece on the floor and your cat quickly eats it you likely have nothing to worry about. 

What’s In Goldfish Crackers?

Goldfish crackers are a favorite treat of many people, particularly in the Western World. 

These cheesy crackers can be made by different companies, which is why their ingredients can vary from one brand to the other. 

The most common type that you will come across at the supermarket is Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Crackers. 

If you look at the label, you will quickly understand why these snacks are not good for cats. 

Just 30 grams of goldfish crackers contain a lot of fat, sodium, and carbohydrates, and this combination can be dangerous for pets. 

The quantity of sodium in goldfish crackers is massive since there are 3 grams of this nutrient in the 30 grams that we just mentioned. 

Cats are not supposed to have salty foods as it can have severely negative effects on their kidney and cardiovascular health.

This is one of the reasons why cats shouldn’t have most human foods, including table scraps. 

The only good thing about this snack-type is that it contains small amounts of iron and calcium, which can indeed be healthy for cats. 

But the rest, including lower quantities of wheat flour and baking soda, are not appropriate for cats.  

How Healthy Are Goldfish Crackers For Cats?

It depends on how often your cat indulges in this snack. 

If it happens once and your cat is a medium-sized adult, and the piece that they ingest is not big at all, you probably have nothing to worry about. 

How Healthy Are Goldfish Crackers For Cats

It might cause slight dehydration, which is why some pets can show an increase in their water consumption and urination during that day. 

Goldfish crackers are not healthy to feed to cats on a regular basis, which is why most vets advise against making a habit out of it. 

Can Goldfish Crackers Kill Cats?

If a cat is really hungry and has nothing else to eat, they might want to eat goldfish crackers merely for this reason.

In that situation, they could have too much, which is why they might experience a variety of symptoms, besides dehydration. 

But the truth is that in most cases, goldfish crackers aren’t deadly for animals, especially if they don’t have massive amounts of them. 

They could experience gas, bloating, and other digestive distress in the form of vomiting or diarrhea because of the fat, sodium, and wheat present in this snack. 

vet inspecting a cat

The fat content can also be dangerous for some cats who are predisposed to obesity or seniors that might have pancreatic health issues. 

The carb content in goldfish crackers can put your pet’s health in danger, too, because it is not species-appropriate, so most cats have a very hard time digesting grains. 

But are goldfish crackers lethal to cats? Usually, not. 

What To Do If Your Cat Ate Goldfish Crackers

The best piece of advice that we have for you in this situation would be to call your veterinarian. 


Ask a Vet

If your cat has eaten goldfish crackers we recommend you speak with a vet ASAP to help you work out what’s going on and what needs to be done. JustAnswer allows you to talk in real-time to veterinary experts for a small fee.


If your cat is very young or you are caring for a senior, chances are that even a small amount of goldfish crackers could be dangerous for them. 

The vet will instruct you as to what you are supposed to do.

You might have to wait for a couple of hours to see if your pet starts showing any symptoms. 

On the other hand, you might be asked to take your cat to the emergency vet clinic, especially if they’ve had a lot of crackers. 

Do not try to induce vomiting in any way, shape, or form!

Doing this can not only hurt your cat’s mouth or throat, but it can also be dangerous for yourself.

Cats can become aggressive or withdrawn if you try it, and they might hide, making it impossible for you to take them to the animal hospital. 

Goldfish Cracker Alternatives For Cats 

There are quite a lot of options if you want to make sure that your cat has a delicious treat and also steers clear of your goldfish cracker stash. 

First of all, if your pet is a huge aficionado of this human snack, make sure that you keep your cupboard or pantry cabinet closed (or locked) so that there’s no way of them reaching inside. 

But if you would like to reward your cat every now and then or just give her a treat, you can opt for cat-appropriate products such as the following:

Some cat snacks are healthier than others, so you should try to look at the label and see whether there aren’t any potentially dangerous ingredients. 

Most are safe, but they could still contain things like flavour enhancers, artificial colours, or preservatives, some of which could be carcinogenic. 

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