Can cats eat eggs?
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Yes — cooked egg white, not raw eggs.
Yes — cooked, plain egg can be an occasional treat for a cat, but raw eggs and raw whites carry a Salmonella risk. Keep the serving small and keep egg an extra, not a meal.
- How much
- About a tablespoon of cooked, plain egg white added to food occasionally.
Treats count toward daily calories — the cat calorie calculator estimates the daily total.
When to call a vet
Stop feeding eggs and monitor for vomiting or diarrhea. If raw egg was eaten, watch for signs of bacterial illness (vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, fever) and contact a veterinarian if they appear. Always cook eggs fully with no salt, butter, or seasoning.
Signs to watch for after your cat eats eggs
- Vomiting or diarrhea if overfed
- Salmonella or E. coli illness (vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, fever) if given raw or undercooked egg
- Weight gain from the yolk's fat and cholesterol content if fed regularly
Can cats eat eggs?
Yes, a cat can eat cooked, plain egg in small amounts. Egg is an occasional extra rather than a staple, so a small taste now and then is the sensible way to share it.
Always cook eggs fully, and add no salt, butter, or seasoning. Those extras belong on a human plate, not in a cat's food.
Can cats eat raw eggs?
No — raw eggs and raw whites are not the safe choice. Raw egg and raw egg white can expose a cat to Salmonella, and the risk is why raw egg stays out of the bowl. Cooking is the step that makes egg a safer food.
PetMD ties raw eggs and raw whites to Salmonella infection. VCA Animal Hospitals reports that nearly 25% of raw food samples tested positive for harmful bacteria, including Salmonella and Listeria.
Ingesting raw eggs or raw egg whites increases the risk of getting infected with a bacteria called salmonella.
— PetMD, Can Cats Eat Eggs?
Nearly 25% of the raw food samples tested positive for harmful bacteria, including Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes.
— VCA Animal Hospitals, Avoiding Raw Food in Cats
Can cats eat cooked eggs or scrambled eggs?
Yes, fully cooked egg — including a plain scrambled egg — is the form a cat can have. Cook it through, with no runny parts, and serve it plain rather than as a rich, seasoned dish.
If a cat is overfed egg, vomiting or diarrhea can follow. Stop feeding egg and monitor the cat if either appears. For another plain cooked protein, see chicken.
How much egg can a cat eat?
The occasional serving is about a tablespoon of plain, cooked egg white, added to food. That is the serving to aim for; it is not a daily portion or a bowl of egg. Keep it as a small extra on top of the usual food.
The guidance names egg white, so a whole egg or an extra yolk goes beyond that suggested serving; regular yolk feeding also adds fat and cholesterol. For a different occasional extra, see cheese.
My cat ate raw egg — what should I do?
Stop feeding egg and watch for vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, or fever — the signs of Salmonella or E. coli illness. Contact a veterinarian if any of those signs appear, and do not offer more egg.
Keep egg out of the bowl while you watch. From now on, only fully cooked egg with no salt, butter, or seasoning belongs near the cat's food.
What happens if a cat eats too much egg?
Overfeeding egg can cause vomiting or diarrhea. A cat fed yolk regularly may also gain weight from the yolk's fat and cholesterol, so keep egg to the occasional serving and watch the cat's condition.
Stop the shares and keep watching the cat. More human foods are on the food list, and the methodology explains how each quoted line is checked.
Sources
1.PetMD — Can Cats Eat Eggs?
Show the quoted lines
Ingesting raw eggs or raw egg whites increases the risk of getting infected with a bacteria called salmonella.
2.VCA Animal Hospitals — Avoiding Raw Food in Cats
Show the quoted lines
Nearly 25% of the raw food samples tested positive for harmful bacteria, including Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes.
How sources are picked: methodology. Spot an error? Email hello@meowledge.app.