Potatoes are considered low in calories and healthy for humans to eat, but is this also true for kitties? TAG24 explains whether cats are allowed to eat potatoes in this helpful cat guide.

Potatoes are one of the world's most important and healthiest staple foods, so it's not surprising that some cat parents wonder whether the tuber should also be on their kitty's menu.

Yes, cats can eat potatoes – as long as they are cooked and unseasoned.

However, you should bear in mind that cats are carnivores by nature and hardly need anything else.

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If you give your furry friend high-quality food, it is unnecessary to offer them other nutrient-rich snacks. In addition, cats cannot digest starch.

If at all, you should only occasionally give your cat a very small amount of potatoes.

If you want your cat to try potatoes, you should clean them thoroughly beforehand, peel them, and remove any bad spots or germs.

Boil the potatoes until soft, leave to cool, and cut into pieces suitable for the cat's mouth. It is advisable to offer the cat only a small piece of potato.

As cats cannot tolerate this, the potatoes should not be seasoned or refined with oil or similar.

Cats should not eat raw potatoes because the solanine they contain is poisonous for both animals and humans.

As cats are also much smaller than humans, even small amounts of solanine are enough to poison the four-legged friends.

Most of the solanine is contained in the skin and green parts of the potato tuber.

To remove the toxin, the potatoes should be peeled and cooked or boiled. The cooking water should be poured away, and the potatoes patted dry.

If the cat has stolen a piece of raw potato or potato skin, you should take it away as quickly as possible and observe the animal closely in order to recognize a possible poisoning in time.

Symptoms of solanine poisoning in cats:

• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Listlessness
• Weakness
• Disorientation
• Imbalance
• Unsteady gait
• Increased salivation

In the worst-case scenario, solanine poisoning in cats can lead to a slow heartbeat, unconsciousness, and ultimately death.

If you notice these or other symptoms in your cat, you should take the animal to the vet immediately!

Digesting a small amount of cooked and unseasoned potatoes is not a problem for cats. However, if the cat is fed high-quality food, potatoes are not really a sensible addition to the kitty's diet.

Cats should never eat raw potatoes because there is a risk of poisoning and death.