We often see many stray cats while walking outside. Many kind-hearted friends give them some snacks and water. Stray cats really have no guarantee of their next meal, so giving snacks is a kind act. However, there are some precautions that everyone should know. When feeding stray cats, if you don’t have cat food at home, you might buy ham sausages or similar items. Humans think these things taste good, but cats cannot eat them.

Cats cannot eat ham sausages and the like because, as everyone knows, ham sausages are flavored and contain salt, with quite a strong salty taste. But cats cannot eat foods with high salt content because their digestive systems are sensitive. Animals’ digestive systems are all relatively fragile, and cats’ are even more so. Therefore, when preparing food for cats, it must be bland; meat should be boiled plainly in water, and it is better if the ingredients are fresh.

Also, foods that humans can eat are not necessarily safe for cats. Just like ham sausages, human food is seasoned with many additives, but animals cannot accept such strong flavors. For them, it’s far too salty. So almost everyone who has raised cats knows that when preparing food for cats, it is mostly just boiled plainly with water. If it is fish, it should be steamed over water, which better retains the fish’s freshness and cats prefer that taste.

Although they are small animals, they are more particular about their food than humans. Because cats actually have poor taste perception, if you give them a lot of salt, they cannot taste it, but it accumulates and damages their digestive system. Cats that eat too much salt will have dry fur and more hair loss; excessive salt also burdens their kidneys and shortens their lifespan. So for friends who like feeding stray cats, please note: do not feed cats ham sausages or similar foods; try to find unsalted items instead.