By Dial A Vet Veterinary Team
If you have ever turned around to find your cat with its face in the butter dish, you are not alone. Plenty of cats adore butter. A lick from the knife or a dab off a plate is unlikely to harm a healthy cat. Butter is still not a cat food. It is mostly fat with a little milk solids, and the flavoured butters that go on garlic bread, steak and corn cobs can carry ingredients that are genuinely toxic to cats.
Key takeaways
- A small lick of plain butter is unlikely to harm a healthy cat.
- Butter is mostly fat. Regular butter treats add calories quickly and can cause vomiting or diarrhoea.
- Many adult cats do not handle dairy well, though butter contains far less milk sugar than milk itself.
- Garlic butter, herb butter with chives, and butter-based sauces can be toxic because of the Allium family ingredients.
- Do not use butter to "settle" a new cat or to help hairballs. Ask your vet instead.
- Related reading: garlic and cats, pancreatitis in cats.
Why cats love butter
Cats are drawn to fat and to the smell of dairy. Research on their taste receptors shows they cannot taste sweetness, so cats focus on meaty, fatty flavours, and butter delivers fat in its most concentrated form. Liking it does not mean it agrees with them.
Is butter bad for cats?
Fat
Cornell Feline Health Center describes a cat's natural diet as high in protein, moderate in fat and low in carbohydrate. Butter is almost entirely fat. The ASPCA notes that fatty foods can cause vomiting and diarrhoea and may contribute to pancreatitis in some pets. Cornell notes that in most cats with pancreatitis no cause is found, so a lick of butter is not a predictable trigger, but rich food is a common reason a cat is sick on the rug.
Calories
Because butter is so energy dense, small amounts make a big difference to a small animal. Cornell describes obesity as the most common nutritional disorder in pet cats, linked with diabetes and other health problems, and suggests treats should not exceed 10 to 15 percent of daily calories. A daily butter lick can blow that budget.
Dairy
Cornell notes many cats are lactose intolerant and can develop stomach problems from dairy, and the RSPCA advises not to give cats milk. Butter has much less lactose than milk because most of the milk solids are removed, but some cats are still sensitive to it.
Salt
Salted butter adds sodium. In small licks this is not a concern, but it is one more reason not to make butter a habit.
Flavoured butters and butter sauces
These are the real worry:
- garlic butter, garlic bread and garlic prawns
- herb butters with chives
- café de Paris and other compound butters, which often contain shallots and garlic
- beurre blanc and similar sauces made with shallots
Merck Veterinary Manual notes cats are the species most susceptible to garlic and onion poisoning, that garlic is three to five times more toxic than onion, and that signs usually appear several days after eating as red blood cells break down.
The butter myths
Butter on paws for a new cat
An old tip says putting butter on a cat's paws helps it settle into a new home. There is no good evidence for this, and the cat ends up licking off a lot of fat. A quiet room, hiding spots, its own bedding and time work much better.
Butter for hairballs
Some people use butter to "lubricate" hairballs. Frequent hairballs or vomiting can be a sign of other problems, from skin disease to gut disease. Ask your vet rather than reaching for the butter dish.
Signs to watch for
- vomiting
- soft stool, greasy stool or diarrhoea
- reduced appetite
- in the days after garlic or chive butter: tiredness, pale or yellow gums, fast breathing, reddish brown urine
When it is an emergency
Call your vet or emergency clinic promptly if your cat:
- ate garlic butter, garlic bread, or a butter sauce made with shallots, onion or chives
- ate a large amount of butter and is vomiting repeatedly, hunched or painful
- is lethargic and refusing food
- has pale gums, weakness or collapses in the days after eating
The Animal Poisons Helpline (1300 869 738) can help you assess possible poisoning. Do not make your cat vomit at home unless your vet or the helpline tells you to.
How vets treat it
For a lick of plain butter, no treatment is usually needed. For a larger amount, your vet may suggest monitoring at home or may want to examine your cat if it is vomiting or painful. Cats with garlic or onion exposure may need to come in soon after eating and have red blood cells checked over the following days. Your vet will choose any medicines.
Prevention
Keep the butter dish covered and in the fridge or a cupboard, not on an open bench. Wipe knives and plates promptly. Cats are very good at finding butter left out to soften for baking.
FAQ
My cat licked the butter dish. Is that OK?
A lick or two of plain butter is unlikely to cause harm. Watch for vomiting or diarrhoea.
Is ghee better?
Ghee has even less milk solids, but it is still pure fat. It is not a useful treat for cats.
Is margarine or plant-based butter safer?
They are still very high in fat and may contain flavourings. They are not better choices.
Can butter help a constipated cat?
Constipation can have serious causes, and some cats strain because of a urinary blockage, which is an emergency. Ask your vet.
Talk with a vet
If your cat is a butter thief, or keeps vomiting after rich food, a Dial A Vet veterinarian can help you work out what is going on. Book a Dial A Vet consult.
References
- Cornell Feline Health Center. Feeding Your Cat.
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control. People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets.
- Cornell Feline Health Center. Feline Pancreatitis.
- Cornell Feline Health Center. Obesity.
- RSPCA Knowledgebase. What should I feed my cat?
- Merck Veterinary Manual. Garlic and Onion (Allium spp) Toxicosis in Animals.
- Li X, et al. Pseudogenization of a Sweet-Receptor Gene Accounts for Cats' Indifference toward Sugar. PLoS Genetics. 2005;1(1):e3.
- Animal Poisons Helpline (Australia, 1300 869 738). Animal Poisons Helpline: 24/7 Pet Poisoning Advice.
Disclaimer: Educational only. This page does not replace an examination or advice from your own veterinarian. If you are worried about your pet right now, contact your local vet or nearest emergency animal hospital.