Can and do domestic cats eat dragon fruit (video)?

Yes, on both counts according to one cat who was caught on video making the mess of a lifetime when eating brightly coloured dragon fruit. Unless this was set up which it very much looks like to me. It makes a good video though. It seems extraordinary to me that a domestic cat would want to eat dragon fruit. I can't see any reason why a domestic cat should want to eat dragon fruit as it is so far from their natural diet which is a mouse!

Can and do domestic cats eat dragon fruit (video)? Yes, but do they want to!! Almost never I'd think.

But dragon fruit is apparently non-toxic to domestic cats and, I suppose, if a cat wanted to nibble a bit of dragon fruit to entertain themselves then there is no reason why they should not. However, the video is misleading. I am convinced that the cat's owner smeared the fruit over their cat! It seems that there is a bit of a trend on social media of videoing cats eating dragon fruit because it creates a lot of bright colour and plenty of mess; good visually.

@xlcr6 Lol I don’t know how to react 😂#cutecat #kitty #funnycat #fyp ♬ OWN BRAND FREESTYLE X DRILLA by JVKE - JVKE

It is definitely contrived and created to make a successful video because dragon fruit is a bright pink colour which covers this cute cat. The idea was to create an image, if you like, of a child eating in their baby chair with their face covered in chocolate or baby food. 

This video conjures up that kind of image in my mind. And I am sure that the video maker wanted to create a scene along those lines. It is anthropomorphising the cat which hundreds of millions of people do every day including me.

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One last point which is irrelevant really but it irritates me slightly. The woman who made the video reprimands her cat. This is punishing a cat. Nobody should punish a cat at any time for any reason because they do not understand it. It won't do any good but it may do some bad.

Dragon fruit is high in vitamin C and other antioxidants, which are good for your immune system. However, that does not make it any more acceptable to a domestic cat. When do you last see a cat eating any kind of fruit? 

Microwave 4 king prawns for 5 seconds for a delicious cat treat

Each cat has their own individual preferences but I would be surprised if this treat fails to please your cat. It is my cat's favourite. He requests it when I come in from buying the newspaper. It is one of those routines we all set up when living with a domestic cat. Don't overdo treats. If you do, they are no longer treats and your cat will be less interested.

Microwave for 4 king prawns four 5 seconds for a cat treat. Pic in the public domain.

I use cooked king prawns bought from a local supermarket. You might think that the price is high but with the cost of high-quality cat food equalling on a pound-for-pound basis that of human food I don't think the cost of king prawns is particularly high particularly when it is used as a treat.

I take 3-4 out of the packet and spread them out on a plate. I put the plate into my microwave and microwave them for a maximum of five seconds. This warms them up nicely. It is not essential to warm up the prawns because cats love the taste of prawns normally. But if you do warm them up it's a bonus for your cat because they absolutely love the smell and taste.

Warming up any cat food is a good idea when feeding your cat particularly when they have lost their appetite. But in the case of prawns, it must be done very gently to an absolute minimum otherwise you destroy the product. 

I then break each prawn into two pieces leaving eight small pieces of prawn on the plate. I deliver these to my cat. The reason why I break them apart is because it lets out more of that aroma which he loves and which in turn encourages him to eat. It also makes them slightly easier to get into his mouth. I have watched him push around whole prawns trying to get a grip of them.

Shrimp is a healthy product that it is high in several vitamins and minerals and is a rich source of protein. It has a high content of omega-3 fatty acids and the antioxidant astaxanthin. Antioxidants are good for health as they mop up free radicals which can damage the cells of the body. 

Free radicals can contribute to health problems such as cardiovascular and inflammatory disease, cataracts and cancer. One website calls free radicals "unstable atoms that can damage cells, causing illness and ageing."

That's my personal tip for a treat for your beloved cat companion. What about the downside? You can't feed your cat prawns all the time. They must only be a treat because they are not a balanced diet. Your cat will miss essential nutrients such as taurine and arginine.

As for environmental issues, it is said that shrimp farms tend to occupy coastal land which used to be covered by mangroves. The mangroves are drained to make way for aquaculture. This is harmful to the atmosphere because the farmers destroy the trees and vegetation of the mangrove swamp. It is akin to clearing forest for cattle to provide meat for humans. This is an environmental downside of giving shrimp treat to your cat.

2 nutritional advantages cats have over humans

There are 2 nutritional advantages that cats have over humans. The domestic cat does not require vitamin C. This is because it is synthesized in their livers. Humans don't have this ability. Apparently this deficiency in human biology is due to "a mutation in the GULO (gulonolactone oxidase) gene, which results in the inability to synthesize the protein" (stackexchange.com). 

2 nutritional advantages cats have over humans. Cat drinking. Domestic cats are in general poor drinkers because of their wildcat inheritance. Photo: in public domain.

The second advantage cats have over us in terms of nutritional requirements is that their kidneys are very efficient. This is because their ancestors (North African wildcat) lived on the edge of deserts. They get most of their water from the prey animals they eat. Mice are 70% water. This is why domestic cats are poor drinkers, which is also why they tend not to drink enough water to make up for the lack of water in dry cat food. This arguably leaves them mildly dehydrated if they are on an exclusively dry diet.

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Both these nutritional advantages proved very useful to ships' cats. We've all heard of scurvy due to the lack of vitamin C in a sailor's diet. That health problem does not exist for ships' cats. And if water is scarce onboard ship, the frugal water requirements of ships' cats leaves more for the sailors.

ASSOCIATED PAGE: Link between fish-based foods and chronic kidney disease in domestic cats?

If you throw in polydactyl ships' cats so they can maintain their balance while at sea (thanks to the extra toe!), you have a very useful working animal on board ship. It is said that polydactyl cats were preferred over standard cats because sailors believed that they could keep their balance better. I doubt the story but it makes a bit of sense.