Can Cats Eat Rabbit Food?
Cats can eat rabbit food, but it would not be suitable for them. Their bodies’ system needs more meat than plant-based food. Rabbit pellets consist mainly of grains and alfalfa. Thus, it would have little to no nutritional value for your cat. If you have some rabbit pellets, it would be best to give it to those who own a rabbit.
Each pet food consists of specific components suited for the respective animals. They are not meant to be interchangeable. Thus, although rabbit food isn’t toxic to cats, it won’t do them any good either.
Let’s get into it more!
What happens if a cat eats rabbit food?
Rabbit food isn’t toxic to cats, but it isn’t healthy either. Thus, if a cat eats rabbit food, nothing wrong will happen as long as it’s only a small amount. Regardless, the rabbit food will have no nutritional value for your cat.
Now, if your feline pet overeats rabbit food, it may cause digestive problems, such as an upset stomach.
The reason is that rabbit pellets contain components suited for herbivores. Since rabbits are herbivores, their dietary requirements consist mainly of plant-based food.
To an extent, rabbit pellets aren’t likely to contain anything good for felines.
To understand further, you should keep in mind that cats are obligate carnivores. It means that they can survive without eating plant-based food. However, they can’t go on with their daily activities without eating any meat at all.
For this reason, cat food consists mainly of nutrients suitable to sustain a cat’s carnivorous needs. Its components differ significantly from that of rabbit food.
Cats and rabbits have opposite dietary needs. What is healthy for the other can’t be right for the other.
Of course, cats and rabbits also share some similarities in nutrition. However, since they both differ in the type of food preference, it would be best not to let both pets share the same food.

Can cats get sick from eating rabbit food?
Cats can get sick from eating rabbit food, especially if they consume more than a small amount.
As I said earlier, rabbit food does not consist of anything toxic for cats. Thus, if your pet eats rabbit food, its life won’t necessarily be at risk.
However, it’s also not ideal for your cat to overeat rabbit food, and there are reasons why.
First, it’s not ideal because rabbit food contains little to no nutritional value for cats.
Second, while its components aren’t toxic, they may cause some issues to your cat if it eats more than a piece.
Rabbit pellets contain 22% crude fiber, according to the University of Miami. That amount is way too much fiber for cats to eat. In general, cats only need 1.4 to 3.5 percent fiber in their daily diet.
Thus, taking in too much rabbit food means your pet may ingest too much fiber. Whatever type of cat your pet is, it will find such an amount of fiber hard to digest.
If your cat overeats rabbit food, it can lead to an upset stomach, vomiting, and even other digestive issues.
For this reason, it would be best if you won’t allow your feline pet to munch on rabbit food. If you want to give it a variety of options, go for fruits and meat instead.
This way, you can be confident your pet won’t get sick from eating rabbit food.
How much rabbit food can cats eat?
Rabbit food isn’t ideal for cats to eat. Thus, if it’s possible, you shouldn’t feed rabbit food to your cat. If you can’t help but do so, limit it to 10 percent of your pet’s total amount of daily food intake.
As I said earlier, feeding too much rabbit food can cause an upset stomach for your pet. Moreover, rabbit food does not have any significant nutritional benefits. Thus, providing it won’t make any improvements to your pet’s health.
For this reason, it would be best to consider rabbit food only as a treat or snack for your cat. It would be best if you tried to limit it to not any more than once a week.
Further, you shouldn’t go over more than 10 percent of its total daily food requirement when feeding rabbit pellets.
The recommended amount of food for cats ranges from about 24 to 35 calories per pound. This amount is enough to keep cats at a normal and healthy weight.
An average cat weighs about 6-9 lbs. Thus, they need about 50 to 70 grams of food per day. Or, they can eat 150-250 grams of wet food. Lastly, they can eat 100-200 grams of raw food.
If you allow your cat to eat rabbit pellets, it would be best to limit its intake to 5 to 7 grams in a day, but don’t do so on a daily basis.
Risks of feeding your cat rabbit food
There’s not that much risk in feeding rabbit food to your cat. However, if you are just about to do so, considering these risks before proceeding.
Rabbit food doesn’t suit cats.
First, always remember that cats and rabbit food don’t go hand-in-hand when it comes to compatibility. Rabbit food makers design and produce their products to give rabbits the proper nutrients. Thus, it’s not ideal for cats to eat.
Moreover, since cats and rabbits have opposite dietary requirements, it’s not a good idea to give your cat any.
Rabbit food can cause digestive issues.
Rabbit pellets suit only herbivores like rabbits. Thus, they contain too much plant-based food and fiber for carnivores like cats.
While fiber is also essential in a cat’s daily diet, taking in too much can cause digestive problems. For instance, going overboard with rabbit pellets can cause an upset stomach.
It’s only ideal for giving such pellets if your cat is suffering from diarrhea. The fiber in those pellets can help your pet get some solid stools.
However, if your pet is healthy, giving it in large amounts may not be a great idea.

What to do if your cat ate rabbit food?
There’s nothing much to do if you saw your cat eat rabbit food. If it continues doing so, it would be best to stop it.
Since rabbit food isn’t toxic for cats, there’s nothing much to worry about regarding your pet’s health.
Now, it’s a different case if your feline starts showing symptoms of health issues. If your cat begins to show such signs after eating rabbit food, it would be best to take it to the vet.
As long as your pet only eats only a small amount and doesn’t show any problems, you don’t need to do anything.
It would be best to separate rabbit and cat pellets to avoid such unwanted incidents. Moreover, keep these pet foods away from a cat’s reach. This way, you can prevent your pet from eating the food it shouldn’t eat.
Summary
Cats can eat rabbit food, but it would be best not to offer such to your pet. While rabbit food isn’t toxic, it has no nutritional value for felines. Rabbit food contains mostly plant-based food, which is optional for cats. In fact, they can survive without eating such.
Moreover, feeding rabbit pellets in large amounts can cause an upset stomach. The reason is that a cat’s system is only suited to a meat diet and not so much a plant-based one.
Keeping your cat safe is the priority. Thus, it would be best to leave the rabbit pellets out and offer food suitable for felines instead. This way, you can be sure that your cat will remain healthy.
Resources
University of Miami Department of Biology’s take on good quality rabbit pellet