
Bell peppers belong to the species Capsicum Annum and mostly appear in four major colour variants- Green, Yellow, Orange, and Red depending on their degree of ripening. Even though bell peppers are used as vegetables, they are actually fruits belonging to the class of berries.
Most humans enjoy the taste and smell of bell peppers in their food but amidst their delicious taste, is this story the same for your feline friends?
Can cats Eat Green peppers? We will discuss it but before that let’s talk about a thing or two.
Potential health benefits of Bell Peppers
As a pet parent, you would have wondered- Is pepper bad for cats?
To answer that, first, you need to understand the possible health and nutritional benefits of bell peppers. Keep reading to find out.
- Prevents Anemia:
Just like us, anemia can cause a severe effect on a cat’s health too. The symptoms can be fatigue, reduced appetite, pale gums, and exercise intolerance. If you don’t consult a vet immediately, the disease can also lead to blood transfusion.
The pain may be too hard for your cat to bear and the costs of blood transfusion are even expensive. So, it’s better to prevent anemia from occurring in the first place. And bell peppers can help you with that as they are rich in iron and Vitamin C- an excellent anti-anemia combination. Vitamin C helps in boosting your cat’s immunity and also enhances iron absorption.
You can also serve other iron-rich food like spinach and meat to make your cat even less susceptible to anemia.
- Reduces macular degeneration:
Bell pepper contains a high amount of essential carotenoids such as zeaxanthin and lutein that reduces the chance of macular degeneration especially in aging and sick cats. Additionally, they can also lower the risks of cataracts thus protecting the most resourceful organ of your furry friend.
- Reduces the risk of cancer:
Similar to humans, feline cancers can be of numerous types and are linked to a cat’s diet and lifestyle. So, it is important that the preventive measures and remedies should also focus on the foods our cats eat.
Like said before, bell peppers contain an abundance of antioxidant compounds. Some of these include Zeaxanthin, Quercetin, Lutein, Capsanthin and Luteolin. The anti-inflammatory properties of these compounds help in preventing the proliferation of cancerous cells. Apart from preventing cancer, these antioxidants present in bell pepper can also reduce the risk of heart disease, dementia, and arthritis.
- Relieves indigestion and dehydration:
The significant high percentage of water content is very helpful for dehydrated cats. On days when your cat goes long without drinking water, she might already have lost her appetite. Therefore, offering water won’t help much. What you can do is to provide them with bell peppers. She will enjoy the taste as well as the water will benefit her seamlessly.
Bell pepper is also an excellent source of fiber. So, you can easily offer it to cats facing digestive issues such as incontinence and constipation.
Evidently, the possible health benefits of bell peppers are limitless. But still, can cats eat bell peppers? Let’s find out in our next section.