Coconut oil is commonly used in cooking but has recently been re-evaluated as a supplement for the nutrition of our cats. It can have numerous beneficial effects, especially for the hair, teeth and intestinal cells. Let’s find out what it is, how to choose and how to administer coconut oil to cats.

Coconut oil, commonly used in cooking in tropical countries such as Brazil, India and Sri Lanka, has also recently been rediscovered for cat nutrition. Useful for the hair, it whitens teeth and helps remove tartar, but above all it is a fantastic nutrient for the intestinal cells. Its health benefits are truly impressive! What is virgin coconut oil Coconut oil is extracted from the fruits of the coconut plant (Cocos nucifera), a tree that typically grows in the tropical areas of our planet. The seeds of the coconut plants are opened and cleaned, deprived of the hard and fibrous outer shell, to extract the pulp, white and tasty. Starting from the dried pulp, which contains high amounts of fat, the liquid part is extracted by cold pressing, that is what we know as coconut oil. The best oils are not subjected to other technological processes, such as refining, bleaching or deodorization and for this reason they are defined as virgin coconut oil. Coconut oil is actually solid for most of the year in our homes: above 24-26 ° C it tends to firm up, turning into butter. Which coconut oil to choose? When reading this article, it is important to specify the obvious: all the properties listed are linked to pure, high-quality products! Knowing how to choose a good product for your cat is therefore essential. We have said that coconut oil is solid for most of the year. If even in the cold of winter you should see liquid coconut oil on sale, do not buy it for your cat, as it is certainly an excessively treated product. Also be wary of products that say refined, bleached and deodorized coconut oil. In this case the extraction process is more efficient than cold pressing, but the product is not suitable to be given by mouth to our cats, as it may contain contaminants. Finally, hydrogenated coconut oil, rich in trans fats, lipids with negative effects on the cat’s body should also be avoided. The benefits of coconut oil for cats Forgotten for a long time, as it is rich in saturated fats, towards which medicine seemed to be lashing out, virgin coconut oil has been absolutely rehabilitated by modern scientific research. Coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid, all medium-chain saturated fats. This kind of fats, grouped in the English acronym MCT (Medium-Chain Triglycerides), are widely studied in medicine for their properties. Virgin coconut oil and its medium-chain triglycerides are in fact a ready-to-use source of energy for the cat’s body, as they do not need bile to be digested. However, they are not burned quickly, unlike carbohydrates and are therefore fast, but also long-lasting. Some research also seems to confirm a traditional use of coconut oil: spread daily on the teeth it would help keep them white and clean, avoiding the formation of cavities and tartar. To use it in this way on your cats it may take some patience and some habit, but the benefits will be evident. Cat hair also has great benefits with coconut oil. Giving it with food greatly improves the quality of the coat, giving brightness and brilliance. Coconut oil can also be used directly on the cat’s fur, since it does not irritate and can help heal small eczema, but in this case the advice of a veterinarian is a must. Virgin coconut oil also has a really interesting property: it provides immediate nourishment to the cells of the cat’s small intestine, representing ready-to-use food for them. This is interesting because there are now countless studies showing how improving bowel health helps reduce inflammation in the body. As mentioned above, coconut oil is one of the fundamental supplements to a diet for a cat with chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In fact, together with any drug therapies, coconut oil can greatly help restore a balance in these districts. Probably related to the beneficial effects on the intestine, we must also mention the studies that show how virgin coconut oil can also help the cat’s brain and nervous system. In fact, coconut oil also seems to improve cognitive performance and even help in some diseases such as epilepsy. Anti-fungal, antibacterial and antiviral, virgin coconut oil can also be provided to strengthen the cat during various infectious diseases. How to give coconut oil to cats As we know, each cat has its own specific tastes. Some cats are crazy about coconut oil, of which they obviously appreciate its fats. In this case, we will be able to supply an amount equal to 2 hazelnuts per day (half a teaspoon) for periods of at least 4 weeks, to verify the benefits in our cat. However, if our cat does not want to know about the taste of virgin coconut oil, we can think of using pure MCT oil, on sale in pharmacies. This type of oil, always extracted from coconut, is totally tasteless and is generally accepted by even the most difficult cats. The doses are the same as for virgin coconut oil.

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