# Do cats eat pork? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 23, 2006, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-eat-pork/373893 "2006-09-23T22:30:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2006, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-eat-pork/373893/1 "2006-09-23T22:30:09Z")
I have bought a lot of canned cat food in my life, and I’ve never seen one that’s based on a pork flavor. A few months ago, I made a pork roast and offered a couple of nibbles to my cats. These are cats that generally want everything–including one that loves frozen peas–and they weren’t interested. So, I guess I have two questions: 1. Do cats eat pork and, if so 2. Why aren’t there any pork Fancy Feasts? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2006, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-eat-pork/373893/2 "2006-09-23T22:48:08Z")
Ham is pork. I’ve never had a cat that wouldn’t kill for ham. I’ve no idea why they don’t make ham or pork flavored cat food, but it does seem an obvious omission from the kitty food menu. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2006, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-eat-pork/373893/3 "2006-09-23T22:49:52Z")
I don’t know why they don’t have pork flavored catfood. However, you should have been there the time my dad was cutting up a large piece of ham my grandmother gave him. My [Maggie](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v220/Guinastasia/Kitties/maggiexmas.jpg) tried to take off with a huge piece swinging from her mouth. Damn, I wish I had gotten a picture of that! She’s also been known to try and eat hot dogs (although the last time she did, ended up barfing it back up) ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2006, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-eat-pork/373893/4 "2006-09-23T22:50:47Z")
My one cat won’t eat any people food except roasted pork. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2006, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-eat-pork/373893/5 "2006-09-23T22:52:32Z")
Good point with the ham. Mine will eat it, but it definitely doesn’t seem to be tops on the list. They do swarm on the rare occasions I cook bacon, but I’ve never given them any to test. Maybe they’re just weird. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2006, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-eat-pork/373893/6 "2006-09-23T22:53:46Z")
Oooh, bacon! My dearly departed Fluffy used to go MAD for bacon. She’d sit there and cry like a baby until you gave her some. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2006, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-eat-pork/373893/7 "2006-09-23T22:58:59Z")
[Why no pork cat food?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=154810) ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2006, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-eat-pork/373893/8 "2006-09-23T22:59:01Z")
[QUOTE=FilmGeek] My one cat won’t eat any people food except roasted pork. [/QUOTE] No shrieking around if you have fish or chicken? I’m envious. ---
**Author:** ![Operation\_Ripper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/34f0e0/32.png) [@Operation\_Ripper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Operation_Ripper)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2006, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-eat-pork/373893/9 "2006-09-23T23:00:52Z")
The couple of cats and dogs I’ve had would eat just about anything organic, and I do mean _anything_, they could get ahold of. Freaks. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2006, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-eat-pork/373893/10 "2006-09-24T01:26:05Z")
[QUOTE=jsgoddess] 2. Why aren’t there any pork Fancy Feasts? [/QUOTE] Or mouse, or bird, or grasshopper? Seems like they could be easily processed, as “by products.” ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2006, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-eat-pork/373893/11 "2006-09-24T02:31:37Z")
Possible your cats are trying to follow a Kosher diet. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2006, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-eat-pork/373893/12 "2006-09-24T06:12:42Z")
Muslim cats definitely will not. Offer it to a Muslim cat and beware the ‘outrage’ ---
**Author:** ![dotchan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@dotchan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dotchan)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2006, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-eat-pork/373893/13 "2006-09-24T16:30:05Z")
My Feline Overlord would lick (but, IIRC, not eat) any smoked ham that we inadvertantly left uncovered. He also loved tuna water, but not so much the tuna itself. Maybe it was more of a salt thing… ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2006, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-eat-pork/373893/14 "2006-09-24T17:26:41Z")
Your cat hardly ever picks out her own food, and very few can read the labels. 😃 Cat Food merchandising is aimed at the human purchaser, not the feline consumer. Quite a few humans eschew pork, thus they wouldn’t buy it for their cats either. There’s also worries about tricinosis with poorly cooked pork. That being said, there’s already a large market for the various left over bits of pork- it’s called Spam. One of my cats doesn’t want anything that isn’t cat food- no people food, the other likes sweets. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2006, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-eat-pork/373893/15 "2006-09-24T17:36:44Z")
[QUOTE=jsgoddess] I have bought a lot of canned cat food in my life, and I’ve never seen one that’s based on a pork flavor. [/QUOTE] My dogs will eat frozen peas until the cows come home. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2006, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-eat-pork/373893/16 "2006-09-24T17:37:36Z")
[QUOTE=Contrapuntal] My dogs will eat frozen peas until the cows come home. [/QUOTE] …and then the cows eat them? ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2006, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-eat-pork/373893/17 "2006-09-24T17:45:07Z")
[QUOTE=chowder] …and then the cows eat them? [/QUOTE] Man, that was fast. No, they would eat the cows if they could. The are somewhat disadvantaged by being about a foot tall at the shoulders and about 14 lbs. Totally unafraid of big critters, however. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2006, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-eat-pork/373893/18 "2006-09-24T22:56:38Z")
[QUOTE=Squink] Ham is pork. I’ve never had a cat that wouldn’t kill for ham. I’ve no idea why they don’t make ham or pork flavored cat food, but it does seem an obvious omission from the kitty food menu. [/QUOTE] Amen. My kitties would swarm when I returned home after spending 12 hours in the firehouse kitchen cooking ham. They fought over the ham scraps in dark broth left at the bottom of the roasting pans. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2006, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-eat-pork/373893/19 "2006-09-24T22:57:56Z")
Not if they’re Jewish. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2006, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-eat-pork/373893/20 "2006-09-25T12:59:35Z")
[QUOTE=jsgoddess] Good point with the ham. Mine will eat it, but it definitely doesn’t seem to be tops on the list. They do swarm on the rare occasions I cook bacon, but I’ve never given them any to test. Maybe they’re just weird. [/QUOTE] The last cat my family had while I was growing up would steal bacon out of a pan while it was on the fire. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-eat-pork/373893.md?page=2)