Can You Feed Baby Birds Canned Cat Food?

It is understandable why people would think to feed baby birds canned cat food when they find a nest of abandoned or orphaned eggs or chicks. After all, cats and birds are both animals, so the food must be similar enough, right?

Unfortunately, this is not the case. While the nutritional needs of cats and birds may seem similar on the surface, there are distinct differences between their diets.

The main difference between cats and birds lies in their digestive systems. Cats are carnivores, meaning that their digestive systems are designed to process meat-based diets.

Birds, on the other hand, are omnivores, meaning that their bodies can process both plant- and animal-based products. Therefore, cat food does not contain the necessary nutrients for a bird’s diet.

In addition to lacking proper nutrition for bird’s diet, canned cat food is also too high in protein for baby birds. While adult birds can handle higher levels of protein in their diet due to their larger size and higher energy requirements, baby birds need lower levels of protein in order to grow properly. Since canned cat food contains more protein than a young bird can handle, it should never be fed to them.

Conclusion:

Can You Feed Baby Birds Canned Cat Food? The answer is a resounding no!

Canned cat food does not contain the necessary nutrients for a bird’s diet and is too high in protein for baby birds to digest properly. Therefore it should never be fed to them under any circumstances.