Can Cats Eat Quail Eggs?
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Yes, in small portions: a plain quail egg is something a cat can eat, whether raw, boiled or freeze dried. A quail egg is tiny: USDA FoodData Central lists a whole raw quail egg at 9 grams and 158 calories per 100 grams, which works out to about 14 calories for the whole egg. The same database lists a large chicken egg at 50 grams, so one chicken egg weighs as much as five and a half quail eggs.
A quail egg for a cat
Start with the animal. The Merck Veterinary Manual describes the cat as an obligate carnivore, an animal that depends on animal tissue in its food, and an egg is animal food in its plainest form. A quail egg is small enough to divide by eye into a half, a quarter or a pinch.
Treats are a small part of a cat's day. VCA Hospitals advises keeping treats to a small share of the day's calories, and at about 14 calories an egg by USDA's figures, one whole egg is a sizable treat for a small cat. Think of the egg as something you cut up, not something you hand over.
Raw, cooked and freeze dried
Raw is the usual first question. The raw feeding notice on this site says that raw and uncooked animal products can carry bacteria such as Salmonella and Listeria, and it sets out the handling steps: wash your hands, wash any bowl the egg touched, and keep the rest sealed.
Cooked is the plain alternative. Hard boil the egg, cool it in cold water and peel it; the shell on a small egg comes away in flakes, so go slowly and look the egg over once it is bare. Leave out salt, butter and oil, then chop white and yolk with a fork until a piece the size of a pea is easy to pick out.
Freeze dried sits between the two. USDA FoodData Central lists a raw quail egg at about 74 grams of water per 100 grams, and freeze drying takes most of that out, which is why a dried egg weighs a fraction of a fresh one and crumbles under a thumb. The egg is still uncooked, so the raw feeding notice applies to it. The Freeze Dried Raw Quail Eggs from Sniff and Shift come in 9 and 18 egg bags, are freeze dried in small batches in Malvern, and are labeled for dogs and cats.
Crumbling an egg over food
Hold a dried egg over the bowl, press it between thumb and finger until it gives, and rub the pieces to flakes over your cat's regular food. One egg crumbled covers more than one serving, and how many depends on the size of your pinch. Break the first egg and watch how it divides before you offer a second.
Shell is the trade off. A quail egg is mostly white and yolk, and if the pieces in your pack include bits of shell, some cats eat around them and leave a small pile of crunch at the edge of the bowl. Pick those out. A boiled egg should be peeled before it goes in the bowl.
New foods often get a sniff and a walk away. Leave the bowl down for an hour, and pick it up that evening if it has not been touched.
How often
No source we trust gives a number for how many quail eggs a cat can have in a week, so this page does not invent one. Start with a pinch, wait a few days, and see how the cat takes it. If you are unsure, ask a licensed professional who cares for your cat before adding eggs to the routine.
A home with a dog has more to read: can dogs eat quail eggs covers the dog side, and single ingredient cat treats shows how to read a label for a one item treat. The rest of the shelf is in freeze dried cat treats. Write the opening date on the bag, and seal it between uses as the label directs.
Common questions
Can kittens eat quail eggs?
Kittens are small and still settling on their food, so ask a licensed professional who cares for your kitten before adding anything new. If you go ahead, offer a pinch of crumbled egg and not a whole one. The raw feeding notice on this site covers handling for raw products.
Can cats eat quail egg shells?
Peel a boiled quail egg before you offer it, because the shell is brittle and breaks into small hard pieces. A freeze dried egg that comes with its shell should be crumbled until nothing is larger than a flake. Pick out any shell your cat leaves at the edge of the bowl.
Are quail eggs better for cats than chicken eggs?
They are the same food at different sizes. USDA FoodData Central lists a quail egg at 9 grams and a large chicken egg at 50 grams, so the quail egg is simply easier to cut into cat sized portions.
How long does a freeze dried egg keep once the bag is open?
The label on the bag sets the storage directions, so follow it first. Keep the bag sealed between uses and out of reach of children. Write the date you opened it on the bag so you know how long it has been.
