Yes. It is completely safe for your cat to eat rice. Rice is one of the most. If not the most, popular grains in the entire world. It comes in more colors, varieties, shapes, and sizes than I can think of. Should your cat decide that they want to indulge themselves into some of the rice that you left out or your cat is just so curious that they want to nibble, it is pretty much safe. Most vets recommend that cats consume a grain-free diet and recommend that you purchase foods that are grain-free. Grains are not a natural part of your cat's diet in nature nor should they really be in your cat's food.
However, a little rice here and there will not harm your cat.
Are there any benefits
Vitamin B
These are all important to the quality of your cats skin. Deficiencies can lead to dry flaky seborrhoea accompanied by alopecia, anorexia, weight loss and pruritus.
Iron
When the body is deficient in iron, red cells do not develop as they should. The lack of iron causes the cells that are produced by the bone marrow to be too small, and too low in oxygen-carrying features.
Manganese
Manganese probably isn’t something you are very familiar with, but it is widely found in different forms in pet foods. Manganese is an essential mineral for all animals, needed for bone growth and proper thyroid hormone production. It contains a wealth of antioxidants. Manganese also helps your pets to digest and absorb proteins and carbohydrates, and aids in the activation of enzymes that help your pet utilize the fatty acids in their diet. Manganese can help slow the aging process.
How often can you feed your cat rice
Because rice is a grain and grains are not usually something that vets recommend, it’s recommended that you don’t frequently feed your cat rice. If they find themselves into some leftover rice that you’ve left on your plate, it isn’t a problem, but you probably shouldn’t feed your cat rice on any consistent basis.
Any Concerns?
Most cats don’t actually require a grain-free diet, but a high protein & low carbohydrate diet is something that has been discussed amongst researchers, scientist and vets.
There are no real health concerns into giving your cat rice as their cat food probably has some form of grain in it, even if it is marketed as “grain-free”
Common Questions
Do cats like rice?
Most cats have no interest in rice and the little interest that they do show is purely out of curiosity of what you’re eating. However, I’ve seen a few cats in my time that like rice among other interesting foods
Can my kitten eat rice?
Rice is completely harmless to kittens as well as adult cats. However, due to their younger age eating large quantities of rice is not advised
Can cats be allergic to rice?
It’s possible that food allergies to cats can occur, although its a lot less likely that a cat will have an allergy to grains.
My cat at rice, what should I do?
There is nothing to worry about. As stated above, it’s completely harmless and safe for your cat to eat rice.
Final Word
I am always intrigued by the different things that cats will like and also the different things that their owners like to feed them. I think cats' teeth aren’t really set up well to chew rice, but if they are showing interest and genuinely curious, it won’t hurt to give them a nibble. Most cats will quickly learn that they’d rather have meat than rice and probably refrain from eating rice in the future.
But… if they don’t. Rest assured that it’s perfectly safe for them to eat it.