You may serve your cat eggs as treats because they contain high-quality animal protein, vitamins, and minerals.
However, they cannot replace meat and fish in your cat’s diet.
Being obligate carnivores, your cat needs protein from meat and fish products. Eggs are not flesh, so they are not the best source of nutrients for your pet.
While they can supply valuable nutrients, they do not contain all that your cat requires.
Protein
Cats need plenty of high-quality animal protein with the right balance of amino acids.
Egg white and yolk contain high-quality and highly digestible animal protein. While eggs are rich in essential amino acids, such as lysine, they lack some other amino acids essential for cats.
Taurine: Eggs do not contain enough taurine, an essential amino acid in cat nutrition. Your cat needs taurine because she cannot synthesize enough of it from methionine and cysteine like dogs can.
Taurine maintains the heart, eyes, and immune system.
Meat, organs, and seafood are the best sources. Eggs, milk, and plant proteins are deficient in it.
Arginine: Cats are susceptible to arginine deficiency. Deficiency of the amino acid leads to hyperammonemia, a condition characterized by high ammonia levels in the blood.
Ammonia is neurotoxic. Thus, hyperammonemia causes neurological signs and symptoms such as drooling, tremors, weakness, vomiting, ataxia (lack of coordination), convulsions, coma, and death.
Although eggs are a good source of arginine, meat (especially white meat) and fish contain more. Thus, the best way to prevent arginine deficiency is to feed your cats a meat and fish-based diet.
Vitamins
Eggs are excellent sources of vitamins (vitamins A, D, E, and B, including B3 (niacin), B12 (cobalamin), B2 (Riboflavin), and B1 (Thiamine).
Niacin: Cats need niacin (B3) in their diet. They cannot synthesize sufficient niacin (nicotinic acid) from the amino acid tryptophan. Thus, they require a higher supply.
While eggs contain some niacin, meat and fish are the best sources. Thus, the best way to ensure your pet gets all the niacin she needs is to include fish and meat in her diet.
Vitamin A (retinol): Cats also cannot convert beta-carotene present in fruits and veggies to the active form, retinol. So, they need a diet high in retinol.
Eggs are a good source of retinol. Thus, adding some to your cat’s diet could help. But organ meats, such as liver and kidneys, are even better sources of retinol.
Vitamin D: Cats can’t convert enough skin 7-dehydrocholesterol to vitamin D like humans. So they need to get it from their diet. Egg yolk is a good source of vitamin D, but fatty fish and liver are the best sources.
Most commercial cat food formulations have added vitamin D to ensure your pet gets enough of the essential nutrient.
Minerals
Eggs are high in minerals such as calcium, potassium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, manganese, zinc, and selenium necessary for feline health.
Essential fatty acids and antioxidants
Eggs also contain essential fatty acids, including polyunsaturated fats, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, for brain, heart, and nervous system health.
They also supply some antioxidants, such as lutein and zeaxanthin.
Best way to serve eggs to your cat
It is best to serve your cat cooked eggs instead of raw. You may serve them boiled or scrambled, preferably without salt.
Don’t serve your cat raw or undercooked eggs because they may contain harmful bacteria.
Also avoid serving them raw due to the presence of a substance known as avidin that prevents the absorption of biotin (B7) in cats and dogs and may lead to deficiency.