Can Cats Eat Honey?

Updated 18 October 2026 · Researched against PDSA, Cats Protection and International Cat Care guidance

Honey is sugar and water. Cats are obligate carnivores with no need for either, and they lack the taste receptor for sweetness, so the appeal is scent and texture rather than flavour.

There is a persistent idea that honey helps with wounds or with low blood sugar in cats. Wound care and blood sugar are veterinary decisions; a cat with low blood sugar is an emergency, not a spoon-of-honey situation.

What to watch for in the UK

• Manuka and other premium honeys are the same sugar as the cheap ones.
• Honey-roast ham and honey-glazed vegetables bring salt and other ingredients with them.
• A cat that has eaten honey will often get it on its paws and coat — wash it off with a damp cloth.
• Never put honey on a wound: it attracts dirt, and the cat will lick it off.

If your cat has already eaten it

1. A taste: nothing to do.
2. A significant amount: watch for diarrhoea; the sugar load can cause loose stools.

Out of hours, use your practice's emergency number. If you can, take the packaging with you — the ingredient list often tells the vet more than the description does. This page explains risk; it cannot diagnose your cat, and it deliberately contains no doses or home treatments.

If your cat is already vomiting, see the cat vomiting guide. For the wider red-flag checklist, use sick cat symptoms. If a plant rather than a food is involved, the toxic plants checklist is the right page.

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