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I recently pinched my brother's cat to stop him from eating a cashew seed. My cat tried eating a cashew seed I presented him with as well.

Hazelnuts and some other nuts can be highly toxic to cats and it is still unknown whether it is related to some contents of the nuts or occasional contamination with toxic moulds, so I did not let them eat the nuts.

So, besides containing too much fat to be part of a regular diet, are cashews known to be harmful to cats?

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    Of note: Cashews are seeds, not nuts. Wikipedia – James Jenkins Oct 8 '15 at 9:15
  • I was just surprised to see my cat eating a honey-roasted cashew I got from Costco the other day. Hopefully he will be fine; funny to see that its not unusual... wonder what attracts them! – user10742 Nov 17 '17 at 7:38
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Last month I bought big bag of cashews that I left on the counter. When I wasn't watching my Cornish Rex decided to help himself to the bag, eating at least half a dozen of them. I searched the internet for a while and couldn't uncover any evidence that they are harmful, though I did find several references to people using them as treats.

He never suffered any ill effects, not even digestive issues.

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    Even while cashews are not toxic to cats that does not make them healthy. They contain far too much fat, and in general the wrong stuff for cats. The coatings and any flavoring added to them could also be unhealthy and possibly cause an allergic reaction. – Stig Tore Jul 3 '17 at 10:45
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    An additional note: a German site lists Cashews as "ok in small amounts", and many message-boards seem to agree that cats love trying to eat them. Sadly, the site listing them is a side for vegan cat food, which I think is nonsensical. But I did NOT find hints of Cats being poisoned by Cashews on any German sites. – Layna Nov 17 '17 at 8:46

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