Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin seeds are popularly believed to protect against intestinal parasites, but this claim has not been proven in cats.

Pumpkin seeds add fiber along with some zinc and vitamin E. In cat food they are ground into the kibble in small amounts, usually listed as organic pumpkin seeds. Pettings found no published feeding studies of pumpkin seeds in cats, so what is known comes from their general nutrient content. For a cat with a medical condition, or before giving pumpkin seeds outside of food, ask your veterinarian.

Pumpkin seeds are used as a fiber source that also adds a little nutrition. They contain zinc, which cats need for normal skin and coat, and vitamin E, which helps protect cells from oxidation. Complete cat foods also add these nutrients separately, so the seeds are a small extra. They appear mostly in premium dry recipes.

Yes, compared with pumpkin flesh. Pumpkin seeds are oily seeds with a large share of fat and protein, while pumpkin flesh is mostly water and carbohydrate. In cat food the seeds are used in small amounts, so they add little to the overall fat level shown in the guaranteed analysis.

Pumpkin is the flesh of the squash, which adds soluble fiber and beta-carotene with few calories. Pumpkin seeds are the seeds, which add fiber with some fat, protein, zinc and vitamin E. They are separate ingredients on a label. Pettings scores pumpkin 4 out of 5 and pumpkin seeds 3 out of 5, both as fiber sources.

Pettings gives pumpkin seeds 3 out of 5 and lists them as a fiber source. They appear on 6 of the 149 dry cat foods we list, usually as Organic Pumpkin Seeds. They add a little nutrition alongside fiber, which puts them one step below pumpkin flesh in our ratings. Each food's page shows how it scores overall.