Zucchini

Because it is low in calories, zucchini can help cats feel full in weight-control foods.

Zucchini is a summer squash that is mostly water, with some fiber and vitamins. It appears in small amounts in a few cat foods. We found no FDA or Merck guidance specific to zucchini in cat food, and cat studies are lacking. If your cat has a medical condition or is on a weight plan, ask your veterinarian about its food.

Zucchini is added as a low-calorie vegetable that brings water and fiber. In dry food it is dried first, so it adds a little fiber without many calories. The Pettings page says it gives digestion a little support at the small amounts used.

Whole zucchini means the entire vegetable was used, skin and seeds included, rather than a trimmed part or a processing by-product. The word whole is a description of form. Pettings shows this ingredient as zucchini and keeps the label wording in the page address.

Zucchini is a type of squash, but not the same as pumpkin. Zucchini is a summer squash with soft skin and high water content, while pumpkin is a winter squash with denser, starchier flesh. Pumpkin is far more common in pet food and is usually listed by its own name.

Pettings gives zucchini 3 out of 5 and lists it as a fruit or vegetable ingredient. It appears on 1 of the 149 dry cat foods we list. The page notes it is used in small amounts and gives digestion a little support. Each food's page shows how it scores overall.