Buckwheat

Cats have very little need for grains, so a small spoon of soft cooked buckwheat is at most a novel treat with a little carbohydrate and fibre.

About a quarter teaspoon of cooked buckwheat per serving, mashed into wet food, without reducing main-diet intake and within about 10% of daily energy intake.

Rinse the groats, simmer them in plain water until completely soft, then crush them, adding no salt, oil or seasoning; skip buckwheat noodles and buckwheat tea.

**Buckwheat hulls and pillow filling are not food and can obstruct the gut**, so keep them well away from cats; **gluten-free still means carbohydrate, not a replacement for animal-based nutrition**, and **contact a vet** for vomiting or diarrhoea.

Cooked buckwheat supplies carbohydrate with a little plant protein and fibre, so it can be mixed in occasionally; **it contains no gluten and is not a wheat**, which still does not make it more nutritious than rice.

1-2 teaspoons of cooked buckwheat groats stirred into the food, within about 10% of daily energy intake, with complete dog food as the main diet.

Rinse the groats and simmer them until **completely soft** in water only, with no salt, oil, butter or seasoning; **buckwheat noodles and buckwheat tea are not suitable to feed**, as the noodles are salted and the tea is a concentrated brew.

**Buckwheat hulls and the filling of buckwheat pillows and cushions are not food and can obstruct the gut**, so keep them out of reach; buckwheat is still carbohydrate and **never replaces a complete diet**; start small and watch for 24 hours.