TUNA-is it bad for the kitties?

watchcaddy

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I am just wondering if tuna from a can (supermarket bought) is bad for the cats. Stewie and Rupert took a lick and I stopped them. I am not sure if it is safe for them to eat or not. Anyone knows? Thanks!
 

sharky

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IT should only be a treat ... AND needs to be in WATER not oil
 

alice_curiouser

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Same here... I give mine some "juice" (aka tuna-flavoured water) and a few bites on top of their dry kibble. We don't use tuna very often, so it's a big event in our house.
 

EnzoLeya

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One thing I would like to add to what others are saying is to be carefull with the canned tuna. At times you can find bones mixed with the meat, I would sift through the tuna before you give it to your kitty. Don't want anything bad happen to your baby!
 

tierre0

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I use to give my cats tuna, only a small amount as a treat once in awhile. That was until I seen a report on tv inregards to how much mercury there is in canned tuna. Although it is something that is suppose to be regulated. A number of the cans that they tested were well above the limit...Since that time I have not given them any and I will not be in the future.
 

whiskerynature

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Originally Posted by watchcaddy

I am just wondering if tuna from a can (supermarket bought) is bad for the cats. Stewie and Rupert took a lick and I stopped them. I am not sure if it is safe for them to eat or not. Anyone knows? Thanks!
You should try Solid Gold's Blended Tuna pouch for cats...it smells & looks better than people-tuna & our guys love it (even our dry-food-guy!)
 
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watchcaddy

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Thank you all for the advice!
 

ddcats

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Just my experience, I have been giving my cat human tuna along with quality dry (Innova). I am going to switch to California dry because the Innova has potato in it. She is nine now and a beautiful cat without any health problems.


Heck, I am not taking any chances with any commercial canned food. Ever since I owned cats, I have always fed them tuna without any problems. Like the other poster said, just watch out for small bones.


Long ago, I have always thought canned cat and dog food was absolutely gross. After opening up the can and seeing the contents always made me think it looked like vomit.


Who is putting out these claims about human tuna not being good for cats anyway?
 

deljo

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My two do not like fish. My vet said to put some tuna oil on their dry food to help their skin. Of course they wouldn't eat it. From what I'm reading here they shouldn't have tuna in oil anyway. I'm just glad that they don't like tuna and when I eat it they don't even beg. They do eat both wet and dry. One likes wet and the other dry. With the food issues today its hard to know what to give them.
 

jpawz

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Originally Posted by ddcats

Just my experience, I have been giving my cat human tuna along with quality dry (Innova). I am going to switch to California dry because the Innova has potato in it. She is nine now and a beautiful cat without any health problems.


Heck, I am not taking any chances with any commercial canned food. Ever since I owned cats, I have always fed them tuna without any problems. Like the other poster said, just watch out for small bones.


Long ago, I have always thought canned cat and dog food was absolutely gross. After opening up the can and seeing the contents always made me think it looked like vomit.


Who is putting out these claims about human tuna not being good for cats anyway?
I think the issue is with amounts. A cat fed exclusively a human tuna diet is at risk to have some difficiencies at some point. Moderation is the key.
 

jujubee

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I've given Twinkle a little hunk twice now, and both times she had stinkier than usual #2, and she wouldn't eat for about a day afterwards, and was not her usual self, kind-of subdued. So I will not give it to her again.
 

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I fed my kitty tuna his whole life before I knew that is supposed to be really bad for cats. However, he passed away a year ago at the age of 20, so I guess it couldn't have been that bad if he lived that long. Now that I know better I don't feed it to my new kitties, but with all the recalls, it's so hard to know what's safe!
 

ddcats

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Originally Posted by chopperbates

I fed my kitty tuna his whole life before I knew that is supposed to be really bad for cats. However, he passed away a year ago at the age of 20, so I guess it couldn't have been that bad if he lived that long. Now that I know better I don't feed it to my new kitties, but with all the recalls, it's so hard to know what's safe!
So sorry to you lost your beloved cat, 20 years, that certainly is a long time.


Chopperbates, did you feed your kitty anything else besides tuna? I don't see anything wrong with tuna, my cats love it. They are healthy. I also feed Innova dry and am going to switch to the California.

If your cat lived for 20 years on tuna, that's enough for me. I have YET TO SEE A POST where someone said that their cat got SICK on just TUNA.
 

noelle&oliver

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Tuna is not nutritionally balanced for cats. If fed long term, and exclusively, the cat will end up with vitamin and mineral deficiencies. This is because fish of any kind are not a cat's natural diet. They are descendent from desert animals - environments that lack fish as food sources.
 

ddcats

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My cats get their vitamins from the quality dry food.

Cats in the wild are scavengers who eat anything: mice, rabbit, moles, birds, insects, fish, etc.

I know my cats are happy without any health problems.

It would be nice to have some documentation showing the statistics of cats who were fed tuna exclusively for years and the damage it caused.

The previous poster's cat lived to be 20 without any problems.
 

noelle&oliver

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Originally Posted by ddcats

My cats get their vitamins from the quality dry food.

Cats in the wild are scavengers who eat anything: mice, rabbit, moles, birds, insects, fish, etc.

I know my cats are happy without any health problems.

It would be nice to have some documentation showing the statistics of cats who were fed tuna exclusively for years and the damage it caused.

The previous poster's cat lived to be 20 without any problems.
The previous poster is one instance, and probably did not eat only tuna. Cat's are not scavengers. Scavengers are animals that eat dead carcasses. Cat's are hunters that instinctively seek out prey that will fulfill their nutritional needs. Since they were descendent from desert creatures - where no fish are present - they never ate fish on a regular basis. As such, their biology adapted to survive without it.

Taken from Mindy Bough, veterinary technician for the ASPCA Pet Nutrition and Science Advisory Service.
Tuna does not contain significant amounts of vitamin E, for example, so too much of the fish can lead to vitamin E deficiency, resulting in yellow fat disease, or steatitis. Symptoms include loss of appetite, fever and hypersensitivity to touch, due to inflammation and necrosis of fat under the skin. Felines who are fed too much tuna can develop other nutrient deficiencies, too, because most de-boned fish are lacking in calcium, sodium, iron, copper and several other vitamins. Without proper care, steatitis can cause death. Mercury, frequently present in tuna, also presents a potential danger.

The human variety of tuna fish contains an enzyme that destroys vitamin B1 (thiamine). Cats who regularly eat tuna can develop a vitamin B1 deficiency, which results in neurological symptoms like dilated eyes, loss of equilibrium, seizures and death if this vitamin is not replaced. The scientific name of this disease is polioencephlomalacia.

Tuna also lacks sufficient amounts of Taurine, which is essential to feline health. The calcium to phosphate ratio is also out of balance for what a cat needs.

Just google "tuna for cats", or consult your vet. You'll find the same information. Occasional tuna is ok, but feeding long term and exclusively will cause problems.
 

ddcats

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Noelle&Oliver;1747440 said:
Taken from Mindy Bough, veterinary technician for the ASPCA Pet Nutrition and Science Advisory Service.
Tuna does not contain significant amounts of vitamin E, for example, so too much of the fish can lead to vitamin E deficiency, resulting in yellow fat disease, or steatitis. Symptoms include loss of appetite, fever and hypersensitivity to touch, due to inflammation and necrosis of fat under the skin. Felines who are fed too much tuna can develop other nutrient deficiencies, too, because most de-boned fish are lacking in calcium, sodium, iron, copper and several other vitamins. Without proper care, steatitis can cause death. Mercury, frequently present in tuna, also presents a potential danger.

The human variety of tuna fish contains an enzyme that destroys vitamin B1 (thiamine). Cats who regularly eat tuna can develop a vitamin B1 deficiency, which results in neurological symptoms like dilated eyes, loss of equilibrium, seizures and death if this vitamin is not replaced. The scientific name of this disease is polioencephlomalacia.

quote]

Very good information! Can you find actual case studies? I see this info all over about tuna, but, have yet to come across scientific studies.
 

noelle&oliver

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Originally Posted by ddcats

Very good information! Can you find actual case studies? I see this info all over about tuna, but, have yet to come across scientific studies.
You won't be satisfied unless there was an actual study done? So, if a study concluded that tuna is totally acceptable to feed exclusively, you'd still do it, despite the fact that all these other conditions and illness were reported in cat's fed tuna exclusively? Many companies still claim that plant based dry food is acceptable for felines, even though it's known to cause many health issues and is not a species appropriate diet.

I believe Cornel University did a study, but I'm unable to find information regarding it. It seems pretty clear to me, though, that it's a simple case of cause and effect.
 
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