Is fish bad?

Ok, so I was at the store today looking at the premium foods and was surprised to find that nearly all of them contained fish! Even orijen which I always assumed was the best. I was always told fish was not a natural food for cats and unhealthy for them, yet I didn't see a single fish free cat food at the store! Is fish really that bad? Or is it good?

There is disagreement on whether fish should only be fed as a treat or acceptable for some meals and how much is too much fish. Unless the cat is allergic to fish, eating it occasionally is not bad. Problems occur when a cat eats salmon or tuna, predator fish, every day and suffers mercury poisoning. For this reason cats should eat small fish that are low on the food chain if they don't like meat or poultry in any form. Salmon and tuna treats are OK, but I would not recommend them for the meals.

Fish is not necessary, but it amps up the protein % and cats seem to like the aroma.

fair2middling said:

Fish is not necessary, but it amps up the protein % and cats seem to like the aroma. 

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More important, it amps up omega-3 fatty acids. Cats can get more taurine from mammals and birds, so variety is important.

Fish isn't necessarily bad, per se. It is high in Omega 3's and other vitamins. If I was feeding canned food, I would include fish about two times a week though, at the most. It's high in mercury and that's what you really wanna avoid. And be careful, because some fish containing foods have the deadly preservative ethoxiquin in them. http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/01/03/fish-as-a-protein-source.aspx

Fish is so very frequently included in commercial pet foods because of its strong odor, which increases the chances that a cat will find the food appealing, therefore increasing sales of that food and the pet food company's profits. It's also a cheap source of protein since most of the fish in pet food is a waste product of the fishing (or fish farming) industry.

Jezahb said:

I saw that, however your question is different from mine. Browsing your thread it was more about fish as treats and other things, mine is all about asking why fish is included in all the premium pet foods if it is not a natural food source. To me it seems different, I wasn't asking because I wanted to give them fish and needed to know how much...I was asking if fish is necessary in cat food.

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Not to worry, you can start any type of thread you choose. It is alright that another thread was already in progress in regards to feeding fish to cats. Glad that you have found TCS and I think your question/thread is a valid one. I, too, notice that SO many cans of cat food contain fish. I have a fish addict too and am working desperately to get her away from foods with fish. I started using the fish to entice her to eat commercially made raw ground meat. It works well. BUT....... now she won't eat the meat without the fishy foods.

I also have to wonder why so many canned cat food manufacturer's use "fish" so heavily. :dk: IF it is so bad for cats. :dk: Good question. :nod:

Sugarcatmom said:

Fish is so very frequently included in commercial pet foods because of its strong odor, which increases the chances that a cat will find the food appealing, therefore increasing sales of that food and the pet food company's profits. It's also a cheap source of protein since most of the fish in pet food is a waste product of the fishing (or fish farming) industry.

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Companies are targeting people who don't know fish should only be a treat, not a meal.

There is more to know about feeding fish to cats.... One of the biggest problems, IMHO, is the phosphorus content - too high. When fed on a regular basis, it can be troublesome for kitties with Kidney issues. It is also low in Ca, which makes that balance even worst. It has been related to UTIs....
It is highly addictive, and one of the most allergenic foods aside from grains.

Here are 8 reasons not to feed:
http://catnutrition.wordpress.com/2007/09/22/eight-strikes-against-fishy-feeding-for-cats/

With all that said, there is sardines..... and O-3.... the benefits of it. Fish oil as an oil is not a protein, therefore not considered an allergen.... (although some freakish kitties, such as mine might still have problems :lol3

I feed no fish to my cats ever. You have to read every word on the pet food label, because, as you have discovered, fish is often sneaked in, caveat emptor.

Fish is high in histamines (causes allergic reactions) and the poorer the quality of the fish, the higher the histamines. And as has been noted, the fish used in pet foods is usually the garbage that can't be used anywhere else, so the quality is very poor. Fish contains a lot of bones, which makes it high in phosphurous. Certain fish, especially bottom feeders, are high in heavy metals including mercury.

Feeding fish to cats has also been linked to hyperthyroid disease.

Actually the worst thing is not the fish itself, the ethoxiquin suppliers sneak in them to maintain freshness on their way to the manufacturer. Susan Thixton wrote it caused bone cancer that killed her dog and just calls it 'e' most of the time because of that. Many companies are smart enough to use Naturox instead, but as long as anybody uses ethoxiquin we have to give our cats fish that was caught for humans. Ethoxiquin is strictly forbidden for human foods, so you can buy canned tuna for your cat and add supplements.

EmilyMayWilcha said:

Actually the worst thing is not the fish itself, the ethoxiquin suppliers sneak in them to maintain freshness on their way to the manufacturer. Susan Thixton wrote it caused bone cancer that killed her dog and just calls it 'e' most of the time because of that. Many companies are smart enough to use Naturox instead, but as long as anybody uses ethoxiquin we have to give our cats fish that was caught for humans. Ethoxiquin is strictly forbidden for human foods, so you can buy canned tuna for your cat and add supplements.

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I disagree with you that anyone should feed their cat human tuna and add supplements. Tuna is not good for cats.

EmilyMayWilcha said:

Actually the worst thing is not the fish itself, the ethoxiquin suppliers sneak in them to maintain freshness on their way to the manufacturer. Susan Thixton wrote it caused bone cancer that killed her dog and just calls it 'e' most of the time because of that. Many companies are smart enough to use Naturox instead, but as long as anybody uses ethoxiquin we have to give our cats fish that was caught for humans. Ethoxiquin is strictly forbidden for human foods, so you can buy canned tuna for your cat and add supplements.

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No. No matter how you see it, fish is still too high in phosphorous, low in Calcium, when feeding unbalanced human grade fish, overfeeding can cause Vitamin e depletion, it has been related to thyroid disease, can cause Thiamin depletion, it contributes to UTIs, depending to what you feed, it is still high in heavy metals, and it IS addictive and an allergen. No matter what.
I am sorry Susan Thixton lost her dog to cancer, but her experience doesn't make it the biggest problem.
Kidney disease in cats and UTIs are far more common, and far bigger issues than bone cancer..... As cat owners, those two reasons should be enough to not feed fish, or limit the feeding, IMHO - and it is the fish itself that is the problem, not ethoxiquin.

otto said:

I disagree with you that anyone should feed their cat human tuna and add supplements. Tuna is not good for cats.

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Feeding tuna regularly is the best way you will find to get vitamin E deficiency/ yellow fat disease, or steatitis. Tuna at best, should be fed as an occasional treat.

Carolina said:

No. No matter how you see it, fish is still too high in phosphorous, low in Calcium, when feeding unbalanced human grade fish, overfeeding can cause Vitamin E depletion, it has been related to thyroid disease, can cause thiamin depletion, it contributes to UTIs, depending to what you feed, it is still high in heavy metals, and it IS addictive and an allergen. No matter what.
I am sorry Susan Thixton lost her dog to cancer, but her experience doesn't make it the biggest problem.
Kidney disease in cats and UTIs are far more common, and far bigger issues than bone cancer..... As cat owners, those two reasons should be enough to not feed fish, or limit the feeding, IMHO - and it is the fish itself that is the problem, not ethoxiquin.

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The amount of phosphorus depends on the amount of fish the cat eats. Is one spoonful bad? Probably not. But I agree it is not a good idea to give a cat the whole can of tuna. What I am reading here is large amounts of fish are bad. There is nothing wrong with giving fish as a treat.

EmilyMayWilcha said:

The amount of phosphorus depends on the amount of fish the cat eats. Is one spoonful bad? Probably not. But I agree it is not a good idea to give a cat the whole can of tuna. What I am reading here is large amounts of fish are bad. There is nothing wrong with giving fish as a treat.

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Emily, read the original post and the consecutive ones. This is about most foods contaning fish, which means fish being fed on a regular basis, at meals, not as an occasional treat.
As an occasional treat, many things are ok that would be quite bad if fed on a regular basis.