Tuna

Your thoughts on tuna? Really bad? I hear it's bad. My cats are severely addicted to it. My fiance wants me to get them off of it and says it's bad for their digestive tracts.

Just looking for opinions from you guys. I don't want to give it to them if it's bad for their health.

You will get many responses, but I just wanted to say that my boy Sasha LOVES canned tuna. So once in awhile he gets it but it's always marked "low sodium" and always packed in water, never oil, and white albacore.

A little as a treat now and then is just fine, IMO. Two problems with making a meal out of it, though: first, it's so tasty to the cat that if a time comes when he loses his appetite, you have no more tricks up your sleeve to stimulate that appetite; second, tuna is an "end of the food chain" fish, so it might have more toxins than would be good for a steady diet. I really don't think there's any reason to think that it's bad for their digestive tracts, though.

If you are talking about feeding the tuna you buy for yourself, the answer depends on how much of your cats daily diet consists of this, and whether or not you are feeding tuna packed in oil or in water. Tuna packed in oil can deplete a cats vitamin e, leading to a painful disease called steatitis. Only feed tuna packed in water...and I think Sashacat's suggestion re low sodium as well is a good idea.

Cat food containing tuna is supplemented with vitamin e, so is not of concern re steatitis that I know of.

In all things, moderation is a good idea...so just don't make this the mainstay of your cats diet, keep it a treat, in small amts at a time, would be my advice.

OK, they both eat their catfood well. They free feed and they get a table spoon in the morning and a table spoon at night before I go to bed of the only kind of tuna they'll eat which is starkist, in water. LOL.

How's that? Too much? John (my fiance, their dad) says it's bad for them. Something to do with the mercury or something, idk.

I honestly would have to refer you back to your vet to answer that one. I did find one vet's opinion - click here and scroll to the last question/answer at the bottom of the page. Bottom line was this vet suggested no more than 1 tablespoon of tuna per day.

wow thank you that cleared it up for me

Originally Posted by Pat & Alix

I honestly would have to refer you back to your vet to answer that one. I did find one vet's opinion - click here and scroll to the last question/answer at the bottom of the page. Bottom line was this vet suggested no more than 1 tablespoon of tuna per day.

Click to expand...

Thank you very much! LOL, Their dad also doesn't like how they are addicted. They are seething fiends!