Cats'N Tuna

sailfish

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Before I was aware that a lot of fish is no good for the kitty, I had a few experiences where the cats would climb my leg like a tree to get to the goods.
Aparently a diet of fish stops the cats ability to absorb vitamin E. I treat them to raw fish once in a while now. But the Buffet is over.
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StefanZ

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The trick is of course to give them extra E-vitamin when they eat their beloved tuna!

If they ate Tuna or fish more than say once or twice a week.
 

pudgicat

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My vet told me that cats should not have fish at all.... he rattled off a list of reasons, but what stuck with me was the issue with too much magnesium. He said that almost every commercial brand of cat food has some type of fish product in it, but it's only there because cats react to it so strongly.... I know Zoobie turns flips when I open a can of tuna when he's around. Even the chicken flavors and other non-fish flavored food has some fish product in it.

Does anyone else feel this strongly about completely restricting fish for their kitties?
 

kareemsbuddy

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When I open a can of tuna I cant help but give Kareem a little flake...he absolutely loves it. Once he has a taste he usally wonders on over to his food dish. Mind you...I have tuna maybe once every couple weeks!! I would hesitate giving my cat raw fish though sailfish....it could contain a number of things no good for kitties...magnesium and mercury.....
 

cyberkitten

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I think the fact some fish have heavy metals in them - like mercury - is another factor. The amounts are minute enough for us (for the most part!!!) but less safe for tiny beings who have different physicological processes like cats. I never give mine any tuna cat food but occasionally, I will give her a "treat" (since she loves the *&^% stuff, kind of like me and potato chips) - maybe once or twice a month of a spoonful of tuna processed for humans. YY also likes lobster and I do give her that as well - but only if I know where it was fished. I have a neighbour who fishes lobster with her husband and she gives me "leftover" lobster, lol But I add vitamin E and madnesium to her diet when I give the tuna to YY or the Sphynx. I am not certain if lobster depletes vitamin E or not in cats.
 

sylorna

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We're going through a resistance in this house against anything but fish flavours. At first Chester would eat anything, then he wouldn't eat the chicken and rice flavour and now the turkey and rice flavour is out. We're running out of options that aren't fish (for all of them) and I'm not really sure how to reverse the process without him starving.
My dad doesn't seem to believe me that there's a risk with feeding fish either. Does anyone know of a repituble article I could send to him?

That being said, today's his birthday and I got some "kitty tuna" which is infused with vitamin E for his "birthday cake". He loves it!
 
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sailfish

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I was looking at the food comparison chart and noticed that the nine lives tuna and egg contained neither. I'd be skeptica weather most of the seafood flavored foods are just that.... Flavored.
 

rockcat

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I posted this before, but it was quite awhile ago.
Tripod was diagnosed with a tapeworm. I was told that it came from fleas. My cats had no fleas. The vets office and I argued about this several times. Tripod took the pill for tapeworm with no effect. He did not have the segments that are usually seen. This sounds afwul, but he had the actual worm coming out of butt. I took IT to the vet and they confirmed it was a tapeworm. (It is still there in fermaldehyde.) I researched this on my own and brought paperwork to the vets office. Poor Tripod took several doses that did him absolutely no good. Eventually we worked together and found that there is another type of tapeworm that comes from eating RAW FISH. It takes 32 times more medication to kill this type than the type that comes from fleas. Thank God it worked without hurting Tripod!

Tripod is a found cat. There was a guy who used to clean his fish and leave the remains close to where he was found.
 

yosemite

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Our kitties really dislike seafood. Bijou has however been begging me every night for ham and since I read here that pork was not good for cats, I stopped giving it to him.

It breaks my heart - EVERY night he meows, rubs against my leg, stands up on my legs then goes to the refrigerator door. He really, really wants ham but I'm being stoic.
 
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