Is all fish bad for all cats?

[yelloweyes]

Help me fact check this, or at least compare with your knowledge. I ran into this fact sheet from a random vet's office and I thought it was compelling enough to save. Still, I wonder if it's really necessary to completely villainize fish as food for cats. I do remember being warned off of too much fish for older male cats, in particular, but this seems to take the opinion that all fish is bad for all cats at all ages. If this is really a thing, I'll do it, but it sure is in a lot of food & treats for cats. This is a pdf called "Do Not Feed Fish To Your Cat" (linked). It seems to be from the All Cats Veterinary Clinic in Houston, Tx. I guess I won't link the clinic website since the home page pops up as a "security risk" for me.

To summarize: They cite fish as an allergen, and also link it with UTI, Hyperthyroidism, Addiction, Thiamin destruction, Low Calcium, and Vitamin E Depletion. They also talk about heavy metals content in fish, which frankly, should be a concern to us all. Your thoughts?

 

[Margot Lane]

I steer clear of fish, for all the reasons you mentioned. However, have read several threads here where people use tuna juice to lure a feral into a trap or to recover a lost kitty; also in some cases the fatty oils from salmon (Omegas) can be good for eyesight and arthritis. I’ve seen many a feral in Greece, for example, chow down on fish along the docks, and their coats always seem quite shiny. This doesn’t REALLY answer your question though. It is weird, isn’t it? If it’s bad for cats, why is it so prevalent in catfood?

 

[Babypaws]

When I look at the ingredients in different cat food brands, even though the label says beef or chicken or turkey after reading the ingredients I always see fish along with the fillers like spinach and rice and carrots so I think it’s very hard to feed any cat without getting some fish in them

 

[yelloweyes]

Yes, I can see how that would be. Fortunately this is not a current problem we're working on, but I'm curious if this idea is really fact or fiction. It does cause me prefer foods without fish in the name of them, though. But it starts to seem like chicken, chicken, and more chicken if fish weren't ever on the menu. Also kitties apparently also eat cows, since beef is also often an option. Just sayin.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Fish foods often contain mercury and related metals/minerals that aren't necessarily a big part of non-fish foods. If a cat's diet is not strictly fish, I don't think it is a big deal, or at least not as big of a deal as some try to make it out to be. Yes, it can be an allergen, but so can chicken and/or other proteins.
Can I Feed My Cat A Fish-based Or Fish-flavored Diet? - TheCatSite

 

[daftcat75]

I don't need to read that PDF to know that it's what I call "Food Babe Science." Someone read something scary somewhere and collected all the scarys into a scary PDF that's really the worst case scenario of everything they ever read about. It reminds me of the early days of the Internet. Every now and then a scare email would get circulated called "Ban dihydrogen monoxide!" "It's an ecological terror, an industrial solvent, it's in everything, and it's fatal if inhaled." (It's also water.)

My thoughts on the hazards of fish in cat food was that if it was as hazardous as the scaremongers suppose it is, we'd hear a lot more about mercury-poisoning in cats, neurological symptoms, fish-diet related deficiencies, etc. That's not to say that everything written about fish and cats is excessive or wrong. I suppose if you fed a cat nothing but tuna for fifteen years, it possibly could accumulate a worrying amount of mercury.

My take on fish for cats is more nuanced.

1. It can be pro-inflammatory. If your cat has an inflammatory condition like IBD, it's probably a good idea to avoid fish.
2. It can be addictive. Some cats will hold out and eat nothing but fish flavored foods if they realize that is an option.
3. For reason #2, I would keep fish-based foods on standby as emergency food to get a sick cat or a cat who otherwise isn't eating to come back to food. As quickly as reasonable, I would transition that cat back to non-fish-based food. Exceptional times require exceptional measures. But they have to remain the exception, or you lose that nuclear option.

I make an exception to those rules for fish oil. Fish oil is anti-inflammatory. I don't know a cat who will hold out for fish oil. Some like it and some, like Betty, you have to sneak those omegas in her through her joint supplement treats. But another reason why I make an exception for fish oil is because cats cannot utilize plant-based EFA's. Flax oil is wasted on a cat.

 

[Mighty Orange]

I feed fish and other meats, My cats get a basic food like friskies pate. My previous cats have enjoyed a long life. I occasionally stick a devoured into the mix because it is 100% the meat only a small can treat.

 

[Pengleng]

I'm freaking out. My cat loves fish. He eats fish every other day. What should I do??

 

[daftcat75]

I'm freaking out. My cat loves fish. He eats fish every other day. What should I do??

I wouldn't take the fish away. But mix in other meats, different protein foods. If he likes them, you can probably slowly shift the balance away from fish. It can take a long time to convince a cat to accept a new diet. Take it slowly. He's probably fine and these things take a long time to develop if they ever do. I'm not convinced that fish is that bad. But I do believe that it is less than ideal.

 

[heatherwillard0614]

Like mentioned above any of the proteins can be an allergen I think in moderation it can be fine. That being said I also think it to be cat by cat basis if one cat can eat it all the time with no adverse reactions while another car could have mild to severe reactions. But again that goes for pretty much anything.
Please understand that this is my personal opinion with this topic though. Not everyone would agree or disagree with the fish topic.

 

[IndyJones]

Like mentioned above any of the proteins can be an allergen I think in moderation it can be fine. That being said I also think it to be cat by cat basis if one cat can eat it all the time with no adverse reactions while another car could have mild to severe reactions. But again that goes for pretty much anything.
Please understand that this is my personal opinion with this topic though. Not everyone would agree or disagree with the fish topic.

My Indy loves fish she also has a clogged nostril due to a scar tissue from a previous feline herpies infection and can't smell very well.

She almost flicks her tounge when she sniffs like a lizard.

Fish is her favourite and she also likes the performatrin lickables chicken and scallops. She gets that after i de-shed her with the furminator (hates being brushed). The chicken and scallops is her big reward because she loves it.

I really don't think it is a big issue unless the cat has an alergy or sensitivity.

 

[catloverfromwayback]

Maddie lived her thirteen years on Fancy Feast dry fish. Might have been addicted, she certainly refused anything else!
Daisy's on Purina Weight Loss, a dry tuna. Took her a while to take to it. She hasn't been on it long enough to show results yet, and I can't feed her wet food (she's never been that keen, won't finish a serve, and I'd have to stand guard or Phoebe would pinch it), so she's on it for the time being.

 

[iPappy]

Fish foods often contain mercury and related metals/minerals that aren't necessarily a big part of non-fish foods. If a cat's diet is not strictly fish, I don't think it is a big deal, or at least not as big of a deal as some try to make it out to be. Yes, it can be an allergen, but so can chicken and/or other proteins.
Can I Feed My Cat A Fish-based Or Fish-flavored Diet? - TheCatSite

This is the way I see it, too. My cats have had fish occasionally (mostly sardines) but it's not the main protein source.

 

[Margot Lane]

Arg. Am trying to wean IBD Zorro onto a new novel protein (duck) but wouldn’t you know, the food that advertises itself as limited ingredient duck actually smells like fish. Lo! 4th ingredient listed in the teeny tiny print is….mackerel. I’m beginning to think cat food makers don’t get “limited ingredient.“

 

[daftcat75]

Arg. Am trying to wean IBD Zorro onto a new novel protein (duck) but wouldn’t you know, the food that advertises itself as limited ingredient duck actually smells like fish. Lo! 4th ingredient listed in the teeny tiny print is….mackerel. I’m beginning to think cat food makers don’t get “limited ingredient.“

At the fourth one down, it must be limited mackerel, right? Isn’t that how it works?

 

[Mighty Orange]

Advice About Eating Fish

There are certain fish that are safe to consume.

 

[Hazel06]

Our cats eat a fair bit of tinned fish I didn't know there was anything wrong with it, and honestly I'm not sure what else we can feed.
We can't afford premium type feeds, and the only other options tend to have a lot of chicken by products in them, that we try to avoid.
Some of our cats catch fresh fish from the river as well, although that is more of an occasional treat, and probably one of them more healthy things they can eat.

 

[IndyJones]

Our cats eat a fair bit of tinned fish I didn't know there was anything wrong with it, and honestly I'm not sure what else we can feed.
We can't afford premium type feeds, and the only other options tend to have a lot of chicken by products in them, that we try to avoid.
Some of our cats catch fresh fish from the river as well, although that is more of an occasional treat, and probably one of them more healthy things they can eat.

If they aren't health compromised theres no reason to stop feeding fish if they are used to it

There is alot of inconclusive and anicdotal incedents on the internet

It is just like how some people can tolerate red meat while others cant.

 

[iPappy]

Our cats eat a fair bit of tinned fish I didn't know there was anything wrong with it, and honestly I'm not sure what else we can feed.
We can't afford premium type feeds, and the only other options tend to have a lot of chicken by products in them, that we try to avoid.
Some of our cats catch fresh fish from the river as well, although that is more of an occasional treat, and probably one of them more healthy things they can eat.

I don't tend to shy away from by-products as much as I used to in dry or canned foods. Lungs, spleen, and liver sound gross to us but if your cat catches a mouse, or when they catch fish from the river, they will more than likely consume those parts.

 

[maggie101]

Deeper the fish swim,more toxic. Adult tuna swim deep, their little ones do not,so I've read. Salmon and mackerel do not swim as deep. Hopefully every single fish is tested but how do they know if the bones are totally cleared out? Much cheaper for companies to use fish than any other protein. Learning comes from googling so be sure what you read is up to date. I also no longer shy away from your products,cats love it. As long as their happy!