Is It True That Male Cats Shouldn't Eat Fishy Foods?

[xenathecrazy]

I've been reading things that say that fish isn't good for male cats. They say it can make them prone to UTI or kidney issues. It seems like so many foods whether wet or dry include some form of fish. I'm feeding Fancy Feast and Friskies and the majority of flavors include fish. Friskies only has the Mixed Grill and I think it's Country Style without fish. What is the danger if any of feeding fishy foods to male cats? I can't afford very expensive foods since I'm trying to feed primarily wet food and also feed kibble to graze on. My kitty is a 4 month old male Maine Coon kitten. I'm familiar with the care of females but I want to help my little guy be as healthy as possible since I know they are more prone to urinary problems.

 

[KarenKat]

So I haven’t heard that there is a urinary problem with fish foods. The main issues are toxins in the fish (mercury, pollutants) and most fish foods contain Menadione (synthetic vitamin K or K3) which can possibly cause kidney issues. Also, fish is such a strong flavor that it can cause cats to become addicted/ picky.

There is more info here: Conflicted On Feeding Dry Food

I avoid Menadione entirely, and I prefer foods that don’t have fish as the first or second ingredient. Some amount is ok, but it’s best to feed a variety. Hopefully that helps.

 

[mikameek]

So, ironically I was going to link my own thread about the fish food but KarenKat beat me too it. I too avoid vitamin K3 but more so because it has a link to liver issues which my cat is already suffering from. I had a hard time though because my Mika was addicted to fish (like actually, addicted). I still feed her fish because she eats so well with it but I feed it as a second ingredient food.

I haven't heard anything on fish and UTI's in males but I have heard that about dry food (hence my posting on being conflicted to feed dry). If you want to get him off of fish, though, I would recommend novelty proteins. Whole Earth Farms cat food is a really good brand. Its only a little bit more expensive (a few cents here) than Fancy Feast but doesn't have Vitamin K3 and offers proteins like rabbit and duck. Finding new proteins that Mika liked helped wean her off of fish only.

I feed Nulo Turkey and Cod kibble (it's higher but I feed smaller amounts so the small bag lasts me a while) and I shoot for basically any wet food that she'll like that doesn't have fish or vitamin K3. Halo, Wellness, Blue Buffalo, Merrick and Whole Earth Farms are what I feed in rotation for wet foods.

 

[xenathecrazy]

I'm planning on picking up a few more different brand cans for him to try to see what else he'll eat well. I'm more concerned in getting the water into him, but I also wanted to make sure the fish wasn't a huge concern.

 

[duckpond]

I have read about male cats and UTI, i think because fish tends to be high in phosphorus because fish comes with its own bones. Now this i think varies greatly with brands. some foods that are ground up may have a lot of bone, i have even found a few brands with chunks of fish that have quite a few bones you can see. Some brands, such as many weruva, Almo nature tiki cat, and fussie cat, earthborn, do not seem to have a bone problems. Weruva has great information about the phosphorous count, and everything else on their website. You can also check this link.

https://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

I feed more fish than is recommended, i do feed mainly from the above brands as i trust them, I hope. Almo nature salmon and apple is the big hit right now.

 

[Rini]

I have just added salmon into my guy's rotation and he likes it, but he still prefers beef. He gets one can of fish based food per day (out of five total) and he has had no issues. I know this is an anecdote but I know lots of male cats who eat some fish with no issue. I think you should feed majority poultry or another protein, but some fish is ok if your kitty likes it.

 

[Gizmobius]

I have a male cat who honestly has never had much fish. On Saturdays he splits a 3oz can of a fish based food with my female and that's all the fish he gets. I had wondered if once a week was too much but I suppose it's not. I was very worried when I first got him because I know males are more prone to urinary issues but I think as long as their primary diet is canned food, they should be alright even if they do eat a diet heavier in fish.

 

[Daisy6]

I'm planning on picking up a few more different brand cans for him to try to see what else he'll eat well. I'm more concerned in getting the water into him, but I also wanted to make sure the fish wasn't a huge concern.

Getting more water into him begins wiht eliminating dry food completely. There is no health benefit to kibbles. Male cats are more likely to have urinary crystals and stones on dry food because it has no water. It is not just a bacterial infection, but a life-threatening condition if he gets blocked.

 

[xenathecrazy]

Getting more water into him begins wiht eliminating dry food completely. There is no health benefit to kibbles. Male cats are more likely to have urinary crystals and stones on dry food because it has no water. It is not just a bacterial infection, but a life-threatening condition if he gets blocked.

Wet food will be his primary diet but he's a kitten so I leave some dry food out to graze on. If he has to stay home overnight or a weekend for some reason, I need to have him able to eat dry food since you cannot leave wet food sitting out and I don't have anyone that can come in a few times a day to feed wet food.

 

[Daisy6]

That is fine if you have someone coming every day to clean the litterbox.

 

[xenathecrazy]

That is fine if you have someone coming every day to clean the litterbox.

If I have to go away, I put out several clean litter boxes. I have 2 out on a daily basis but if I go away, I put out more boxes.

 

[KarenKat]

We have had people come by every other day before for vacation. With extra litter boxes our boys were fine.

Now we have to have someone come by twice a day, because our new girl Olive would eat any food we left out in one sitting and be hungry by the evening. I think cat care while we are away is very dependent on how the cats are .

 

[KarenKat]

We have had people come by every other day before for vacation. With extra litter boxes our boys were fine.

Now we have to have someone come by

 

[Daisy6]

Daisy's cat sitter will come over once a day all week because a healthjy 2-year old cat wiht no special needs can live 24 hours with mostly dry food and one litterbox but when we had a cat with CRF, two visits a day were required.

 

[josiegirl]

I have a 16 year old male cat who gets the runs if I feed fish-type foods, ugh...So I have to be very careful to only give it to him at one feeding, maybe twice a week TOPS. He's a picky boy now and does love fish, sigh...

I have heard it can cause UTIs but haven't experienced it from fish. I did have a male cat who developed a urinary stone blockage when he was 3 years old because I had him exclusively on dry food. This was back in 2002 when I really knew nothing about nutrition. In a way, I'm thankful it happened because the trips to the vet weren't curing his condition and it forced me to do research and learn about cat health and nutrition. He never had a UTI again, and he passed away a couple years ago at 17 years of age.