Sardines Packed in Olive Oil - Safe to Eat?

[spac]

I would never give sardines to my cats, but a family member did against my wishes and behind my back. Now the cat isn't eating and looks sick.

Are these safe to give to a cat? I would think that the olive oil would have a laxative like affect on a cat. It's a feral cat so I don't know if he's vomited or had diarrhea. He's not eating and that's very unusual.

If this family member is going to feed sardines to the cat on a rare occasion, is it better if they at least rinse the oil off the sardines first? Or is it the "richness" of the sardines that's making him ill? The package says it's boneless and skinless. I'm not sure how much he ate, maybe half a can. These are the sardines - Skinless + Boneless Sardines in Olive Oil –

 

[fionasmom]

I think that sardines as a treat are considered safe for cats...not sure about ingesting a lot of olive oil which might cause intestinal upset.

Sardines regularly are not a good idea as they are not complete nutritionally. Supposedly mercury content is much lower than human tuna but I am always nervous about deviating from regular cat food or a balanced home prepared diet.

If the sardines just happened to coincide with something else making the cat sick, you might be seeing that.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

S spac , how is he today? Eating yet? I really don't see any reason why those sardines packed in Olive Oil would have made him sick. I can see how he might have gotten diarrhea from them IF he consumed all the oil from them though. Did your family member just pull out the sardines and give those to him, or set the can down and let him have everything in the can? If this continues, I would sya it's fine for him to have a sardine or two and they don't need to be rinsed off, but maybe "shaken" so that the oil isn't dripping off them, basically to prevent any diarrhea.

IF he has any kidney or heart issues however, then they should be rinsed as they are very salty.

 

[Tobermory]

FWIW, my vet suggested that I give one of my cats a sardine or two a week. She’s 16 and has arthritis and kidney issues. I haven’t done it because I can’t find any that don’t have salt added. The olive oil wouldn’t bother me too much, although I’d rinse off any excess, but I’m very concerned about the high salt content.

 

[zoes]

FWIW, my vet suggested that I give one of my cats a sardine or two a week. She’s 16 and has arthritis and kidney issues. I haven’t done it because I can’t find any that don’t have salt added. The olive oil wouldn’t bother me too much, although I’d rinse off any excess, but I’m very concerned about the high salt content.

Is that for the Omega-3 oils? I buy it bottled and just mix it into their food.

 

[zoes]

I would not be particularly worried about this. At most he would have a stomach upset for all the oil, but there's nothing that would cause him to get deathly ill from eat a half a can of sardines once.

 

[Tobermory]

Is that for the Omega-3 oils? I buy it bottled and just mix it into their food.

I do that, too. My vet just thought it would give her an extra boost...and that she’d like it.

I actually found sardines packed in spring water this morning with a much lower salt content than usual.

 

[zoes]

I do that, too. My vet just thought it would give her an extra boost...and that she’d like it.

I actually found sardines packed in spring water this morning with a much lower salt content than usual.

What was the salt content in the one you found? After all this sardine talk I raided my pantry for some and it had 350mg of salt. I was wondering how that compares. They don't taste salty, but I assume a certain amount is required for the canning/preservation.

 

[Tobermory]

What was the salt content in the one you found? After all this sardine talk I raided my pantry for some and it had 350mg of salt. I was wondering how that compares. They don't taste salty, but I assume a certain amount is required for the canning/preservation.

I’ve read that sodium per serving in meat should be less than 100mg for cats, otherwise it may make them feel ill and/or vomit. Here’s what I bought this morning: 87 mg.