Can cats be fed fish? Why can't cats eat fish and fish products? Is it really necessary to completely eliminate all fish from the cat's diet?

Many are interested in the question can you feed a cat fish. And if possible, what kind of fish to give the cat - raw or boiled. And if cats can't fish then why.

According to the researchers, the domestic cat originated from a wild African cat, and not from fishing cats, so fish is not a natural food for it.

Veterinarians believe that there are too many arguments against feeding fish to cats in order to make a fish diet the main diet for a cat.

There are a number of issues, some well-established facts, others somewhat open to debate, that make feeding fish (both raw and cooked) to cats rather impractical. Problems can arise both from what is contained in the fish, and from what it does not contain.

– Low calcium levels

Whole fish, even with bones, skin and offal, contains too little calcium for a cat. When feeding a cat naturally, one of the most important things is the ratio of calcium and phosphorus in the diet. There is room for manoeuvre, but not much. Whole fish contains too little calcium. At the same time, an increased phosphorus content will not be useful for any cat, especially one with kidney problems. Neutered cats are most susceptible to urolithiasis.

- Destruction of thiamine

Raw fish contains a large amount of thiaminase, an enzyme that destroys thiamine (vitamin B-1) in the cat's body. Vitamin B-1 deficiency can lead to neurological problems and seizures in cats.

- Wasting and Vitamin E

Long-term feeding of fish to cats can lead to vitamin E deficiency in the cat's body and cause a painful condition called panniculitis. It is characterized by symptoms such as hypersensitivity to touch and loss of appetite.

— Vitamin K

While cats can synthesize their own vitamin K from most foods. Fish in a cat's diet does not support the synthesis of sufficient amounts of vitamin K, which is essential for proper blood clotting. The drug menadione, used as a synthetic water-soluble analog of vitamin K, is considered toxic. Many veterinarians do not recommend feeding cats foods containing menadione.

– Problems of the urinary tract

Fish high in magnesium can cause problems with the urinary tract and kidneys in a cat.

- habituation problem

Cats love the taste and smell of fish. Fish and canned fish tend to be addictive. Some cats that are used to a fish diet may refuse to eat anything other than fish.

- Too much iodine

A 2007 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency study found a disturbing link between felines and feline fish consumption. Studies have shown that cats eating canned fish are five times more likely to suffer from hyperthyroidism than cats eating canned poultry and beef.

– Allergy

Fish is in the TOP 3 most common food allergens. Fish products contain high levels of histamine (a protein involved in allergic reactions). Of course, not every fish and not every cat can cause an allergic reaction. But what's the point of taking the risk?

— Ecology

Predatory fish at the top of the food chain, such as tuna and salmon, can contain elevated levels of heavy metals (including mercury), as well as pesticides and toxins. Some species of ocean fish are so toxic that women of childbearing age and children are advised not to eat them at all. And what is bad for children is bad for cats.

The vast majority of fish today is grown artificially. This fish is exposed to antibiotics and dyes (especially salmon). Salmon also has a high content of toxins, dioxins and pesticides.

Should you feed your cat fish?, the owner decides, but veterinarians do not advise doing this more than once a week. In this case, the fish must be deboned (in order to avoid injuries to the digestive tract) and boiled (to destroy helminths and destroy harmful enzymes). In general, fish should become a rare delicacy for a cat, and not the basis of a diet.

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Many breeders of the purring brethren, when compiling a menu for pets, are concerned about the question of whether a cat can fish. At the same time, the opinion can be diametrically opposed - from "in no case" to "definitely, as often as possible." How useful this product is worries both those who pamper their pets with their own caught fish, and those who buy overseas delicacies in the supermarket. To understand all the nuances of the presence of fish dishes in the diet of cats, you should know what kind of fish, according to species and culinary characteristics, is most suitable for purrs, and in what quantity they need it.

Benefits of fish for cats

There are many reasons why you should feed your cat fish. The use of this product quickly saturates the body, provides it with a unique protein and amino acids, including omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. The combination of these beneficial qualities has a very positive effect on the state of the cat's cardiovascular and musculoskeletal system. The presence of omega fatty acids in fish improves the condition of the reproductive system of cats. The following types of fish are considered the most useful:

Salmon
Salmon
Tuna
Trout
Mackerel
Sardine
Herring

Many owners justify the incredible amount of fish dishes in their cat's bowl not only by the proven usefulness of their composition, but also by the established tradition. Cats have always been considered true admirers of fish of all kinds. But with the seemingly obvious benefits of fish, its effect on the cat's body can be unfavorable.

How fish in the diet can harm a cat

Opponents of the claim that it is healthy for cats to eat fish cite as evidence of their correctness, many cases of deterioration in the health of cats due to the consumption of large amounts of fish. The composition of such a product, which should bring only one benefit, can, with the wrong diet, cause many diseases. For example, an easily digestible protein can provoke an allergic reaction, and a high content of minerals can cause a change in the cat's urinary system.

The most common disease that occurs if a cat is fed a large amount of fish daily is urolithiasis - KSD. Its development leads to a high content of magnesium and phosphorus in fish, these trace elements and lay the foundation for future stones. Mineral salts complete this process, causing damage to the kidneys and urinary tract. At the same time, it was revealed that not only neutered cats, but also all adult males are susceptible to urolithiasis. They are no exception in cases of detection of KSD and cats that systematically bring offspring.

If the owner emphasizes feeding fish products, then such a diet will eventually lead to problems associated with insufficient blood clotting. Why this happens is easy to understand, given that fish is not one of the foods that contribute to the synthesis of vitamin K, which is responsible for the clotting process, in the body of a cat.

Can cats eat raw fish?

Is it possible to feed cats with sea fish without heat treatment

When feeding cats with fish caught in the sea, it should be borne in mind that the following species are leading in terms of the degree of infection with worms:

herring
mackerel
blue whiting
sprat
goby
anchovy

These varieties of fish are subject to particularly stringent requirements for heat treatment.

Are freshwater fish safe for cats?

Roach
carp
Carp

In order to be sure that the infected fish will not harm the pet, it is necessary to subject the product to one of the temperature exposure options - either freeze at a 25-degree negative temperature indicator or boil it with the obligatory passage of the boiling stage.

If the method of preventing helminthiasis in the form of freezing the product is used, then the storage of the semi-finished product should take at least two weeks in the freezer. An effective way to prevent the introduction of worms into the cat's body is to thoroughly boil food. When cooking in a liquid that has reached the 100-degree mark, all helminths die. After boiling water, the fish should be boiled for at least 15 - 20 minutes. Before starting the cooking process, large specimens of fish should be cut into small portions.

Is fish good for neutered animals?

Many breeders believe that neutered cats should not be given fish. The reason for this is the opinion that it is castrated animals that are most susceptible to urolithiasis. In fact, neutered cats are just as likely to develop urolithiasis from excessive consumption of fish as unneutered pets.

It is not necessary to give neutered cats as well as unoperated compatriots fish in large quantities. This can reduce the content of vitamins B1 and E in the body, lead to the development of anemia and damage to the thyroid gland. The reasons for such consequences are the enzyme thiaminase and iodine contained in fish, which is especially abundant in marine fish species. The feline thyroid gland is not able to absorb this amount of iodine, and this can lead to the development of a goiter.

Is it necessary to include fish in the diet of cats or should it be completely abandoned?

After learning about how many adverse effects can occur when cats eat fish, many owners come to the conclusion that cats should not fish at all. You should not rush to such a decision, you should adhere to the principle of the "golden mean" in this matter. Both excessive consumption of fish, and the complete rejection of it, can have negative consequences. The diet of the animal should be varied, and compiled according to the principle of observing the proportional ratio of products.

Cats should eat fish once a week, the total serving should not exceed 70 g. Preferably, it should be halibut or hake, cod and salmon are acceptable. When including fish in a cat's diet, the following rules should be observed:

The fish should be well cooked, and not just scalded with boiling water.
All bones must be carefully removed from it.
Fish is included in the diet no more than 1 time in 7 - 10 days

It is worth limiting or completely eliminating fish from the diet of pregnant cats, as its use can adversely affect the development of the fetus. Kittens can be given fish no more than once a week, at half the rate of an adult animal, that is, 25 - 35 g.

Is it possible to combine the use of fish and prepared foods

The combination of natural fish products with ready-made feeds in dry and canned form is not welcomed by veterinarians. If preference is given to the natural type of feeding, then diluting it with food from the pet store is not worth it. At the same time, many finished products are created on the basis of fish components with the addition of vitamins. And here the choice remains with the pet, what taste he prefers - food from bags or boiled fish. In any case, you should not deprive him of the pleasure of tasting fish at least occasionally.

Vet

Fish products in the diet of domestic cats, although not a priority, are still allowed as a source of protein, which is absorbed more easily than the analog contained in meat. They are also necessary for replenishing the body with omega acids. When they are introduced into the diet, cat owners often have the question of what kind of fish can be given to cats. At the same time, it is important to take into account not only the species diversity of fish, but also the form in which they will be included in the menu of cats.

What kinds of fish can you feed cats

Cats should eat fish once a week. And each time, it should be a different look. When choosing a product for a "cat restaurant", you should focus on the age and health of the cat, as well as her personal preferences. Cats can fish sea and river, although preference is most often given to the first option.

The best types of fish to include in a cat's diet include::

pollock
cod
salmon
trout

When choosing a fish variety for a cat menu, it is worth considering such an indicator as overweight of the animal. If a pet is rapidly gaining weight, or has already managed to acquire extra pounds, then you can not feed him fatty fish, such as sardines, mackerel, herring. For well-fed animals, low-fat options are better - hake, pollock or cod. These dietary products contain a small amount of fat, but they also contain less vitamins A and D.

If white fish is fed to a cat that is expecting offspring, then this can cause insufficient intake of vitamins in the body. It is better to give pregnant cats occasionally, no more than once every 2 weeks, red fish, due to the higher content of useful omega acids and vitamin components. Some breeders generally exclude all types of fish from the diet of cats who are preparing to become mothers, believing that this product is not useful during pregnancy.

What kind of fish should be given to cats

Before offering a fish dish to a cat, the fish must be thoroughly boiled. Before cooking, the fish is gutted and all bones are removed from it. If the fish is large, then in order for it to boil well, it must be divided into parts.

Raw fish should not be given to cats for several reasons. Many of its varieties contain thiaminase, an enzyme that causes a decrease in vitamin B1 in the body of an animal. Thiaminase is destroyed only during the cooking process, so raw fish is not a safe product for this indicator.

herring
sprat
capelin

Raw fish is even more dangerous in terms of infection with helminths. A cat can easily become infected with worms when eating fish that has not been heat-treated.

Boiled fish is considered ready if its meat easily separates from the bones. If a fish fillet is being prepared, then the degree of its readiness can be determined by its softness. You can only offer a fish dish to a cat after it has cooled to room temperature.

Cats should not be fed salted fish, canned fish or fish heads. Many owners do not understand why this should not be done if such feeding has become almost habitual. While cats love these types of foods, the salt and preservatives they contain can cause kidney and urinary tract problems. And the bones of fish heads can lead to injuries to the pharynx and oral cavity.

Fish is a healthy and tasty product, which, if properly included in the diet of a pet, will bring only a positive effect. Feeding a cat with fish, in addition to benefits, also brings her considerable joy.

Many cat owners do not think about the dangers of the food they give to their furry pets. But veterinarians say that fish should not be included in the diet of cats, although many pets eat it with pleasure. With regular use, the product causes inflammation of the kidneys in animals, metabolic disorders, becomes the cause of helminthic invasion and beriberi. In order not to cause a negative reaction of the body in a pet, it is important to carefully monitor the pet's nutrition, give it fish in limited quantities and only some varieties.

What kinds of fish can you feed cats

The best types of fish to include in a cat's diet include::

pollock
cod
salmon
trout

What kind of fish should not be given to cats

All river / lake fish are a potential threat to baleen, especially those who are used to relying on their owners.. Rural vaskas, accustomed to fish trifles, do not choke on bones, but it is better for pampered city cats to serve butchered fish, from which sharp bones have been taken out.

Important! Even large pikes and carps are dangerous, in which there are many small and sharp bones. Do not feed capelin, sprat, blue whiting, pollock and saury to cats. There is little use for them. In addition, pollock holds the palm among fish in terms of worming.

If it is not possible to pamper your cat with noble fish, add omega-3 and omega-6 preparations to her food, such as Nutricoat or Brewers Yeast.

Why fish can be dangerous

The composition of fish depends on the environment. Chemicals, metal salts are found in wild individuals, antibiotics, hormones are found in farm individuals, they are added to accelerate growth and prevent diseases.

Dry food

"on the fish" - is it possible or not? Fish-based feed goes through several stages of processing. At high temperatures, helminth larvae are destroyed in fish and harmful substances are decomposed. In fairness, during heat treatment, useful substances also break down. The next fact you need to know is that the basis of fish food is not the fish itself, but the flour from it. That is, the carcasses lend themselves to high temperatures and are processed to a state of powder, along with the bones. After such a path ... any product will lose almost all useful and harmful properties. To make the feed useful, in addition to fishmeal, vitamin complexes are added to it. Usually "fish" food contains all fatty acids, this is their main difference from "meat" products.

Naturally, when we talk about industrial feed, we mean quality products of at least premium class. Recent studies have shown that high quality dry food does not affect the risk of developing urolithiasis, provided that the cat consumes enough water. Another nuance that needs to be considered is medicinal feed. It just so happened that some of the expensive, medicinal feeds are made on the basis of salmon. Caring owners make the mistake of feeding such products to healthy animals.

Feeding medicated food is intended for animals suffering from chronic ailments or disease at an early stage. If you feed a healthy cat a medicated prophylactic food, the result will be the opposite. Medicinal foods change the acidity of urine, if the cat is healthy, they break it. It turns out that trying to prevent the development of urolithiasis in a pet, the owner only makes things worse. By the way, a sterilized cat or a neutered cat does not need to be fed preventive food.

How often can you give fish

You can offer pets fish to maintain health and enrich the diet no more than 1 time in 1-2 weeks. With this frequency, dependence on the smell and taste of fish will not develop.

Replace fish protein with meat But what about those owners of cats and cats who, due to their ignorance, fed their pet with fish all their lives, and now the animal does not want to see anything else? Does this mean that nothing needs to be changed, and the fish diet remains valid in the future? Not at all. It is necessary to wean a cat from it, however, it must be done gradually so as not to injure the psyche of the animal. Get ready for the fact that it will not be easy to overcome fish addiction, but by skillfully replacing fish protein with meat, you will very soon achieve the maximum level of success, and you will not risk your pet's health.

By the way, an alternative to boiled fish in your cat’s diet, if she is too attached to this product, can be a ready-made fish-flavored food. The fact is that fish goes through special processing cycles for ready-made feeds, and absolutely harmless fishmeal is added to them for taste and smell, and in such quantities that do not harm the health of the pet. And, here you can easily replace Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids from the composition of fish with special vitamin complexes and supplements. By taking into account all these recommendations and tips, you will be able to ensure that the fish in the cat's diet will be a treat for her pleasure, and not food that poses a threat to her life and health.

Can you feed a cat fish? Yes, you can. Fish is a useful product. Fish protein is the most easily digestible protein, that is, it is better than meat. Seafood also contains useful vitamins (especially a lot of A, D, B 1and B 2), minerals (phosphorus, magnesium, etc.). Fatty fish varieties are a source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. In general, the composition of the fish is very rich and healthy.

It makes no sense to sing the praises of this product further, because. almost everyone knows about its benefits. But does this mean that any fish can be given to a cat in unlimited quantities?

See how this wild feline skillfully hunts fish

Harm of fish for cats and cats

For all its usefulness, fish has a number of features that do not allow it to be the basis of the diet.

calcium and phosphorus

One of the most common problems in the composition of the diet of cats is the lack of balance of phosphorus and calcium, and this balance is the cornerstone of feline nutrition. The problem is that meat is rich in phosphorus and contains almost no calcium. In fish, the bias in favor of phosphorus is even greater. In the meantime, a calcium/phosphorus balance in a cat's diet should be approximately 1:1 (between 0.8:1 and 1.2:1). With a bias in favor of phosphorus, various pathologies develop: read more at the link. Therefore, if you constantly feed the animal with fish, but do not give sources of calcium, an imbalance will occur. Moreover, fish nutrition creates this imbalance much faster: again, due to the increased phosphorus content in comparison with meat. For some breeds and purebred cats with good health, periodic such errors in nutrition are not so terrible, and breeds with a tendency to problems of the musculoskeletal system (for example, Scottish folds) can respond quite quickly to such errors. Read about how to prevent imbalance with the help of the main product with calcium.

Increased fat content

When feeding a cat with fish, you need to take into account its fat content. There are three types of fish:

dry (low-fat) varieties of fish (up to 4% fat): flounder, cod, hake, blue whiting, sea bass, grenadier, pollack, navaga, haddock, pollock, vobla, pike, river perch, ruff, tench, pike perch, mollusks, crayfish;
moderately fatty varieties (5-8% fat): horse mackerel, catfish, pink salmon, herring, sea bass, chum salmon, bream, trout (the collective name for freshwater salmon), carp, crucian carp, carp, tuna;
fatty fish (more than 9% fat): salmon, sockeye salmon, saury, mackerel, eel, toothfish, omul, herring, sprat, stellate sturgeon, chinook salmon, beluga, nelma, ivasi, sabrefish, burbot, silver carp, notothenia, sturgeon.

It should be borne in mind that the percentage of fat content of the same carcass may vary depending on its part. Some fish tend to accumulate fat under the belly and on the back, while some (for example, herring) fat is evenly distributed. If the distribution of fat is uneven, then the fattest parts should not be given to cats. If the fat is evenly distributed, then it does not matter which part of the carcass the pet will receive.

Contrary to the prevailing opinion of many that dry varieties of fish are preferable for cats, in fact, nutritionists advise including fatty varieties in the diet as they are more high-calorie and rich in omega acids. That is, fatty varieties, which include most salmon, are preferable.

However, including fish in the diet, you need to monitor the overall percentage of fat content of the entire menu. If fish is served in a small piece daily as part of a meat mix or one serving per week, it cannot significantly affect the fat content of the diet. But you still need to know the percentage of fat content of the fish you use in order not to upset the balance: fat in the cat's diet should be at least 5%, recommended - 15%, but not more than 20%. So, if you are serving 9-15% fat fish today and there are no other products on the menu, this is a normal balance. If the diet has meat, say, 2% fat and you add a small piece of 20% fish, then you should not worry about the excessive fat content of the dish. If you make a menu only from fish of 20% fat or more, this is already a lot. Similarly, if the menu includes 18% fat fish and, say, fatty parts of chicken, then this is too much. We summarize the rule: you need to observe the total percentage of fat content in the diet.

The average percentage of fat content of various types of fish

Fat content depends on the part of the carcass, as well as on the season.

FISH	FAT
cod	0,3%
hake	0,8-1,4%
navaga	0,8-1,4%
pollock	0,5-0,9%
vobla	1,3-4%
pike	1,3-4%
river perch	1,3-4%
zander	1,3-4%
blue whiting	1%
whitefish	1,5%
flounder	1,3-4%
saithe	up to 2%
sea bass	3%
dorado	3%
carp	3%
pangasius	3-4%
red mullet	4%
tuna	4,2-4,5%
horse mackerel	4,2-4,5%
herring	4,2-4,5%
sea bass	4,2-4,5%
catfish	5%
pilengas	3-8%
trout	5%
carp	5%
chum salmon	5-6%
pink salmon	5-7%
bream	6,5%
crucian carp	6-7%
red salmon	7-10%
beluga	7-10%
notothenia	9-10%
sardine	11%
stellate sturgeon	11%
sturgeons	11-13%
sprat	13%
catfish	14%
salmon	13%
saury	14%
mackerel	13-18%
sabre	17%
herring	16-22%
acne	30%

Salt

There is an established opinion that marine fish contain a lot of salt, and salt in large quantities, as you know, is harmful to cats. First of all, the kidneys will suffer. Is it so?

The daily need of cats for salt is small, and it is perfectly covered with meat products. Ocean and marine fish are saltier than meat, and this is one of the reasons why fish cannot be the basis of the diet.

Destructive thiaminase

Some seafood (especially shellfish, carp and Atlantic herring) contain the enzyme thiaminase, which destroys vitamin B 1. Thiaminase acts in a similar way both inside the food and in the intestines of the cat. Feeding fish with thiaminase for more than 2 weeks will show clinical signs of vitamin B deficiency. 1. However, thiaminase is destroyed by heat treatment, so this concern is only relevant for raw fish.

questionable cod

Fish of the cod family, when consumed in large quantities (30-35% of the diet and above), can cause iron deficiency anemia and depigmentation of the animal's coat.

worms in fish

Opisthorchiasis is especially dangerous. They most often suffer from representatives of the carp family (crucian carp, bream, roach, vobla, top, ide, minnow and gudgeon).

This picture is familiar to workers in the food industry. Usually fish are cleaned for buyers.

Worm larvae in fish are killed either by boiling or by freezing. The first method is more reliable, since fish worms do not always die at a standard household freezer temperature of -18 degrees Celsius. This temperature kills particularly resistant species in at least a week, but this cannot be guaranteed in 100% of cases. Therefore, this method of preparing fish for consumption is not considered the best.

The planet's environment is mired in heavy metals. Fish in the oceans, seas and rivers are part of the ecosystem and actively absorb these metals, and then, when they get on the table, they generously supply us. Predatory fish species are especially prone to the accumulation of heavy metals: herring, halibut, perch, eel, tuna, anchovies, hake, pollock, sardines, whiting, cod, haddock, catfish, flounder, trout. Moreover, the older the fish, the more it has accumulated heavy metals. Therefore, choose not large individuals, the size of which indicates their young age.

Antibiotics

Artificially grown in incubators and on farms, fish is almost always stuffed with antibiotics. In this way, producers try to avoid the spread of infections and pestilence of fish in their reservoirs. It is better not to buy such fish either for a cat or for yourself. She prefer the wild sea.

Not the first freshness

Ideally, if the cats received relatively fresh fish, that is, immediately after the catch, it would be subjected to shock freezing and defrosted at home. However, in regions remote from the sea, everything is different. The fish is first frozen in briquettes, after which it is brought to warehouses, where it is often thawed. Next, the fish is divided into smaller briquettes or each carcass is separated, after which it is frozen again and sent to stores. On the way, if the transportation conditions are unsatisfactory, the fish can also defrost. In the supermarket, they either freeze it again or sell it as fresh on ice. From the fact that it was thawed and beautifully served, the product did not become fresh. But it evokes the necessary associations in people, and therefore they willingly acquire such fish.

This is a fish in briquettes

And it's like fresh fish in a supermarket

During freezing and thawing, meat deteriorates, fish oil oxidizes and becomes not only useless, but also dangerous. That is why it is so important not to buy fish with a rancid taste and a rusty color, as well as with other signs of staleness. Properly frozen fish will not taste rancid when thawed. Its meat does not spread, but retains its shape. It does not have even the slightest smell of staleness.

There are more chances to buy fish that has not been double-triple frozen when it is in a whole briquette. If this is a separate carcass, most likely it has already been frozen. And, for sure, it makes no sense to buy “fresh” fish on ice in a supermarket remote from the sea, which is guaranteed to have already been thawed at least once. Of course, this does not apply to fish that were pulled out of a store aquarium, killed and put on ice.

How to give fish to cats

Let's answer the main questions of this article. Can you give fish to cats? Yes, you can. Is it possible to make fish the basis of the diet? No you can not. Feeding cats with fish is necessary only according to certain rules.