Why shouldn't cats eat fish-based food?

I've been faithfully feeing my cat two little cans of wet food per day,
supplemented by good kibble. I've been giving her one can of fish-based food
and one can of what she prefers (meat with gravy) per day in the name of
variety and balanced diet. Now I read that cats shouldn't get fish
regularly? Why not??

"Janet" wrote in message
...
I've been faithfully feeing my cat two little cans of wet food per day,
supplemented by good kibble. I've been giving her one can of fish-based
food and one can of what she prefers (meat with gravy) per day in the name
of variety and balanced diet. Now I read that cats shouldn't get fish
regularly? Why not??


I think there is concern with increased levels of mercury and selenium if
fish comprises a major part of the cat's diet. There is nothing wrong with
some use of fish, but it is better to vary the diet with chicken, turkey,
lamb, etc. I think it is even more important, though, to consider a change
to an all-canned diet and eliminate the kibble. Cats are obligate
carnivores, and they should not be eating products that emphasize
carbohydrates or plant-based nutrition.

MaryL

On Sep 30, 10:37 pm, "Janet" wrote:
I've been faithfully feeing my cat two little cans of wet food per day,
supplemented by good kibble. I've been giving her one can of fish-based food
and one can of what she prefers (meat with gravy) per day in the name of
variety and balanced diet. Now I read that cats shouldn't get fish
regularly? Why not??

I wouldn't be concerned about commercial cat food in a fish flavor--it
is designed to provide balanced nutrition for cats and contains
supplements that a fish-only diet would lack. If you all you fed your
cat was fish (not commercial cat food with fish in it) eventually the
cat would develop nutritional deficiencies because fish alone is not a
natural diet for cats.
-yngver

"yngver" wrote in message
...
On Sep 30, 10:37 pm, "Janet" wrote:
I've been faithfully feeing my cat two little cans of wet food per day,
supplemented by good kibble. I've been giving her one can of fish-based
food
and one can of what she prefers (meat with gravy) per day in the name of
variety and balanced diet. Now I read that cats shouldn't get fish
regularly? Why not??

I wouldn't be concerned about commercial cat food in a fish flavor--it
is designed to provide balanced nutrition for cats and contains
supplements that a fish-only diet would lack. If you all you fed your
cat was fish (not commercial cat food with fish in it) eventually the
cat would develop nutritional deficiencies because fish alone is not a
natural diet for cats.

My vet tells me to avoid fish-based foods for my allergic EGC cat, as they
can aggravate allergies.

Cats can not process all the oil in fish and if given too much can loose
their hair. I mistakenly was feeding my cat only fish flavored commercial
cat food and he started loosing his hair. My vet told me they can't process
all the oil in the fish and it's bad for them. A can of fish flavored cat
food a week is ok but every day is bad for them.

Celeste



"Janet" wrote in message
...
I've been faithfully feeing my cat two little cans of wet food per day,
supplemented by good kibble. I've been giving her one can of fish-based
food and one can of what she prefers (meat with gravy) per day in the name
of variety and balanced diet. Now I read that cats shouldn't get fish
regularly? Why not??

The myth is that a cat knows what's good for them.

Their instincts were developed in the wild, when food was not produced by
businesses that prey on human buyers. In the wild, a cat's life is short
and miserable, and opportunity is scarce.
A fish caught or found in the wild would be a rare treat, and not harmful.

I've read a few articles that say fish flavouring in commercial food, to a
cat, is like candy for people.
- and we all know how good candy is for people.


"Janet" wrote in message
...
I've been faithfully feeing my cat two little cans of wet food per day,
supplemented by good kibble. I've been giving her one can of fish-based
food and one can of what she prefers (meat with gravy) per day in the name
of variety and balanced diet. Now I read that cats shouldn't get fish
regularly? Why not??

Thu, 2 Oct 2008 07:53:36 -0400 from Ralph :
I've read a few articles that say fish flavouring in commercial
food, to a cat, is like candy for people. - and we all know how
good candy is for people.

But it's not candy *flavoring* that's harmful -- in fact many
flavoring compounds promote health. It's massive quantities of sugar
that are harmful, and sugar adds sweetness rather than flavor.

I'm afraid your analogy tells nothing about whether fish flavorings
are good or bad for cats.

--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com
Shikata ga nai...