Tuna good for cats?

Question

My cat has been sick and hasnt eaten much in the past 4 and a half days, and I was wondering if it would hurt him to try to give him some tuna, just to fill him a little bit. I figured this might make him want to eat again, as fish is a kitty favorite! Please help! I dont want to make him more sick

He has gone to the vet and he DOES have a bladder infection. i just want him to get some food into him

Answer 1

Hi Ashley... tuna in fact isn't good for cats, but tuna juice is fine if only to entice a cat. If your cat has been unable to eat for the past 4 days it's critically important to have him medically evaluated because there are many illnesses and diseases which cause a cat to lose their appetite and can be life-threatening.

Cats with urinary problems should avoid any seafoods as they are high in phosphorous and changes the urinary pH which can contribute to the lower urinary disorders. Please see the following article: http://us.iams.com/iams/en_US/jsp/IAMS_Page.jsp?pageID=A&articleID=352#4

Here's an article on why tuna is dangerous:

Here's a web article about Tuna and how it is toxic to cats (again any vet can confirm this fact as well): http://www.lenhumanesoc.org/Tips/ASPCA-Tuna.htm

"TUNA FOR CATS? NO!
Tuna can be fatal to cats and is not something to be fed to them...The human variety of tuna fish contains an enzyme that destroys vitamin B1 (thiamine). Cats who regularly eat tuna can develop a vitamin B1 deficiency, which results in neurological symptoms like dilated eyes, loss of equilibrium, seizures and death if this vitamin is not replaced. The scientific name of this disease is polioencephlomalacia.

Clearwater veterinarian Richard Brancato said that though most domestic cats do enjoy fish, feeding them a diet of only tuna can cause serious disorders.

Although it is high in protein, tuna lacks sufficient amounts of certain amino acids, mainly taurine, to maintain feline health. There is insufficient calcium to balance the phosphorus; the ratio in canned tuna is 1-to-14.8. This results in bone disease.

Many essential vitamins such as A and most B vitamins are also lacking, Brancato said. A common disease in cats fed a mainstay of canned tuna is steatitis, or yellow fat disease, an inflammation of the fat tissue in the body due to a deficiency of vitamin E.

Source: St. Petersburg Times, published May 14, 2000"

Here's another answer by a veterinarian just recently about the dangers of tuna: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AnXV7g3jq309q2QXly7n9WLsy6IX?qid=20061018194725AAzYqfz


A Veterinarian Answered:
... Actually, it is.

I've had to treat numerous cats over the years for pretty severe enteritis resulting from eating tuna meat. One of my own babies got so ill from it when someone else left it sitting out on the counter for 5 minutes while he turned his back to take a phone call, that I had to put her on IV fluids for 2 days, in addition to intestinal medications.

How many cats do you know who go swimming in the ocean to catch tuna and eat it as part of their natural diet???

Tuna-FLAVORED food....okay. Tuna meat.....bad.

I 'love' brownies....but that doesn't mean they're good for me. Cats also 'love' antifreeze....but we all know what it will do to them. :-/

The most you should do is to use the water that is drained off from the can of tuna (not the oil...for another reason), and drizzle it over their dry cat food once or twice a month. They'll think they died and went to cat heaven!....but without the danger.

Save the tuna meat for your sandwiches.
Source(s):
I'm a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine with 20 yrs exp in private practice (27 total years in the profession.)

Answer 2

Been through this before, the best thing for him at this point is actually the water that the tuna is packed in, (WATER, make sure the tuna is NOT packed in oil) once he perks up a bit you can try some tuna...just a little at a time. Whatever you do DO NOT GIVE HIM MILK, most cats are actually lactose intolerant. Another alternative is the 'cat milk' they sell at pet stores, never tried it but it's supposed to be like baby formula for cats. Once he's back to his old self switch to a Urinary Tract formula of pet food, our vet said the sodium in the food was what made our cat sick in the first place.

Answer 3

Every once in a while I give my cat tuna or some healthy fish. He never gets sick and loves it! I think if you put a little in regular cat food, he will eat it. Im not sure, but try it, if not just feed him tuna alone.
Good Luck!!

Answer 4

omg don't give him tuna! Tuna creates a build up of bad minerals and crap in kitty's bladders, my cat nearly died from eating tuna. He had to go to the vet and get surgery (he couldn't pee) seriously this should not be taken lightly. Catch it before it gets that bad and you may not end up with a $500 bill for a free cat.

Answer 5

It is a very serious situation when a cat stops eating. I think you must take him to a vet to look for a reason for his lack of appetite. Your vet will have a canned food called a/d. It is high in calories and fat and often cats will eat this when nothing else appeals to him.

Tuna is addictive for cats and can cause serious anemia if fed frequently. It also has no taurine which the cat needs in his food.

So go tomorrow and have the vet look into the problem of inappetance and get the special food for him.

Answer 6

If your cat is sick you should TOTALLY give it anything that it will eat. But do not on a regular basis give it any Tuna, some is sort of unhealthy, but if the cat is sick, get it to EAT ANYTHING (edible i mean) Hope he gets better!

Answer 7

Call the Vet & ask him. Personally, I doubt it'll hurt him. I've NEVER seen a cat turn down tuna fish... (& if he DOES, - maybe you should take him for a 2nd Opinion!).

Answer 8

i wouldnt think so, dont give it to him everyday though, maybe as a treat somtimes, but maybe i wouldnt till he gets better he most likely has a cold, like humans dont eat alot when they are sick, but be on the safe side and take him to the vet GOOD LUCK!!!

Answer 9

Try tuna in brine, drain the water and add bottled spring water (Evian, etc...) just a tinge, not a lot of it, to make it moist enough.
Also, try boiling a piece of boneless chicken.

Answer 10

He might be sick enough to take to a veterinarian. Don't try to make him eat anything. He could have a urinary problem, a bowel problem, an illness, take him to the animal doctor.