Is it healthy for my cat to eat canned tuna and/or salamon once in a while?

Answer 1

Hi there... tuna in fact isn't good for cats.

Here's a web article about Tuna and how it is toxic to cats (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

Yes. There are people here, however, who will jump all over me and you for doing so. One person copies this big chunk of text from a book - and doesn't get it correctly copied, it has typos in it - that says that the vegetable oil in tuna is bad for cats, they can't metabolize it. Since there is no vegetable oil in tuna, I asked her if she was talking about the vegetable oil that tuna can be packed in. Her reply - "Sorry, copied it from a book" Which I took to mean she didn't really understand what she was quoting. I found the book on line and read the section she was posting and found that the author also does not explain where the vegetable oil to which they are objecting is coming from. So, if the person who wrote the book is correct about cat's not being able to metabolize vegetable oil - but I have no reason to believe that is true - would not getting tuna packed in water set aside those concerns? Don't know, the author simply says "Tuna is bad!" The person who posted the stuff from the book couldn't tell me either SO --- my stance on human tuna is: We never by it packed in oil, we only buy it packed in water. When I open a can or tuna - usually it is two cans or one large can - all of the cats that are awake enough to hear the can opener show up in the kitchen. I will squeeze all of the "juice" out of the cat and spread it amongst a few bowls, put a tiny bit of tuna in each bowl and let them have at it. They don't get much and they don't get it very often but they seem to appreciate it. There is never any left.

Answer 3

I second what Seattle said. Here's another link to an article on why fish is dangerous for cats.

Now, you haven't defined once in a while. I really don't think your cat is going to die because it's gotten a nibble - like a fingernail sized speck - of fish.

On the other hand, you can probably find better treats where there's absolutely no question about whether it's bad for them or not.

Answer 4

While I'm not a vet, my cat Sarah manages to convince me to give her a "special treat" almost every night.

At least two or three times a week, depending on what I'm having for lunch the next day, she gets canned tuna and seems to enjoy it with no negative effects, quite the opposite actually. She's currently fifteen years old and is still very active and healthy.

Answer 5

Heck Yeah!! My cats love tuna! Just make sure to buy the "in water" ones not the ones that have oil in them. And dont give it to him all the time, just once a month or something like that.
I have found that Moew Mix has a new line of wet food that comes in all kinds of different flavors; crab and salmon, chicken and shrimp, beef and turkey, they are all really good (for cats) ! I give those to my cats once a week and they love it!

Answer 6

Cat food is often made from tuna. Salmon is kind of expensive but I see no reason that your cat can't also eat some salmon. While you're at it, please add some creme fraiche and sprinkle some caviar on top. haha, I'm thinking like Garfield.

Answer 7

Once every great while is OK, but typically it's too rich for their digestive tract.
Don't feed him a whole can, or it'll end up on your sofa.

Answer 8

Dont feed him people tuna. OUR food has lots of salts.

Answer 9

YES ITS OK AS A TREAT!!!! on occasion is fine!! smile(please read edit on bottom of my post)

here is a little info for ya...smile

this is from a housecall vet (which I still love and admire reccomends: her website is www.carinrennings.com if ya want to check it out)
www.carinrennings.com

Recommended Cat Diet

*Please make any switch to a new food over a 3 to 4 week time period!!! GO VERY SLOWLY!!!*

Cats are strict carnivores so they need a diet that is primarily made up of protein, some fat with a low carbohydrate content. Think of the Atkins diet. Cats should NOT be eating grains; rice, wheat, corn, barley, etc. They are not biologically designed to digest this kind of food. So we came up with a recommended diet to put your kitty on:

You must feed a multivitamin with good mineral content if you are going to home cook. We recommend a very palatable liquid multivitamin by Vetri-science. We carry it with us or you can purchase a good quality product at one of the natural pet food stores that we recommend on our referral list. Don’t just go to a generic pet store; many of the products sold there are sadly deficient and will not provide your cat with the supplements that he or she needs.

Feed human quality meats: broil or bake beef, poultry or fish. Pork can be too fatty and cause pancreatitis. No salty or sweet lunch meats. That’s junk food for your cat!
Add veggies to your mixture: about 3/4 meat to 1/4 veggies. Preferably fresh or frozen. If you cook the vegetables with meat, it will possess the flavor that they love. Cats need greens: spinach, kale, broccoli and the like. Maintain a variety. A feral or barn cat will periodically nibble on grasses and they eat the stomach contents of prey animals, so this is an important component of a healthy feline diet.
If you aren’t willing to home cook, canned food tends to be a healthier choice overall than dry food. They usually contain fewer grain products. I know that’s the very opposite statement that you’ve heard from most veterinarians in the past, but research conducted in the field of nutrition recently has changed my viewpoint considerably. Most dry food is bound together by grains. This has been proven to cause obesity, Diabetes Mellitus and cancer in cats because it is so unnatural for them to eat it. Restoring a more balanced and healthy diet usually causes cats to lose weight, gain muscle and either come off of insulin entirely if they are diabetic, or at least greatly diminish the dosage that they need. You will rarely see a diabetic barn cat unless the owners free feed with dry food!

Wellness (canned)
Innova Evo (dry) *
Wysong (need multivitamin)
Pet Guard
* Innova Evo contains no grains, so it’s a nice substitute for owners that don’t like to feed canned food.

Always choose a Pet Store Brand versus a Grocery store brand if you are unable to get to a natural foods store.
- Pet Store examples would be Iams, Eukanuba, Science diet, Nutro, etc.
- Grocery store brand examples would be Fancy Feast, Frisky’s, Purina,Meow mix etc.
- Generic is the worst: Safeway, Giant, etc.
*** Read labels for the most quality protein content and least amount of grains. ***



*******************EDIT: did some research of my own...check out these sites regarding tuna:(its kinda like a candy bar for kitties...ITS OK TO GIVE AS A TREAT!!!!..and yes if thats all you are feeding or are feeding very LARGE quantities then its bad but a small treat will not hurt your kitty)
http://www.felinefuture.com/nutrition/fish.php
http://www.lowcarbluxury.com/atkins-cats.html
http://www.reviewcentre.com/vt99052_start0_orderasc.html
http://www.catsincharge.co.uk/good-grub-guide/index.shtml
http://www.insidetrackaz.com/pettalk.html
http://www.persian-cats.com/recipes.shtml (this site even gives you a treat towards the middle of the page that you can make using small amts. of tuna in it)

Answer 10

yeah!!!! . actually we are starting to feed our dogs more fresh food. or meat and eggs. cause its better for them may not be as cheap as dry food or what ever but they are happier and so are we! for cats feed them all the tuna and salmon as you please an egg or so would be good also 1-2 times a week!!!