It seems that both in stories and in reality, we have an impression that cats’ favorite food is fish, and their love for fish surpasses all other meats. It seems natural for cats to love fish.
But according to relevant information, eating fish is not the nature of cats. The cats we raise now are domesticated and not a product of nature. The reason why there is a saying that cats love to eat fish is because cats originated in ancient Egypt. At that time, fishermen in ancient Egypt raised cats to hunt for mice. However, once there were no mice, fishermen could not let cats go hungry, so they would feed fish to cats. Over time, cats adapted to the habit of eating fish, and this saying slowly spread.
Cats are carnivorous animals with high protein requirements. Compared to other meats, fish has a strong odor, which sends a strong signal to cats that fish is a good source of protein. You should know that felines belong to carnivores, and their most interested thing is protein. Once a cat smells fish, it will develop a strong desire to eat it. So, in our opinion, cats are very obsessed with fish, but in fact, they just like to eat meat, especially meat with a strong odor like fish.
Cats can supplement the lack of taurine in their bodies by eating fish. We all know that taurine is an essential substance in cats’ bodies. Long term deficiency of taurine in cats can lead to serious eye diseases and even blindness. Fish and mice contain abundant amounts of taurine, which may explain why cats like to eat fish from a scientific perspective.
Although fish meat is good, it is not the most suitable food for cats. If cats rely on fish meat as their main food:
- There is a risk of developing thiamine deficiency, with symptoms including loss of appetite, seizures, and possible death.
- The liver is rich in vitamin A and vitamin D. If cats are fed fish for a long time, they will experience vitamin A poisoning after consuming fish liver. The main symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, tooth loss, and body pain.
- Long term consumption of raw fish may lead to vitamin B1 deficiency in cats. Raw fish contains thiaminase, which can destroy vitamin B1 and ultimately lead to vitamin B1 deficiency in cats. The thioaminase in general fish is destroyed after heating and boiling treatment, but there is an exception for one type of fish, which is carp. If feeding carp to cats, owners need to supplement with vitamin B1. The main sources of vitamin B1 are soybeans, brown rice, oats, meat, etc.
- Long term consumption of raw fish may lead to parasitic infections in cats. Some fish may not have any abnormalities on the surface, but in fact they have been infected by parasites. If cats consume these fish, they are easily infected by parasites. Therefore, when feeding fish to cats, try to cook it thoroughly before feeding them.
- Long term consumption of fish may lead to calcium deficiency in cats. The phosphorus content in fish liver is relatively high, and high levels of phosphorus can inhibit calcium absorption, so long-term consumption of fish can lead to calcium deficiency in cats. If cats start eating fish from a young age, they are prone to developing diseases such as rickets. To avoid this situation, you can remove the liver before feeding the cat fish.
- Eating fish every day will always get stuck once. Although cats love to eat fish, it does not mean that they are good at spitting fish bones. Pet hospitals often receive cases of cats getting stuck in fish bones, so it is best for owners to choose fish with larger bones and avoid fish with many small bones. If there are too many fish bones, the owner needs to help the cat remove them in advance to prevent them from puncturing the cat’s esophagus.
- Dried fish and sea fish contain a large amount of magnesium salts, which can easily lead to kidney and urinary system diseases (such as stones) in cats. Some cats, when feeling unwell, may use various methods to attract their owners’ attention (such as not urinating in the litter box). Once owners notice that their cats are behaving abnormally, it is best to take them to a pet hospital for a comprehensive examination.
So cats still rely on other high protein meats as their staple food, supplemented by dirty foods containing appropriate trace elements to form their every meal. Long term consumption of fish based cat food on the market will not help cats’ healthy growth. It is still necessary to use other meat based cat food as the main food!
