Many people are still under the impression that feeding fish is somehow not only necessary but good for your cat. And while like most things, a small treat now and again is fine - long term feeding of fish is just a big NO No.
Fish is touted as a great source of Omega 3 fatty acids, and that is true. However ! and this is a big however - they are also a great "source" of toxic metals, industrial chemicals and pesticides. Remember the recent Australian pet food that was recalled just this past May 2017? Well that was for the toxic metal mercury, from their tuna production.(source 2 cited)
And to add injury , well to potential injury - most fish meal in commercial pet foods contains the potentially deadly preservative ethoxyquin, as well as mycotoxins (source 1 cited)(source 4 cited)
Toxic preservatives and allergies (including asthma),can be caused by too much fish in your pet’s diet can over time also creating a thiamine (Vit B1) and vitamin E deficiencies (we will cover this topic later), and health problems associated with too much dietary iodine and magnesium.
Vit B1 , otherwise known as thiamine , is a water-soluble vitamin necessary for normal carbohydrate metabolism in cats. Because it is not stored in the body and therefore quickly depleted when a cat is fed an inadequate diet or goes without food for any period of time. It is, therefore, important to ensure the diet contains adequate amounts of this vitamin.Thiamine deficiency results in serious, potentially life threatening symptoms, many of which are neurological in origin. These symptoms can include :
Excess salivation
Depressed appetite
and weight loss
Most vets, in my opinion , would not be looking at these symptoms as anything other than a short lived local cat flu, believing most commercial cat food to be sufficient in needed enzymes and vitamins. '
But specifically for this article we are talking about fish. And some types of fish - can by themselves cause this deficiency .
cod, catfish, carp, and herring are just some of the specific types of fish that can result in Vit B deficiencies , and are not recommended to be fed ever to your kitty. (source 3 cited)
Thankfully most of these symptoms if caught and diagnosed in time can be treated if not reversed.
Source 1 - http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/01/03/fish-as-a-protein-source.aspx
Source 2 - http://www.petfoodindustry.com/articles/6464-australian-cat-food-recalled-after-illness-and-deaths
Source 2 Cont'd -
http://www.petfoodindustry.com/articles/6481-low-thiamine-cat-food-maybe-caused-australian-cat-deaths?v=preview
Source 3 - http://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/digestive/c_ct_vitamin_b1_thiamine_deficiency
Source 4 - http://www.littlebigcat.com/nutrition/why-fish-is-dangerous-for-cats/
Fish is touted as a great source of Omega 3 fatty acids, and that is true. However ! and this is a big however - they are also a great "source" of toxic metals, industrial chemicals and pesticides. Remember the recent Australian pet food that was recalled just this past May 2017? Well that was for the toxic metal mercury, from their tuna production.(source 2 cited)
And to add injury , well to potential injury - most fish meal in commercial pet foods contains the potentially deadly preservative ethoxyquin, as well as mycotoxins (source 1 cited)(source 4 cited)
Toxic preservatives and allergies (including asthma),can be caused by too much fish in your pet’s diet can over time also creating a thiamine (Vit B1) and vitamin E deficiencies (we will cover this topic later), and health problems associated with too much dietary iodine and magnesium.
Vit B1 , otherwise known as thiamine , is a water-soluble vitamin necessary for normal carbohydrate metabolism in cats. Because it is not stored in the body and therefore quickly depleted when a cat is fed an inadequate diet or goes without food for any period of time. It is, therefore, important to ensure the diet contains adequate amounts of this vitamin.Thiamine deficiency results in serious, potentially life threatening symptoms, many of which are neurological in origin. These symptoms can include :
- Ventriflexion (bending towards the floor) or curling of the neck
- Incoordination
- Abnormal or spastic gait
- Circling
- Falling
- Head tilt
- Dilated pupils
- Opisthotonos (backward arching of the head, neck, and spine)
- Stupor
- Seizures
Excess salivation
Depressed appetite
and weight loss
Most vets, in my opinion , would not be looking at these symptoms as anything other than a short lived local cat flu, believing most commercial cat food to be sufficient in needed enzymes and vitamins. '
But specifically for this article we are talking about fish. And some types of fish - can by themselves cause this deficiency .
cod, catfish, carp, and herring are just some of the specific types of fish that can result in Vit B deficiencies , and are not recommended to be fed ever to your kitty. (source 3 cited)
Thankfully most of these symptoms if caught and diagnosed in time can be treated if not reversed.
Source 1 - http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/01/03/fish-as-a-protein-source.aspx
Source 2 - http://www.petfoodindustry.com/articles/6464-australian-cat-food-recalled-after-illness-and-deaths
Source 2 Cont'd -
http://www.petfoodindustry.com/articles/6481-low-thiamine-cat-food-maybe-caused-australian-cat-deaths?v=preview
Source 3 - http://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/digestive/c_ct_vitamin_b1_thiamine_deficiency
Source 4 - http://www.littlebigcat.com/nutrition/why-fish-is-dangerous-for-cats/
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