Salmon based cat food?

[PonyPile]

Hi there. I just got my first kitten since I was a teenager, and I have a few questions about feeding her.

First of all, though I'd like to keep dry food available to her (grain free and chicken based, slowly transferring her of the "kitten chow" she was on before) around the clock, more so as a supplement than her main diet, I'd like to have her on a more natural diet. I live in an area where there is a lot of salmon fishing and I catch a lot of salmon myself. Wild, river salmon, fresh from the ocean. I eat a lot of sushi myself and I know how to process it properly so it is safe for human consumption. But from the reading I've done, I've gotten mixed review, some saying that fish is bad for cats (basically for the same reasons it's bad for humans-mercury, potential paracites), others including it in their recipes, but these are usually canned fish. But the fish I'm mainly catching are chinook (spring, king) salmon, which don't spend more than 2 years in the ocean, so wouldn't have nearly the mercury content of an ocean fish like a cod/tuna/halibut. And I process it so kill tapeworm.

So my main question is, is fresh, wild salmon that is safe for human consumption safe for cat consumption? Can I give her the skins (which I would otherwise throw out)? What about the bones if they are cooked and softened and mushed up? Is it too rich? Should it be cut with other meat sources such as chicken, or is having dry food available good enough?

[Barkingdog]

http://www.littlebigcat.com/nutritio...rous-for-cats/


I found this web site about feeding cats fish .

[Longblades]

https://www.facebook.com/groups/rawcats/

The group above might help you. You should not feed fish and nothing but, but fish is fine for one of your meat varieties. My cats love salmon, the skin and all.

Pacific Salmon have lung flukes that can be neutralized by freezing the meat for several weeks before feeding it. Internet sources will say to freeze any where from one to three weeks. I play it safe and freeze for at least three weeks.

I don't know what other species of fish might also have lung fluke but Atlantic Salmon don't.

All fish might have mercury, PCBs and any number of contaminants in them. BC may have a guide book on how many of what size fish from which waters are safe for people to eat, that could be a guide for you. I'm in Ontario where the provincial gov't puts out Guide to Eating Sport Fish. BC may have something similar.

[Longblades]

NO COOKED BONES.

Raw bones only. Cooking makes bones brittle and more likely to splinter. I'm thinking of other meats here, as well as fish.

[RUSTYcat]

Hi PonyPile and welcome to the forum !

Originally Posted by PonyPile

my main question is, is fresh, wild salmon that is safe for human consumption safe for cat consumption

The answer: ABSOLUTELY NOT !!!!!!!!!!!!!

You may have found "mixed reviews".........but.......what you didn't find is that, a diet with a large component of unsaturated fatty acids can cause a very serious, painful and potentially fatal disease in cats. It's called Steatitis or "Yellow Fat Disease":

Yellow Fat Disease in Cats

Steatitis, also referred to as yellow fat disease, is a disorder characterized by marked inflammation of adipose (fat) tissue and the deposition of wax pigment in between layers of adipose tissue in cats.

It is caused by an overabundance of unsaturated fatty acids in the food and a deficiency of vitamin E and most commonly affects cats and mink. The disease affects both males and females – young, plump or well fed individuals – and is most prevalent in individuals that have had fish or fish by-products as all or part of their diet.

Steatitis in Cats - PetPlace.com
(no need to 'register' - click no on the annoying pop-up)

This is a very painful condition - the cat will not be able to tolerate being touched...it's just horrible. That article describes the symptoms - you should carefully consider whether your kitten may be showing any of them.

You can also read about one case in this pathology summary: (Case #3) Armed Forces Institute of Pathology - Archive

REASON # 2 FOR NO SALMON AS "MAIN DIET"...
is the lack of Taurine in fish. Taurine is an amino acid that's absolutely essential to a cat's food intake (cats are unique in their inability to 'make' Taurine)....without it, permanent blindness results (retinal degeneration occurs) and heart disease develops. The retinal damage may well be the first to occur - and, that's a silently developing condition...you'll have no idea until it has happened - and, it's not curable. You can read more about Taurine as a must-have for cats here: Taurine in Cats - VCA Animal Hospitals

I have no idea how long you've been feeding fish as her main diet...if it's only been a week or so, immediately discontinuing may be all you need to do....that said, it seems she's really young, so my best advice would be to have her see the Vet. It might be that a short course of Vitamin E and supplemental Taurine (health food store capsules are fine, sprinkle the powder into wet foods) would be best....ask the Vet.

As for the bones, I wouldn't be feeding any raw fish bones to a cat - they're simply too fine and the obstruction risk too great.

FWIW here's some extra reading about feeding fish to cats: Fish - Tanya's "Oracle"

If you're interested in feeding your kitten raw foods - or, even homemade, there's a really good online forum with lots of knowledgeable help right here: Raw and Home-Cooked Cat Food - TCS

And, finally, if you want to ensure a full, healthy life for your kitten, ditch the dry foods: Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition
Lisa A. Pierson, DVM

Hope you pick this up - it's more than a week since you posted - and I hope some of it helps !

(you know, we never refuse pictures...especially of kittens !)

[Barkingdog]

Originally Posted by RUSTYcat

Hi PonyPile and welcome to the forum !



The answer: ABSOLUTELY NOT !!!!!!!!!!!!!

You may have found "mixed reviews".........but.......what you didn't find is that, a diet with a large component of unsaturated fatty acids can cause a very serious, painful and potentially fatal disease in cats. It's called Steatitis or "Yellow Fat Disease":



This is a very painful condition - the cat will not be able to tolerate being touched...it's just horrible. That article describes the symptoms - you should carefully consider whether your kitten may be showing any of them.

You can also read about one case in this pathology summary: (Case #3) Armed Forces Institute of Pathology - Archive

REASON # 2 FOR NO SALMON AS "MAIN DIET"...
is the lack of Taurine in fish. Taurine is an amino acid that's absolutely essential to a cat's food intake (cats are unique in their inability to 'make' Taurine)....without it, permanent blindness results (retinal degeneration occurs) and heart disease develops. The retinal damage may well be the first to occur - and, that's a silently developing condition...you'll have no idea until it has happened - and, it's not curable. You can read more about Taurine as a must-have for cats here: Taurine in Cats - VCA Animal Hospitals

I have no idea how long you've been feeding fish as her main diet...if it's only been a week or so, immediately discontinuing may be all you need to do....that said, it seems she's really young, so my best advice would be to have her see the Vet. It might be that a short course of Vitamin E and supplemental Taurine (health food store capsules are fine, sprinkle the powder into wet foods) would be best....ask the Vet.

As for the bones, I wouldn't be feeding any raw fish bones to a cat - they're simply too fine and the obstruction risk too great.

FWIW here's some extra reading about feeding fish to cats: Fish - Tanya's "Oracle"

If you're interested in feeding your kitten raw foods - or, even homemade, there's a really good online forum with lots of knowledgeable help right here: Raw and Home-Cooked Cat Food - TCS

And, finally, if you want to ensure a full, healthy life for your kitten, ditch the dry foods: Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition
Lisa A. Pierson, DVM

Hope you pick this up - it's more than a week since you posted - and I hope some of it helps !

(you know, we never refuse pictures...especially of kittens !)

Maybe you could PM the OP too to made sure they see this. I know feeding your only raw food is not a complete diet you need to ad supplements.

[RUSTYcat]

Originally Posted by Barkingdog

Maybe you could PM the OP too to made sure they see this. I know feeding your only raw food is not a complete diet you need to ad supplements.

Well, as I'm sure you know, whether/not they realize a reply has been posted will depend on

1. whether/not they have set up automatic email notifications of replies...OR
2. whether/not, in the absence of notifications, they happen to re-visit this forum/thread and read any additional posts

And, the same thing will apply a Private Messages. (even if I requested the Admin to open up messaging to them)

Meantime, a 'little bird told me' that they were on the forum July 21....several days after they posted...so, I presume they read the previous replies....I'll simply have to keep my ear to the ground (or, go back to that 'little bird') to see if they pick up this post...or, who knows, they may even post back ! For the little kitten's sake, I sure hope so !

(A 2005 research study with kittens demonstrated that it took only 2 weeks to reach the severest degree of the disease: Adipose Tissue Fatty Acid Changes in Kittens with Experimental Steatitis)

For anyone else who needs to understand the "No Fish for Cats" rule, but prefers VIDEO as a medium, Dr. Karen Becker offers this: Fish as a Protein Source in Pet Foods

[Longblades]

Rustycat, that Dr. Becker/Mercola video does not say to never, ever feed a cat fish. In fact, Dr. Becker specifically endorses wild caught salmon for cats and dogs, which is what the OP asked about. Dr. Becker does say it should not be the main or frequent protein.

[Barkingdog]

Originally Posted by Longblades

Rustycat, that Dr. Becker/Mercola video does not say to never, ever feed a cat fish. In fact, Dr. Becker specifically endorses wild caught salmon for cats and dogs, which is what the OP asked about. Dr. Becker does say it should not be the main or frequent protein.