Concerning Diet

[Varga]

Hi, I just wanted to ask about this, to see if anyone can help me clear this up.

You see the thing is, my father is a fisherman so getting a hold of fresh fish is really easy and inexpensive for me.

I’ve fed my aprox. 9 month old, male cat mainly fish all his life..

But I’m always doubting whether it’s good enough for him or not..

Does cooked fish cover all his needs? Or do I need to supplement it with some vitamins perhaps?

He looks really healthy and he certainly isn’t skinny … He’s actually more on the obese side if anything ..

Any ideas/opinions/suggestions/anything?

-Varga

[BastetsMum]

My vet said to only feed fish to a cat iregularly because of the threat of fatty tissue build up around the liver. (I can't think of the name he gave it)

I don't think your kitty would be getting all the he needs out of fish. I would be giving him some red meat or good quality cat food.

[Craftlady]

I would also think there are some mercury concerns with too much fresh fish.

[Cataholic]

Too much fish, or meat, will cause failure in the kidneys/liver. I can't recall which one it is. I know, as it happened to my kitty, Tex. He prefers meat to all else, and this last time, his BUN level was high. The vet said it is a sign of too much protein in his diet.

So, I talked to the vet about this. He said it is NOT a balanced diet for kitties, and try to find a commercial food that will cover Tex's nutritional needs. (He also has other health issues, so, he is on a RX diet).

I would strongly discourage you from feeding your kitten a mainly fish diet (or meat, or veggie(unless you are balanced), etc). It isn't balanced, and isn't good for the kitty.

[Varga]

Oh my God. I had no idea it was so serious. He's off fish as of today.

I'm just really happy I asked about this, because everybody around me has been saying I shouldn't worry about it.


I'll call the vet tomorrow and ask just how much fish it's adviceable to feed my Leo.. He really loves it, but if it's so bad for him I'll only feed moderate amounts in the future.



Thanks everybody

[RockysMommy]

Good nutrition is a requirement for good health.

Here are a couple of links to some very good and interesting reading on cat nutrition:

Feline nutrition

Feeding your cat

There's lots more info on the internet, too. You just have to search for it.