Is tuna bad for cats or not?

**davie boy 2000** · 23rd January 2012, 11:46 PM

I’ve been feeding my two babies tuna over the last year since I got them at 3 months old and recently they feel ill due to what I think was some sort of food poisoning? I think the culprit was the raw chicken mixed in with the tuna (which I won’t be doing again!)

I’ve been told that tuna is supposedly bad for cats? I fed them 30g of tuna in brine once a day but, I don’t think I’ve had any problems with just feeding them tuna since I got my coons.

I’ve seen tuna cat food in the supermarkets that have been 70% tuna mixed with jelly and also seen other cat foods like Whiskas with tuna cat food so I’m thinking that surly it cant be all that bad?

Does anyone know if feeding your cats tuna is bad for them or not?

Thanks,

David

**pouncysmom** · 24th January 2012, 01:35 AM

I would like to kno the answer to this as we'llI feed my mc tuna as a treat every now n then

**Steve Morgan** · 24th January 2012, 07:31 AM

I asked my vet this question a few years back when we wereresearching our diabetic cat's diet.
Apparently it is not the tuna which is the problem but themethods of preserving and canning the tuna for human consumption compared tothe methods used for pet use.
The vet suggested that some of the preservatives and additivescould upset the cats digestive system.
Again this was his opinion and he did not show us anymedical proof. Hope this helps.

**Antonia** · 24th January 2012, 02:35 PM

Many people think tuna should be fed very sparingly. The reason that is most often given is the high mercury content in tuna.
Still, many canned cat foods contain tuna. I honestly haven’t got a clue as to why these are supposed to be OK to feed daily, whereas canned tuna for human consumption is not. (But then again I am an utter & complete nitwit when it comes to commercial cat food. I always prepare their meals myself.)

I sporadically feed canned tuna as a treat. But I first rinse it off thoroughly. The brine is awfully salty – that’s another reason why it might not be a good idea to feed it daily. Perhaps the saltiness is what made your kitties ill. I very much doubt the raw chicken was the culprit – unless it had been sitting out of the fridge for too long and ‘gone off’.

**BensMom** · 24th January 2012, 03:15 PM

My breeder told me NEVER to feed a male tuna..........it's bad for their urinary tract. Tuna is people food......

**pouncysmom** · 24th January 2012, 04:07 PM

what about fresh tuna not canned?

**davie boy 2000** · 24th January 2012, 05:59 PM

Originally Posted by Antonia

Many people think tuna should be fed very sparingly. The reason that is most often given is the high mercury content in tuna.
Still, many canned cat foods contain tuna. I honestly haven’t got a clue as to why these are supposed to be OK to feed daily, whereas canned tuna for human consumption is not. (But then again I am an utter & complete nitwit when it comes to commercial cat food. I always prepare their meals myself.)

I sporadically feed canned tuna as a treat. But I first rinse it off thoroughly. The brine is awfully salty – that’s another reason why it might not be a good idea to feed it daily. Perhaps the saltiness is what made your kitties ill. I very much doubt the raw chicken was the culprit – unless it had been sitting out of the fridge for too long and ‘gone off’.

Hiya, I’ve got a friend who is training to be a vet and she says it could be the brine? She says to feed them tuna in sunflower oil?

Also the tuna cat food I’ve seen advertised has the tuna in a jelly so, maybe it’s the brine?

**Antonia** · 24th January 2012, 07:33 PM

Originally Posted by pouncysmom

what about fresh tuna not canned?

That would still be high in mercury.

**Antonia** · 24th January 2012, 07:39 PM

Originally Posted by davie boy 2000

Hiya, I’ve got a friend who is training to be a vet and she says it could be the brine? She says to feed them tuna in sunflower oil?

Also the tuna cat food I’ve seen advertised has the tuna in a jelly so, maybe it’s the brine?

Sunflower oil - dunno. Might give them the squits.

I can imagine jelly being better than brine.