Cats are inquisitive creatures, and if you’ve ever opened and handled fish food around your cats, you will have likely noticed them take a real interest. Fish food is made primarily of fish and seafood meal, both of which are safe for cats in moderation.
However, fish food is formulated for fish and while it might offer some nutrition to your scaled friends, it doesn’t offer many health benefits to cats. While it is fine if your cat pinches a few flakes or tries a few from your hand, it shouldn’t be fed regularly or given as some kind of supplement because it doesn’t contain ingredients that are beneficial in a feline diet.
Cat Diet
Cats are obligate carnivores. In the wild, their diet consists solely of animal prey that they catch and eat. This would usually include small mammals and even insects. The only non-meat elements in a wild cat’s diet would be the content of their prey’s stomach, and this isn’t thought to be consumed very often.
However, pet cats’ diets typically incorporate some vegetables and other ingredients, as well as meat protein. This meat protein can include fish, although in the wild, cats would rarely eat fish. Feeding too much raw fish to cats can be bad for them. Raw fish is high in an enzyme called thiaminase, which destroys thiamine.  Thiamine is essential for the function of a cat’s central nervous system (CNS) and a deficiency in it can lead to seizures, paralysis and sight problems.
Can Cats Eat Fish Food?
Although it does depend on the exact ingredients in the product, fish food is generally safe for feline consumption, although certainly not recommended. Its main ingredients are fish and seafood meals. Meals (eg. blood meal, fishmeal, chicken meal) are essentially concentrated forms of protein, which means they have more vitamins and minerals by weight than the whole fish. Your cat can safely eat a few flakes of the food, and they may find it alluring because of the strong fishy smell it tends to have. If your cat steals a little of your fish food, there’s typically nothing to be concerned about.
Some fish food comes in pellet form, rather than as flakes. You will need to ensure that the pellets will not get caught or stuck in your cat’s throat because this would make the food a potential hazard.
The 3 Treats You Can Give Cats
Although it is essential to provide cats with a diet consisting primarily of high-quality cat food, there are some other foods that you can give as occasional treats. Such foods include:
1. Chicken
Chicken is a beneficial protein source for cats. Chicken is a lean meat, although you should remove the skin because it can be especially fatty, and you will need to cook the chicken beforehand. Boil or roast the chicken and avoid using oils or adding any other ingredients. Remove any bones before serving chicken to your cat.
2. Egg
Egg is a surprisingly nutritious and beneficial ingredient for cats, as well as for humans. It is a good source of protein, healthy fats and it contains B vitamins. It should be cooked before feeding. Boiled or scrambled eggs are best but however you prepare the eggs, avoid using oil or other additives that can turn this from a healthy treat into an unhealthy one.
3. Turkey
Turkey is another lean meat, and it is found in some commercial cat foods because it is a beneficial source of meat protein for cats. Ensure the turkey is cooked, remove the skin, and stick to feeding slices of the breast, rather than legs and wings.
Conclusion
Cats are obligate carnivores, which means that while they can digest and process vegetables and other plant-based ingredients, they do not gain as much nutritional value from these ingredients. While fish is not necessarily a natural food for wild cats, most pet cats love the taste and smell of fish, so it is hardly surprising that many of them enjoy or are intrigued by fish food.
Fish food consists of fish and seafood meal, as well as other related ingredients. While it is high in protein, and unlikely to cause any immediate illnesses or problems for your cat, it should not be fed regularly as it is not designed for feline consumption.
