It is important to remember that you must attain blood work for your cat before any diet change, to make sure your cat will not have any adverse. Why Fish is Dangerous for Cats. A lot of cats have learned to love fish, but it’s not a natural feline food; and it’s really. It is a mishmash that’s high in phosphorus and magnesium, which can be a. In practice, I have seen many cats develop urinary tract infections and blockages if they eat fish. After I shared one meal of halibut with my three cats, within hours. I had my boy kitty on the surgery table. Excess phosphorus is dangerous for kitties with kidney disfunction; there is as much phosphorus as calcium in bones. Feline- Specific Concerns. Many cats are sensitive or even allergic to fish; it is one of the top three. Vitamin K is required for proper blood clotting. The most common synthetic Vitamin K supplement, menadione, has significant toxicity issues. Many nutritionists and veterinarians agree that a raw food diet is best for cats. However, feeding raw is a very personal decision based on the time and. Better in the Raw for Cats is a whole food supplement for preparing a raw meat diet for cats. This healthy diet is ideal for all life stages and is made with human. Raw fish contains high amounts of an. For cat owners who want to make homemade cat food or try a raw cat food diet, WebMD provides ideas, tips, and important nutrition guidelines. We do not recommend feeding cat food containing menadione. There is a link between the feeding of fish- based cat foods and the development of hyperthyroidism, which is now at epidemic levels. New research suggests that cats are especially sensitive to PBDEs (which, among other things, are used as fire retardants in carpeting and furniture), chemicals found at higher levels in both canned and dry cat foods than they were in dog foods; and there were more types in dry than in canned cat foods. Fish- based foods are the worst, because marine organisms produce PDBEs naturally and can bio- accumulate up the food chain to high levels in carnivorous and omnivorous. They love it, and will often stage a “hunger strike” by refusing their regular food in favor of fish. Safety. Predatory fish at the top of the food chain, such as tuna. Tilefish (listed on pet food labels as “ocean whitefish”) are among the worst contaminated, along with mackerel, shark, and swordfish. These fish are so toxic that the FDA advises women of child- bearing age and children to avoid them entirely; and recommends only 1 serving of albacore tuna per week due to its high mercury levels (yellow or “light” tuna is safer for us, but still inappropriate for cats). If these fish are dangerous to children, cats are at even higher risk! PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) are toxic industrial chemicals that were banned in the U. S. However, they are used elsewhere in the world; and because they are stable in the environment, they are a big concern in ocean waters. Research has found high levels of PCBs in dry and canned pet foods. Scientists also found that cats retain PCB metabolites in their blood longer than dogs. Fish and other animals in the Pacific Ocean have been exposed to leaking radiation from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power facility in Japan since 2. Radioactive Cesium- 1. Pacific. In December, 2. Fukushima radioactivity has been detected all along the West Coast, from British Columbia to California. Radioactivity was even detected in salmon in an inland B. C. While the authorities continue to assert that there is no danger from eating Pacific seafood, the plant is still releasing highly radioactive water into the ocean every day, with no end in sight. Peak levels of radioactive Cesium- 1. North American coast; it will continue getting worse for years. Low levels of Fukushima- specific radioisotopes have been found in West Coast seafood. While the Pacific Ocean’s vastness can and does greatly dilute the radioactive materials, the continuing leakage. Marine products from the South Pacific are. Because it is so dangerous, the FDA limits the amount of this neurotoxin in seafood. This is especially concerning for cat guardians, because not only can the legal level of domoic acid in any seafood harm the kidneys, but fish that are condemned for human consumption due to excessive domoic acid may instead be processed directly into pet food. The 2. 01. 5- 1. 6 fishing season for crab was severely limited. Could contaminated fish in cat food be a hidden factor in the high rate of chronic kidney disease in older cats, who may have been consuming this toxin every day for years? Research. These toxins (as well as chemicals like BPA in the plastic itself) then readily move up the food chain, starting when fish eat small, contaminated pieces of plastic. Those contaminants enter their tissues, and are transferred to those who eat the fish: including bigger fish (e. Research finds that persistent organic pollutants (POPs), found in various seafood species, interact in the body with a crucial protein that helps remove unwanted toxins from cells; even when the quantity ingested is very small. POPs are organic chemicals, commonly used as pesticides, non- stick cookware coatings, and flame retardants, that persist for long periods (many decades) in the environment. Many POPs are endocrine disruptors, and many are carcinogenic (cancer- causing). It would be fairly simple to monitor levels in seafood. A chemical that prevents the body from removing it and other toxins sounds pretty risky, but don. Thailand is a major source of fish and seafood products used in pet foods. Mars and Purina have both admitted that fish used in their pet foods may come directly from slave labor. Some brands are made right there in Thailand, then shipped to the U. S., including several popular . However, it is unclear whether this law is being applied to pet food. Salmon: Worst of the Worst. My grandfather was a salmon fisherman, so. When I went off to college in. The situation has only deteriorated since then, and it grieves me to see this amazing animal. These unfortunate animals are kept by the thousands in overcrowded net pens. They’re injected and fed antibiotics to keep them alive in the face of rampant disease; and fed dyes to make their flesh “salmon colored”. Common water pollutants such as PCBs, pesticides, and other chemicals are present in farmed salmon at 1. These contaminants will also be present in any product made with farmed fish, including cat and dog food. You may prefer. This raw waste flows directly into surrounding waters, fouling nearby habitat, and destroying shellfish beds. Of course, the salmon themselves. When harvested, hatchery- raised and wild fish are both considered . You will not be able to tell from the label which salmon are GMO. However, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, and others have promised. For example, under natural conditions, wild adult salmon carrying sea lice (which do not seriously hurt them) are not in the migration channels at the same time as the defenseless baby salmon (fry) on their way to the ocean, so under natural conditions, infestation of the young fish is not a problem. But today, salmon farms are clustered in those exact same migration channels; and sea lice are rampant. Consequently, 6. 0 to 9. Lice can also be transmitted to trout and other related fish. Farmed salmon (mostly Atlantic salmon species) often escape their pens into the open ocean, where they outcompete and interbreed with wild salmon, destroying the genetics of the species; a particular problem for Pacific salmon. More than a million farm fish have escaped. It’s estimated that, globally. This raises questions about multiple freeze- thaw cycles, how the fish are handled, and what (if any) safety and sanitary procedures are followed. But as long as something “substantial” is done to the fish when it gets back (breading, cooking, or other processing), the label can still claim that these salmon products were ? Please, feed fish no more than once a week, and even then, only in very small amounts. Avoid farmed species (especially salmon and tilapia); herring, anchovies, and smelt are far safer. Please Note: While . Crustaceans (shrimp, crab, lobster) and shellfish (mussels, clams, oysters) and other invertebrates are completely unrelated to fish, and should be evaluated separately, based on their source. Never give your cat any seafood that comes. Call the manufacturer. If the cat food flavor has fish in its name (such as. Bonito flakes, a popular cat treat, are acceptable in moderation. Fish oil varies tremendously in quality. Most salmon oil comes from farmed fish and should be avoided. Your best bet for the lowest levels of pollutants is oil from animals lowest on the food chain. This includes small, fast- growing, wild- caught fish (herring, anchovies, sardines) . See Choosing an Omega- 3 Oil for Your Pet for a complete rundown on all the types of Omega- 3s on the market. Originally published November 1.
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