[Leneyloo]

We give our little guys about 1/4 can each about once a week & they go NUTS for it. Sometimes I'll pour the drain water on their dry food too. It sounds like you might not need a vitamin supplement if you have a well balanced dry food that they're eating as well. As long as they're still going for the dry stuff and not skipping it I wouldn't worry too much - but you should, of course, ask you vet about anything like this.

[Catrancher99]

Originally Posted by vp311

I have been feeding my cats regular tuna packed in water for about a year. They each get half a can a day. I also give them premium dry food which feed freely for them to nibble on. I recently found out that cats that are fed tuna can have health problems. My cats are thriving. The reason I started feeding tuna is because one of my cats had extremely smelly bowel movements and frequent diarrhea. Ever since I have been feeding in this way they have not had the smelly fecal problems and no diarrhea. Should I stop feeding them tuna?

Being concerned about tuna for my cats, a few months ago I did a study on the issue because my vet wasn't sure about it. Canned people tuna in water is OK if it's "light chunk" style (the cheaper stuff). The premium stuff can have high concentrations of mercury. This is because the premium is from older tuna that have been in the seas for some time, but is considered premium because of its lighter flavor. The cheaper tuna is from younger fish. Also, the red tuna for cats is supposedly not good for cats because of some fats in it that cats cannot digest and gets stored in their fat despositsand actually "go stale" and can cause health problems. I feed my ctas a wide variety of foods, but include tuna frequently and they are all quite healthy little cusses.

[ChristineP]

I have never given my cats tuna. When we have tuna, we do buy the canned tuna in water, and just give them the tuna juice. They LOVE it!

[Catrancher99]

I subscribe to a monthly newsletter called "Catnip" published by the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. In the current issue there is an article about cat nutrition, "Feline Nutrition 101" by Margaret H. Bonham with a tidbit of info regarding tuna which I did not know before that I thought I should pass along. "Many types of fish, including tuna, contain thiaminase. This ingredient breaks down thiamine and can cause a thiamine deficiency in some felines." She also mentions the possibility for the bioaccumulation of mercury from fish. I usually give my cats vitamin/mineral supplements (they seem to like the spray-on kind) so I don't have to worry about them not getting the essentials, especially taurine.

[A-Rod's Mama]

From what my vete said. You should REALLY try to limit "people" food. I personally give my Kitty tuna for Holidays-LOL. I also know giving your cat too much wet cat food can create problems. It can lead to tooth decay. So I limit A-Rod to one can every Sunday as something special. But it is always best to ask your vete about any potential health problems!!

[ChristineP]

My cats eat dry food and wet cat food everyday. They also use to eat treats for tartar control. I am wondering if too much tuna is bad for cats, why do they make cat food that has tuna in it? Hm....

[Catrancher99]

Hi ChristineP. The reason they use tuna, either by itself or mixed in with other cat food, is because it's high in protein and has a strong flavor. Since cats do not eat fruit or veggies they need lots of protein, some of which is converted to glucose (or sugar, which is to cells what gasoline is to cars sort of) and the rest for building muscle, fur, etc. As for taste, tuna gets cats' attention and enhances their appetite. Some people say you shouldn't feed cats tuna except as a very rare treat because some cats do get persnickity and won't eat anything else because it's too bland compared to tuna. I guess it's up to each human and their cats. I don't give mine tuna regularly, and they eat other food OK and enjoy the tuna when they get it.

[mahakittycat]

I never really tried feeding my kitten tuna.