How Much Tuna Can A Cat Eat
It is safe to add tuna as a supplement to the diet of your cat as tuna is high in proteins containing low carbohydrates. But it is not recommended to give tuna on a regular diet to your cats because vitamin E in tuna can cause problems with fat inflammation. Taking an unbalanced amount of tuna may also cause mercury poisoning in a cat.
The vast body of online research suggests that tuna devoid of any nutrients may have detrimental effects on the health of your cats. Despite the many benefits of tuna to your cats, many vets recommend it only to them on occasion and in a smaller quantity, because it may also have a lot of knockbacks to your cats health.
While feeding small amounts of tuna as a treat or a supplement to his complete and balanced kitten food is okay, too much tuna can be detrimental. In turn, eating too much tuna may result in your cat gaining a substantial amount of weight, particularly if fed as an additional supplement to their regular cat food. First, and most importantly, it is important to note that eating too much tuna (whether it is fresh or canned) can be extremely detrimental for your cat.
While it is impossible to give too much tuna to your cat, giving tuna in the right amounts has certain benefits. With all that said, feeding your cat tuna should be done as a once-in-awhile, highly-portion-controlled treat, rather than as the mainstay of the diet. You can give supplemental treats such as tuna that are under 10% of her daily calories to your cat, following these Safe Feeding Guidelines.
There are a few cautions about feeding tuna, however, so make sure that you know what amounts of tuna are safe for feeding your cat before your cat dives in. Some cats might not eat tuna safely, so always consult with your vet before feeding your cat any new food, especially if your cat has any medical conditions or is on a special diet. While (to the endless delight of your little one) tuna is safe to give in small amounts occasionally, you do not want too much tuna in their diet either.
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If your kitten does like tuna, try feeding them canned tuna-flavored kitten food instead as a food additive. If you are giving small pieces of tuna as treats, try replacing them with tuna-flavored treats, cooked chicken pieces, or other flavorful treats. If your cat is not willing to eat, and you would like to use tuna to encourage her appetite, chop up some pieces of light, chopped tuna and sprinkle it over her food. If this is canned tuna, which is what humans eat, you should not give this to your cat in the same way, with all of the oils and salt, when giving canned tuna to your cat, you need to be sure the tuna is preserved only in the water of the can, not with other added ingredients.
To learn about Can You Eat Canned Tuna Raw, then check out this article.
| Benefits | Hazards |
| Provides high-quality protein for cat. | Regular intake may result in malnutrition. |
| Contains vitamin B12 & D, niacin and riboflavin. | Too much consumption can result in mercury toxicity. |
If you are feeding canned tuna to your cat, be sure it is in spring water, and not brine (saltwater) or sunflower oil. If you purchase fresh tuna at a fishmonger, make sure any bones are removed and that the tuna has not been aged. Now, I know that you are not supposed to feed your cat canned tuna alone due to the buildup of mercury and supplement deficiencies, but that last one should not be an issue since it is mixed in with normal cat food.
You should not likely give your cat tuna daily, as cats can be poisoned by mercury if they overeat, as we are. Both cats and humans can get mercury poisoning if they eat too much tuna for an extended period. While it would take quite a lot of tuna for large animals to become mercury-poisoned, for smaller animals like cats, even a single can per week may be too much. Even more than 10% tuna in the cats total food intake is too much, and could lead to severe health problems.
Tuna cannot provide all the nutritional needs for a cat, so a heavy tuna diet may result in a vitamin deficiency, which may later cause additional health problems, like Steatitis. It is important to avoid feeding your cat raw tuna or offering tuna in large amounts or too often, because doing so can cause issues like nutrient deficiencies, mercury poisoning, and bad health. Although it is not included on a toxic cat food list, tuna which is intended for humans may lead to health problems for cats. It is unclear why cats are so drawn to tuna, but cats may get hooked on tuna, and that leads to other problems, so make sure that tuna is either included in your cats diet, or offered in a controlled manner.
The good news is tuna is usually safe for cats, and it can in many cases be a healthy treat for your cat when given in small amounts and fed only once along with a good cats meal. Whether tuna, mackerel, cod, or whatever fish you can think of, tuna should always be treated as a treat, not as a mainstay in your cats diet. Make sure to incorporate small amounts of tuna into your cats diet, this should never exceed 10% of total food intake, should not be a regular part of your cats diet, and that diet should never be solely tuna-based. Your cat will love to eat tuna and will look forward to the feeding time every time, it provides high-quality protein for your cat, and just the right amount of moisture that is required in a cats diet.
If they refused to eat any other food, you could slowly begin adding in a little bit of a high-quality cat food (do not be tempted to use cheaper foods, since tuna always seems to have a higher nutritional value) into tuna until you are finally offering only cat food. To make sure that your cat friends are getting the balanced nutrients they need, without extra calories or toxic metals, pick out a healthy cat food that uses tuna in ways that still satisfy their nutritional needs while also satisfying their palate.
It is best to limit the amount of canned tuna or grilled salmon that you share with your cat to occasional treats, and only in small amounts. To avoid the potential problems that may come from too much tuna, including developing a selective feeding behavior, avoid feeding tuna daily, and limit tuna to occasional treats for your cat. For instance, tuna alone has too much unsaturated fat and is not enriched with vitamin E or other antioxidants. The imbalanced amounts of Vitamin E in tuna may lead to problems with inflammation in fats, and some pregnant cats who have been fed a diet of primarily tuna have developed bleeding disorders.
Can I give my cat tuna once a day?
Whether the tuna is packaged for cats or humans, cats might become addicted to it. It probably won’t harm to eat some tuna occasionally. However, a regular tuna intake may result in malnutrition since it lacks the minerals that cats require. Mercury toxicity can also result from consuming too much tuna.
How much tuna can cause mercury poisoning in cats?
Living tuna to a cat every day might lead to mercury poisoning. The amount of mercury in 85 g of light tuna is 10.71 mcg. While tuna contains significant amounts of protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and B vitamins, it is deficient in several essential components for cats’ well health. The feeding of canned tuna in brine or oil to cats is not advised.
Can you replace cat food with tuna?
Modest doses of tuna as a treat or as an addition to your cat’s full and balanced cat food are OK, but too much tuna can be dangerous. First off, tuna by itself cannot supply the precise ratio of ingredients a cat needs to function properly.