Is tuna okay for cats?

Just because your cat loves to eat tuna, doesn’t mean it’s good for them! Fish is a great source of protein, but a cat’s diet with a high proportion of human grade canned tuna can have many problems. Here’s some of them:

• It’s nutritionally deficient – it lacks essential vitamins and minerals that cats need, namely calcium.
• Many cats are allergic to fish – signs can be an intense itch to an upset tummy.
• Risk of mercury poisoning – tuna is high in mercury.
• The ratio of unsaturated fats to Vitamin E is not sufficient for cats and can lead to a Vitamin E. deficiency, which causes a painful inflammation of the fat.
• Addiction issues – your cat may not want anything else!
• Thiaminases – they leave cats at risk of Thiamine deficiency (raw tuna)

Canned ‘tuna’ cat foods that are AAFCO approved (ensure you see this on the food label) are a different story and have other ingredients added to make the meal complete and safe for your cat.

So, human grade canned tuna is actually ok for your cat, as long as it is kept at less than approximately 10% of your kitty’s diet. In this case, your cat absolutely can have too much of a good thing!