Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat Health & Behaviour => Health & Behaviour General => Topic started by: Susanne (urbantigers) on February 16, 2011, 12:31:16 PM
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Safe? Occasionally? Daily? I know too much tuna is bad for cats but what about sardines? Anyone know?
Asking because I know someone who feeds her cat a tin of sardines each morning and I was about to say that that wouldnt be balanced diet but not sure about sardines, esp if includes the bones.
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didn't Mary have a cat that lived till about 20 on sardines
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Sorry dont know about sardines and surely they are cooked so bones would not be OK??
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Not really enough taurine in tinned sardines for them to be complete. Presume she feeds the cat other things as well?
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didn't Mary have a cat that lived till about 20 on sardines
Most people know of someone who lived into their nineties on a sixty-a-day habit, doesn't make tobacco any the less deadly. :shy: It partially depends what the cat is getting elsewhere - some will hunt or scavenge others will not.
Susanne: Sea fish are high in sodium which small animals are sensitive to, and they contain little saturated fat which is an essential nutrient for felines. What are the sardines packed in? Brine means extra salt and plant oils cannot be properly utilised by obligate carnivores. Not necessarily the correct ratio of minerals to muscle meat. The cooked bones should be safe providing they are mushed up with the meat, as tinned fish bones tend to be crumbly not splintery.
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Taurine was the first thing that came to my mind but I was also wondering about the wrong kind of fats, fish not exactly being cats' natural prey! The cat in question does get normal cat food too but I always worry when people feed food designed for humans regularly. I'm sure sardines in moderation are fine, but I'd be wary of feeding a full tin each day as that imo would result in the overall diet being unbalanced.