Author Topic: Is fish safe for felines if it's freeze-dried?  (Read 3412 times)

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Offline DeeDee

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Is fish safe for felines if it's freeze-dried?
« on: March 11, 2013, 03:54:57 PM »
http://www.primalpetfoods.com/product/list/c/14

I've yet to figure out if freeze-dried is really still raw  :-\
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Offline Middle Child

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Re: Is fish safe for felines if it's freeze-dried?
« Reply #1 on: March 13, 2013, 07:04:47 PM »
I don't feed my cats any fish.  Never have, not since 1985 when my male cat developed cystitis. The vet I was using then told me feed all canned food no fish from now on, and that is the way I have always fed my cats ever since.

Fish is high in histamines (which makes it a common allergen), can contain heavy metals including mercury, is high in magnesium and calcium because of the bones (too high in minerals in other words) has been thought to possibly be related to hyperthyroid disease in cats (high in iodine) and...I think there is something else.  OH....it is additive.

They all three get krill oil every other day, 500 mg.  Only one of them likes it. But krill oil isn't the same as feeding fish.

Offline DeeDee

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Re: Is fish safe for felines if it's freeze-dried?
« Reply #2 on: March 13, 2013, 07:27:39 PM »
I thought I remembered some of you saying "Fur an Feathers ONLY" before, so I still can't figure out why so many companies add fish in their foods for cats--even the especially "good" companies that so many tout.
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Offline Middle Child

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Re: Is fish safe for felines if it's freeze-dried?
« Reply #3 on: March 13, 2013, 07:53:53 PM »
Well, fish is something most cats love, so it sells product.  There is a market for fishy cat foods. All pet food companies, no matter how much we want to trust them, think about the bottom line first.  Of course, if they didn't make a profit they wouldn't be able to provide us with the foods we do use, either. So, since there is a market for cat foods containing fish, just about every cat food manufacturer is going to provide it.

Offline Lola

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Re: Is fish safe for felines if it's freeze-dried?
« Reply #4 on: March 13, 2013, 08:59:06 PM »
I don't feed any fish either.  But...This is what Weruva has to say about their fish varieties:

Quote
Fish will have some level of mercury, and we do test for mercury, histamines and pcbs. Yet, not all fish were created equally. In a nutshell, the lower on the food chain, the younger and smaller the fish, the less mercury the fish will have. We use fish that meet the FDA's list of those lower in mercury. There are many species of tuna, some of which have high levels of mercury. We use skipjack, a smaller and younger species that has lower levels.

With that said, we do try to rotate the protein sources for our cats, as they prefer the fish too. We do not have a specific recommendation on how much to feed per week, but we do believe in a nice balance between proteins from the land and sea. Our cats are fish “junkies”, so we often find ourselves mixing in some chicken with the fish. For instance, we often mix Mideast Feast with Paw Lickin’ Chicken.
http://www.weruva.com/tid-bits-detail.php?My-cats-really-love-your-fish-varieties.-Should-I-be-concerned-about-mercury-How-often-can-I-feed-fish-1

If everything was all good with all your cats, and knowing Weruvua is one of the MUCH better pet food companies... would you feed their fish varieties? 
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Offline Middle Child

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Re: Is fish safe for felines if it's freeze-dried?
« Reply #5 on: March 13, 2013, 09:15:14 PM »
Nope, no fish, not ever. I don't even feed sardines, even though most experienced raw feeders recommend giving raw fed cats sardines once or twice a week.

Weruva's comment about their cats being addicted to fish illustrates one of my points.

Offline Lola

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Re: Is fish safe for felines if it's freeze-dried?
« Reply #6 on: March 13, 2013, 09:19:49 PM »
I was just curious... in a perfect world... if you would feel safe feeding their fish varieties.  The only two proteins that work (all around for all cats) is turkey and chicken.  BORING 

But... Maybe the different brands make it less boring?  But again...They all always eat.  So it is probably more of a problem for me, then it is for them. 
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Offline Middle Child

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Re: Is fish safe for felines if it's freeze-dried?
« Reply #7 on: March 13, 2013, 09:23:07 PM »
I understood what you were asking.  But I am adamant about no fish for my fur kids. Yes, I imagine the different brands of chicken and turkey do taste different, and have different textures.

You are using some freeze dried brands, right?  Have you tried the Stella&Chewy's duck&goose?  That would add some variety for them.  My girls like it.

Offline Pookie

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Re: Is fish safe for felines if it's freeze-dried?
« Reply #8 on: March 14, 2013, 09:47:16 AM »
I try to avoid fish/seafood, too, which seems to limit what I can feed since so many companies include it.  But that was the first ingredient that I figured out Pookie and his sister were allergic to when I was dry feeding, and even though I no longer feed dry, I don't like feeding fish for the reasons MC gave earlier.  But another reason is that I come back to the fact that cats evolved in dry/arid climates with little access to water, which is how they evolved to get water from their food and have a low thirst drive.  So really, how much access to fish would they have had in those climates?  Which IMO means that fish isn't really as species-appropriate as land/air prey would be.

Side note:  Once in a while I'll feed a canned food with fish, but I suspect Pookie may still have an issue with it because it seems like his lower lip swells a bit when he eats it.   :(  So it's still on the "rarely feed this" list.
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Offline Lola

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Re: Is fish safe for felines if it's freeze-dried?
« Reply #9 on: March 14, 2013, 02:21:00 PM »
I try to avoid fish/seafood, too, which seems to limit what I can feed since so many companies include it.  But that was the first ingredient that I figured out Pookie and his sister were allergic to when I was dry feeding, and even though I no longer feed dry, I don't like feeding fish for the reasons MC gave earlier.  But another reason is that I come back to the fact that cats evolved in dry/arid climates with little access to water, which is how they evolved to get water from their food and have a low thirst drive.  So really, how much access to fish would they have had in those climates?  Which IMO means that fish isn't really as species-appropriate as land/air prey would be.

Side note:  Once in a while I'll feed a canned food with fish, but I suspect Pookie may still have an issue with it because it seems like his lower lip swells a bit when he eats it.   :(  So it's still on the "rarely feed this" list.

 
The bolded part... that is what I was trying to figure out!  THANKS. 



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