Is fish ok? (eating, male, feline, kidney)

[KittyKare]

Hi, My cat has recently been diagnosed as having IBD (through a biopsy). She is young...only three years old and couldn't eliminate a fur ball...and had to have emergency surgery as it was stuck and inflammation was raging.

As part of her treatment plan, my vet said to give her an all fish diet. I am giving canned food and a small amount of Nutro salmon and potato dry food to help clean their teeth (they are rescues that won't let me near their teeth). Now a friend has told me male cats should not eat fish. My other cat is a healthy male cat and I want to feed them identical diets. Do you experienced cat folks think it is Ok to feed (superior quality) canned fish pet food? I understand that cats don't normally eat fish, but my vet was insistent this be tried for at least a month. What's wrong with feeding fish to my cat? I don't understand why my reputable vet recommended it if it is so horrible. Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks.

[catsmom21]

No. Fish bad for cats in general: it is high in histamines making it high allergen. It is potentially high in heavy metals (mercury and others). It is high in minerals, because of the bones. (bad for males) There is a possible link to cats eating fish and hyperthyroid disease (because it is high in iodine)

Feed your cats a high quality high MEAT protein canned diet. No dry. Dry food does not clean teeth, and it will make the IBD worse.

Avoid carrageenan. Carrageenan causes inflammation in the bowel. Other possible irritants are corn, wheat, rice, any sort of gluten, beet pulp and rosemary. And SPINACH.

The best thing for your cat would be a raw diet. But I realize that is not something to jump into lightly.

Here is a website with some information you may find helpful.

http://ibdkitties.net/index.html

[KittyKare]

Thank you! I would ordinarily stay completely away from an all fish diet but this vet insists it's important for me to give my cat...and avoid all meat...at least for now. She thinks it is an allergy to some usual protein (ie meat) that started her inflammation/allergic response...Oh well. Maybe I'll give her a call and see how she 'splains it!

[OwlKaMyst]

The no fish for male cats is because fish has a high salt and mineral content and male cats have a very narrow urethra. The salts and minerals built up and block the urethra causing UTI on top of the blockage.

I don't understand the vets logic in giving fish if there is a protein issue and are to avoid meat. Fish is meat. Usually when there is an issue with food and allergies it comes from the fillers in the food. In dogs, when there is a problem with beef and chicken, lamb is recommended.

[no kudzu]

Oscar almost died fro, IBD. He eats Royal Canin Rabbit and is the picture of good health now. I buy it from the vet but i bet I can get i cheaper on line somewhere. It is rx though. His brother, Langley still eats the cheaper canned food which Oscar is allergic to. So some family member has to baby sit them when they are fed cause they both prefer the other's food. Sometimes I don't have time to baby sit them so I just feed them both the high priced spread. If Oscar eats the other, he barfs it up in no time!

[KittyKare]

When I find out, I'll let you all know what the vet tells me in defense of her "Feed them both all fish" insistence...!

[Sonic_Spork]

We already have a number of threads here conversating on this matter, but a point of much frustration to all of us is how uneducated (and downright WRONG) vets can be with regard to cat nutrition. A common favorite site with a ton of general food info is catinfo.org. People here refer to it and cite it all the time.

For a cat with allergies, inflammation, or bowel trouble, you start with the general guidelines of eliminating dry food, and try to get away from any problem ingredients if you can--these are all grains, soy, carageenan, plant-carbs in general. Additionally for the reasons outlined above fish is considered potentially problematic. Only feed out of ceramic or metal dishes, get rid of any plastic. Carageenan is a common thickener in pet foods that has been linked to bowel disorders, inflammation, and cancer.

On the other end of it--what to get...raw feeding is best but you have to educate yourself and invest in a meat grinder and take the time to do it. Otherwise, stick to the birds and bunnies in canned foods you buy. Stay away from fish and beef and cheese. Try to keep it simple. Avoid Hill's brand products.

EDIT: I also think it's a good idea to mix a little extra water into canned food. Cats can always benefit from hydration. But there is some talk about hard water minerals being a potential issue...I don't know much about that. I use the tap water but some might be able to give you reasons to go with a more pure source if you're worried about it.

[rainroosty]

I wonder what "IBD" is?

Edit: ...and "UTI"?

[Sonic_Spork]

Originally Posted by rainroosty

I wonder what "IBD" is?

Edit: ...and "UTI"?

IBD--Irritable Bowel Disorder maybe? Inflammatory Bowel Disease? Definitely to do with the guts.

UTI--Urinary tract infection.

Also you may see:

URI--Upper Respiratory Infection
CRF--Chronic Renal Failure (I think)
FeLV--Feline Leukemia Virus
FIV--Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (cat AIDS)
FHV--Feline Herpes Virus

Anyone got any others?

One I've seen but don't know what it means is BUN (in reference to levels of some chemical in the blood particular to cats with...kidney problems?)

[catsmom21]

BUN has to do with the amount of nitrogen in the blood. Blood urea nitrogen is what it stands for. An elevated number can mean the kidneys are failing but not always. It can mean the kidneys are not filtering the urea nitrogen out of the blood, or it can mean other things, such as dehydration, or shock, or a few other things.


CRF, Chronic Renal Failure has now been replaced with CKD, Chronic Kidney Disease. They mean the same thing.