Why Do Cats Like Fish?

Cooked or Raw Fish

We have established that cats can also like fish, right? The question now will be if feeding our cats raw fish or cooked fish is alright - Pft, keep your fish tank safe from your cat if you have one! Well, cats will definitely enjoy eating cooked fish. Fried, steamed, name it! But it will be a different story when we talk of feeding our cats raw fish.

Raw fish or any other raw food stuff at that, is going to be dangerous for our pets if we let them consume it. Raw fish and raw food may contain bacteria that may become harmful to our cats. These are bacteria that our cat’s stomach may be unable to handle and break down.   

What About The Nutritional Value of Fish Meat?

Meat like chicken, duck, and beef are only some of a cat's staple source of nutrients. These types of meat are really Taurine rich. A nutrient that cats need the most. What is the implication of this when it comes to fish meat? Fish may also contain a certain amount of Taurine but it is not as high as the level found in the meat of chicken, duck, and beef. 

How Often Can We Feed Our Cats Fish

Therefore, if we consider that there is a little amount of Taurine found in fishes, then we could say that cats could do away with it. A cat's diet that will comprise mostly of fish will make a cat weak and malnourished.

A cat’s diet may include fish but it should not share the bulk of what our cats consume. A cat’s main source of Taurine should still comprise the bigger portion of the food they consume. It does not mean that cats can’t consume fish at all.

Perhaps, the best thing to do is to let them consume fish in moderation. A word of caution, fish may contain substances that cause urinary tract infections in cats. Maybe feeding your cat some fish twice a week is going to be an ample amount. More than twice a week is going to be too much. You know, just to let your cat have some variety in the food they eat. 

What Comprises a Cat’s Diet?

A cat by nature is carnivorous. What does it mean to be carnivores and what comprises a carnivorous diet? What is the food that cats can eat? Carnivores mean animals that eat only meat or mostly meat. Therefore, if that is how we define carnivores, a carnivorous diet contain meat. Different types of meat like duck, chicken, beef, to name a few.

That being said, if cats are carnivores, then would they like fish? Well, fish and other seafood can also be classified under the meat category – white meat that is. So it is possible that cats would probably like fish and other seafood, say for example shrimps.

Although, it will be noticeable that cats will have more of an inclination to eating meat like duck, chicken, and beef over the meat of fish and other seafood.

But Where Did it Come From Then?

It is interesting to note that while cats may like red meat more over the meat or fish, they still have a liking for fish. Have you ever wondered how this happened?

Well, cats have a very long history. This taste (not distaste!!!) for fish may have come from their ancestors who first had fish as part of their diet. It is said that in ancient Egyptian times, cats were lured into Egyptian homes by putting fish at the doorsteps of their houses.