Pet Q&A: Is it safe to feed fish to cats?

Question: I’ve never fed my cats any fish-based pet foods due to advice from a vet over 30 years ago. Too much ash for the male cat’s urinary tract, etc. The manufacturing of pet food has changed since then, but when researching via the internet I find conflicting information. What is your advice? — J. Clark

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Fish is not part of a cat’s traditional diet.

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Answer: A lot of confusion surrounds the great fish debate and there is much for cat parents to consider.

Fish is not part of a cat’s traditional diet. Cats evolved from ancestors that originated in desert regions where they didn’t have a lot of access to fish. Their primary diet was small mammals, reptiles and birds.

Modern-day cats, however, have developed a taste for fish. My Siamese tom cat, Andy, was one of the few that did not like fish. He wouldn’t eat any cat food that contained fish and even turned his nose up at canned tuna and fresh fish.

A number of cats actually have an allergy to fish, as well as beef and cow’s milk — two other items that were not a part of their ancestors’ diet.

The main issue with fish is that given a steady diet of it, the cat can develop a thiamine deficiency, which can lead to a loss of appetite, seizures and even death.

Here’s where the confusion comes in. Cats should not be fed a steady diet of fresh fish or fish products that are intended for human consumption. However, cat foods that contain fish are fine for cats because the manufacturers add thiamine.

There’s no evidence canned cat food or fish-flavored dry food is harmful for our cats, provided they don’t have any allergies to it. Sharing your canned tuna or grilled salmon with your cat, however, should be limited to an occasional treat, and only in small quantities.

Q: My dog definitely has separation anxiety. The poor baby howls whenever I leave, and he gets excited and upset, and is whining when I come home. How can I help him with this? He is a miniature poodle. — Paula Rich, Bay Area, Calif.

A: There are ways to beat separation anxiety, but they require work and a lot depends on how serious the anxiety is.

For mild anxiety, which sounds like what your dog has, you can try counter-conditioning. When you get ready to leave, give your dog a toy stuffed with food or treats. You can buy these toys at most pet-supply stores. You want something that is very tasty to your dog, and perhaps not something he usually gets, like low-fat cream cheese, spray cheese, low-fat peanut butter, frozen banana or cottage cheese. You also can put his regular food in the toy and feed him his morning meal.

The idea is to give the dog something worthwhile to do while you’re gone. They also will associate being alone with getting yummy food so they’ll actually look forward to you leaving, or at least not mind it so much.

This won’t work if your dog has medium to high anxiety as dogs usually won’t eat when they are that upset. There are ways of treating that, but the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals recommends that you hire a certified animal behaviorist to guide you because if you make a mistake doing it on your own, you could cause bigger issues.

If you hire a behaviorist, make sure they are credentialed and get some references.

Q: Our 12-year-old puppy has recently developed a rather goofy behavior. He will touch his nose to the food in his bowl and then wipe his nose on a nearby towel or blanket. This touching and wiping repeats several times.

Any idea what the objective is to this goofiness? — Kevin Person, Livermore, Calif.

A: Dogs that push their food around are trying to hide or cache it for later. It’s an ancient dog thing. Rubbing their faces on carpets or towels is just a way of cleaning themselves.

As this is a new behavior for your dog, there are a couple of things it could be. At 12, dogs are getting up there and this could be a sign of senility.

It also might be an indication that your dog’s eyesight is failing and that he’s having trouble spotting exactly where the food is. He might also have developed a habit or compulsion.

I think a trip to the vet is called for. The behavior might be nothing to worry about, but as there are health issues that could be at the root of it, best to have him checked out.

Joan Morris is the pets and wildlife columnist for the Bay Area News Group.

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