Wouldn't it be better to just feed our cats "people" tuna?

Question: Wouldn't it be better to just feed our cats "people" tuna?

I am so disgusted with the pet food industry that I refuse to buy any more commercial cat foods. Why can't I just feed my cats human-grade canned tuna instead?

Answer: I fully understand and share the fears we all have as a result of this massive pet food recall that seems to be growing every day. However, to try to "protect" our cats from harm by feeding a diet of straight tuna is ill-advised, and might even harm a cat, for several reasons:

• Red tuna may cause steatitis
  Red tuna robs the body of vitamin E, and this loss can cause steatitis, aka yellow fat disease. Steatitis is sometimes painful to cats as it causes lumpy deposits of yellow fat under the skin, causing generalized soreness, especially with movement.
• Some tuna contains a high proportion of mercury
  Unfortunately, many of the world's waters are laden with mercury and other heavy metals. Tuna and other "top-feeders" assimilate a higher proportion of mercury than bottom-dwelling fish.
• A tuna-only diet is deficient in taurine.
  According to Max's House, light tuna, canned in water is deficient in taurine and other minerals and vitamins essential by AAFCO standards to cats' health. A tuna-only diet is also excessive in magnesium, sodium, and the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio.

The fact is that veterinary nutritionists have spent decades researching the dietary needs of cats. Today, we are fortunate to have a number of companies that offer high-quality cat foods that are well-balanced, palatable, and nourishing. To penalize the cat food industry as a whole because of painful mistakes made by a handful of companies is, in my opinion, morally wrong. Even more important, it is doing an injustice to the cats we all love and want to protect by robbing them of the healthful nutrients they require to thrive.

More Cats Q&A