Novosibirsk Veterinarians Debunk Fish Feeding Myth for Cats

Many cat owners think that fish is the staple of their pet«s diet. Even in children»s books, dogs are depicted with bones, and cats with fish. Novosibirsk veterinarians have explained whether it«s okay to feed cats this way.

Feeding pets «natural food» is not at all what is commonly understood by the term. It«s not table scraps or porridge with meat or fish every day.

«Natural nutrition can only be balanced after consultation with a dietitian. We receive many patients with gastrointestinal diseases, and when we ask what the pets eat, it turns out: either cheap food, or they are on a monodiet of products that owners think are suitable food,» notes Kristina Nikitina, director of the Novosibirsk Veterinary Center for Sterilization and Surgery.

The chief veterinarian of the VetNora clinic, Dmitry Voronin, believes that the habit of feeding cats fish formed in the older generation. According to him, this is because fish used to be an accessible and inexpensive product, and fish day on Thursdays was a common practice.

«Fish contains too much phosphorus, which negatively affects the function of cats» kidneys. In the wild, most cats live in forests, they don«t eat any fish and simply don»t know it — except for the jungle cat, which does eat fish. A cat«s body is not adapted to such a diet. Yes, many remember that parents fed cats fish all their lives and nothing seemed to happen. But for some animals, it passed without consequences, while for others, kidneys failed,» explains the veterinarian.

According to the expert, it«s better to choose high-quality pet food for pets — their composition has everything necessary for animals. The doctor also warns of the danger of opisthorchiasis infection through fish: this disease is not treatable in cats.

On December 27, 2025, NGS reported on proper feeding of cats.