Fish cat food
Fish cat food is any wet or dry recipe built around fish as the main protein — tuna, salmon and whitefish are the most common, either on their own or blended together. Most cats take to fish readily, and it is a genuine, complete protein for them, though it is worth knowing a little about which fish and how much before making it a cat's everyday food.
Why fish is such a popular cat food
Fish-based wet food is one of the most reliably popular options for fussy cats, partly because of the strong smell that fish recipes carry, which tends to appeal to a cat's sense of smell more than a milder-scented meat recipe. That popularity is exactly why so much of the cat food aisle is built around it.
It is also a genuinely complete protein source when it comes from a properly formulated commercial cat food, rather than fish scraps or leftovers — a complete fish-based cat food is balanced with the taurine, vitamins and minerals a cat needs, which a plate of plain cooked fish on its own is not.
What to check on the label
Look at how specific the fish naming is. 'Tuna' or 'salmon' as a named ingredient tells you which fish is actually in the tin, while 'fish and fish derivatives' is a much broader category that could include several different, unnamed fish in varying proportions.
If you're choosing fish food because your cat has a known sensitivity, a single named fish protein is more useful for narrowing things down than a blended 'ocean fish' recipe, the same logic as choosing any single-protein food for an elimination approach.
How much fish food is sensible
An all-fish diet, fed exclusively and long-term, is worth discussing with your vet rather than assuming it is automatically fine, since some fish-heavy diets have historically been linked to a vitamin deficiency in cats when fed as the sole food for a very long time. Most cats do perfectly well on fish as a regular part of a varied diet.
Varying the protein across the week — fish some days, another named meat on others — is a straightforward way to avoid relying on any single ingredient too heavily, and most cats enjoy the variety anyway.
What we stock
Everything below is in stock with us, priced with delivery worked out, and packed and posted by hand in the UK.
Felix Pouches Deliciously Sliced Fish Selection in Jelly 12pk
Sliced fish in jelly across four recipes, for cats fed a fish-based diet
£6.49
Sheba Fine Flakes Cat Pouches Fish Collection in Jelly
An 80-pouch fish collection in jelly for adult cats, across four different fish flavours
From£7.49
Whiskas 1 Fish Favourites Adult Wet Cat Food Pouches in Jelly
Whiskas complete adult wet cat food with Salmon, Whitefish, Tuna and Cod
From£5.35
Cookhouse Cat Fish Pate Terrine 6pk
A 6-pack of tuna pate pouches in jelly for adult cats, 11% protein, 71kcal/100g
£4.99
Felix as Good as It Looks Senior 7+ Fish in Jelly 12pk
Chunky trout, sardine, tuna and salmon in jelly, made for cats aged seven and up
£5.99
Sheba Select Slices Cat Pouches Fish Collection in Gravy 12pk
Complete SHEBA Select Slices fish selection in gravy for adult cats, 12 x 85G pouches
£7.49
Harringtons Cat Fish Selection in Jelly 12pk
Twelve cat food fillets in jelly, marketed on fish but built mainly on chicken
£6.39
Sheba Fresh & Fine Wet Cat Food Pouches Fish in Gravy 15 Pack
Fish-flavour wet pouches for adult and senior cats in gravy, sold as a 15-pack
£6.59
Whiskas 11+ Fish Favourites Senior Wet Cat Food Pouches in Jelly 12 Pack
Whiskas complete senior wet cat food with Salmon and Cod in portioned pouches
£5.35
Whiskas Kitten Fish Favourites Wet Cat Food Pouches in Jelly 12 Pack
Fish-flavour wet pouches for kittens in jelly, with smaller pieces sized for smaller mouths
£5.35
Felix Doubly Delicious Fish Selection in Jelly 12pk
Four paired ocean fish recipes in jelly, an all-fish multipack for adult cats
£5.79
Whiskas 7+ Fish Favourites Senior Wet Cat Food Pouches in Jelly 12 Pack
Twelve senior cat food pouches in jelly, four fish flavours where named fish is 4% of the chunk
£5.35
Common questions
- Is fish good for cats every day?
- Fish makes a perfectly good regular part of a cat's diet as a complete, properly formulated food, though many owners vary the protein across the week rather than feeding fish exclusively for every meal, every day, long-term.
- What's the difference between tuna and salmon cat food?
- Both are genuine named fish proteins and equally acceptable as a regular food. The choice mostly comes down to what your cat prefers, since the nutritional differences between the two as commercial cat foods are generally small.
- Can cats be allergic to fish?
- Yes, fish is one of the proteins a cat can develop a sensitivity to, the same as chicken or beef. If you suspect a food sensitivity, speak to your vet about how to investigate it properly rather than guessing.
- Is wet or dry fish food better for cats?
- Neither is automatically better — wet fish food tends to have a stronger smell that appeals to fussy cats, while dry fish kibble is easier to store and leave down. Many owners feed a mix of both.
- Does fish cat food smell stronger than other flavours?
- Generally yes, and that stronger smell is often exactly why it appeals to cats and to owners of fussy eaters. If the smell bothers you, a dry fish kibble is usually milder to live with than a wet fish pouch or tin.
Related
Written by Matt Garnett, who runs Giddy Pets and is a lifelong pet owner — not a vet. This is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your animal. How we write these guides.