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.
Chicken-Wrapped Milk Stick Dog Treats
Chewy dog treats of soft milk sticks wrapped in real chicken for tasty, protein-rich rewarding.
From£12.99
Dried Catnip & Cat Grass Leaf Treats
A tub of dried catnip and cat grass leaves to sprinkle over toys, scratchers and bedding.
From£8.99
Whiskas 1+ Salmon Adult Dry Cat Food
Complete salmon dry food for adult cats in a practical 1.9KG bag
£12.39
Whiskas 1+ Lamb Adult Dry Cat Food
Complete lamb dry food for adult cats in a practical 1.9KG bag
£12.39
Whiskas 1 Tuna Adult Dry Cat Food
Complete tuna dry food for adult cats, offered in several bag sizes
From£3.19
Whiskas Kitten Chicken Dry Cat Food
Complete chicken dry food for kittens, available in several bag sizes
From£3.19
Whiskas 1 Chicken Adult Dry Cat Food
A complete dry food for cats 1+, with chicken present only in the brown kibbles
From£3.19
Whiskas 7+ Senior Cat Complete Dry with Chicken
Complete chicken dry food for senior cats aged 7+ in a 1.9KG bag
£12.39
Catit Nibbly Jerky Chicken & Fish Treats
Soft chicken and fish jerky treats for cats, two named meats high on the list, grain free
£1.89
Catit Creamy Tuna Treats 4 Pk
Lickable 26% tuna purée tubes for cats, 4 x 10g, up to 3 a day in place of main meal
£1.89
Dreamies Meaty Sticks Adult Cat Treats with Scrumptious Salmon
Soft meaty stick treats for adult cats with salmon, individually wrapped, not for kittens
£1.59
Dreamies Creamy Adult Cat & Kitten Treats with Scrumptious Salmon
Creamy lickable salmon treats for cats and kittens, in a 40g pack with taurine
£1.59
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.