Salmon contains numerous vitamins, omega 3 acids, proteins, and minerals, which is why it’s considered really healthy for human consumption. This tasty and nutritious brain food is also recommended to people battling depression, stress, and those who are diabetic. But does all this nutritional value apply to our feline friends? Well, cats seem to like all kinds of fish. The smell of salmon alone is enough to drive your cat into a frenzy of excitement. This doesn’t necessarily mean you should feed salmon to your cat. First, because your cat might become addicted to the point it won’t eat anything else, which, in turn, causes undernourishment. Also, it can become harmful in the long-run.
Can cats have smoked salmon? Technically yes, as they love the smell. However, it may not be the healthiest food for your cat. That’s because it’s prepared with a lot of salt, with every 100 grams of smoked salmon containing 700-800 mg of salt. This makes it rather inedible; not to mention excessive salt/sodium can also lead to sodium ion poisoning in your cat.
Cats are most likely to dig in when offered smoked salmon. And, while it’s true that eating salmon can benefit cats nutritionally, it may not be the safest option for them. There are actually a few problems with smoked salmon, which is why it’s best not to feed it to your cat. If you choose to do so, you ought to be careful with the quantity. The good news is salmon is one of the most frequently used ingredients in cat foods. You can advantage of these treats so your cat can get the nutrients found in salmon without the risks associated with smoked salmon. Let’s dig a bit deeper into this topic, so you can make an informed decision about adding smoked salmon into your cat’s diet:
Can Cats Eat Smoked Salmon
Although cats may enjoy smoked salmon, it has undesirable risks for felines and should be limited or eliminated completely from their diet. Here are some of the potential problems associated with feeding smoked salmon to cats:
Sodium-ion poisoning
Salmon is generally cured with salt and even rubbed with herbs and spices before smoking. It contains excessive amounts of sodium, usually between 700-800 mg of sodium per 100 grams of smoked salmon, which is way too much for your cat’s kidneys to handle. Excessive consumption of sodium can lead to hypernatremia in cats. If left untreated, this health condition can put your cat in a coma or even cause death. Cats need a lot less salt than humans do and can easily get sodium ion poisoning from consuming smoked salmon. Take sodium poisoning serious as it can result in signs of diarrhoea, dehydration, vomiting, lethargy, depression, elevated body temperature, excessive thirst/urination, disorientation, and decreased appetite. In severe cases, it can cause seizures, permanent organ damage, tremors, coma, or even death.
Moisture
Cats usually become dehydrated faster than humans. Unlike humans, they dislike drinking from a dish or cat bowl. Most of them prefer fresh, moving water from the faucet or a cat water fountain. Cats derive most of the water they need from their prey. Therefore, the best way to up your cat’s water intake is by feeding him/her wet foods. Unfortunately, smoked salmon lacks moisture content. As mentioned earlier, salmon is cured in a brine solution before it’s smoked. The curing process can take up to 8 hours, which is enough time to remove the natural moisture from the salmon. More moisture is removed during the smoking process.
Obesity
Being an oily fish, smoked salmon is relatively high in fat. Feeding cats smoked salmon that’s high in fats and sodium can lead to obesity –an accumulation of excess body fat. Obesity negatively affects a cat’s health and longevity. Your cat will develop an increased risk of life-threatening issues such as urinary bladder stones, osteoarthritis, heart disease, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, many types of cancer, and so on.
Taurine deficiency
Taurine is one of the essential amino acids in felines. They need it to maintain the proper functioning of the immune system, digestive tract, visual system, and heart muscle. Taurine also ensures normal fetal development and healthy pregnancy in felines. Salmon contains a small amount of taurine, which is mostly destroyed during the smoking process. Feeding your cat with smoked salmon regularly can lead to taurine deficiency, which, in turn, results in severe health issues such as blindness, the decay of the teeth, digestive problems, heart failure, etc. A lack of taurine can be fatal to cats. If you have to serve smoked salmon to your cat, don’t make it their primary food, rather an occasional treat.
Read Also: Do Cats Get Cold Indoors?
Other Potential Risks of Feeding Smoked Salmon to Your Cat
Seeing that smoked salmon is a preparation of the salmon fish, it only makes sense that I cover other potential risks you cat faces by consuming salmon in general. This includes:
Histamines, toxins, and heavy metals
Like most fish, salmons contain a lot of histamines. These compounds are released by white blood cells to prevent inflammation, but they can potentially cause an allergic reaction to occur. Keep in mind that cats react differently to histamines. Secondly, salmons swim in polluted water bodies and pick up serious toxins on the way. When your cat consumes salmon, these toxins build up to cause serious health problems. Lastly, as a predatory fish at the top of the food chain, salmon may contain very high levels of heavy metals. Cats have tiny livers and kidneys, which accumulate these metals faster than humans and cause neurological effects.
Some of the salmon sold for consumption comes from farms. Farmed salmon is highly contaminated with harmful chemicals and is dangerous for cats’ health.
Phosphorus
Salmon also contains high contents of phosphorus, which can be taxing on the cat’s kidneys. Considering cat’s kidneys are already susceptible to chronic failure due to their high-protein diets, it’s best to reduce or eliminate salmon from their diet.