Why do cats eat fish?

Cats are carnivores, and some smaller animals may become the prey of cats.

Cats like to eat fish because the ancient Egyptians in the Nile valley mainly ate fish, and they would feed them with fish, so the ancestors of domestic cats ate fish as their staple food. Another saying about cats' love for fish is that cats naturally like fresh meat, which often has a strong smell, while fish has a strong smell, so cats think that fish meets their own standards for pursuing fresh food.

As we all know, the cat is Nocturnal Animals. They have bright eyes and can clearly see their surroundings at night. Through research, it is found that cats need taurine, a substance that can improve night vision ability, to maintain good vision. This substance can promote the photoreceptor cells in the cat's eye retina. For example, the serious lack of taurine in cats' daily diet will cause retinopathy of cats, leading to decreased vision and even blindness. Long-term lack of taurine can also lead to serious problems such as myocardial dilatation, infertility and miscarriage in cats.

However, although taurine is an essential substance for cats, cats can't produce enough taurine, so cats need to take this essential substance from their diet. Perhaps because of physiological needs, cats are particularly interested in foods rich in taurine. For example, fish, shellfish and mouse meat also contain a lot of taurine, which may explain why cats like to eat fish and mice from a scientific point of view.

However, fish lack some minerals, such as calcium, iron and sodium. In addition, fish liver contains too much phosphorus and vitamin A, too much phosphorus will affect the absorption of calcium. Eating a lot of fish for a long time will lead to calcium deficiency in cats If cats start eating too much fish for a long time at a very young age, they will also suffer from rickets. It can also cause vitamin A poisoning, causing cats to have vomiting, diarrhea, tooth loss and other symptoms.

So fish should not be the staple food of cats. In the daily diet, the fish intake should not exceed 10% of the cat's food intake, preferably not more than twice a week.