Do cats really like to eat fish?
Does your cat often eat fish? Would you think that cats are naturally fond of fish, even though fish is really good for a cat's health and contains vitamins and minerals. The answer to this question is that a cat may or may not like to eat fish, depending on how you feed it - cats are habitual animals. Below we will explain in detail
Since the ancestors of cats came from Egypt, where the surrounding environment is mostly desert climate, their diet sources mainly include various small mice, small rabbits, small reptiles, the cubs of some medium and large animals and some birds. So since cat ancestors did not eat fish, when did cats start eating fish?
Some rough guesses suggest that cats most likely realized when they came into contact with humans: it's more convenient to pick/steal/grab fish from fishermen than to catch little mice yourself! Of course, it is also possible that humans actively use fish to lure cats and bring them home for domestication. Therefore, some feral cats have become pet cats that we live with, and they prefer to eat cat products such as cat food in our home.
The easy availability of fish makes the cat realize that eating fish is more accessible than other foods, and that eating fish makes the cat happier (after all, it doesn't take much effort to get food). When cats choose between food that requires labor (voles, birds, insects, small reptiles, etc.) and food that does not require labor, cats will choose to eat fish given by humans (cats are not too afraid to catch fish, because they are afraid of water!) But preying on those flying insects can make cats feel happy. At home, we can choose some flying insect-type cat wands to satisfy the cat's love of movement.
But the cat's digestive system is still unable to adapt to this dietary change, and the cat cannot fully digest and absorb fish meat. Therefore a cat's diet cannot be all fish! Fish meat contains all kinds of nutrients that cats need, and even contains taurine that cats cannot make and must, but fish also lacks other minerals that cats need, such as iron, calcium, and sodium. Fish is high in protein but lacks B vitamins and vitamin E. Now many cat products have added these nutrients, and they are also very suitable for cats
If your cat likes to eat fish, fish can be the main source of the cat's diet, but you need to control the proportion of fish and add other nutritional supplements. If your cat doesn't like to eat fish, then you need to provide it with some fish to supplement the necessary protein. When we buy cat food and other cat products, we need to see if the nutrients are what cats need.
