Why do cats like to eat fish?

Jan 27,2024
4Min

Why do cats like to eat fish? Do you know the truth behind it? There is a proverb: What is happiness? Happiness is when cats eat fish, dogs eat meat, and Ultraman fights little monsters. From here we can see that cats like to eat fish, so many cat owners feed fish to their cats as their staple food. In fact, this is incorrect.

Why do cats like to eat fish?

Since cats are carnivores, some smaller animals may become prey of cats, and cats’ food is not necessarily mice and fish. When it comes to cats who like to catch mice and eat fish, there is a saying that the ancient Egyptians, who first domesticated cats, began to hunt mice to solve the mouse problem, so cats’ skills in catching mice have been passed down from generation to generation. Rats contain taurine, which can help cats improve their vision at night. Because cats are carnivores, they reproduce quickly and in large numbers. They are easier to catch and kill mice than other meats.

The reason why cats like to eat fish is that the ancient Egyptians in the Nile River Basin mainly ate fish. They fed their cats fish, so the ancestors of domestic cats ate mainly fish. Another way to say cats like fish is that cats naturally like fresh meat. Fresh meat usually has a strong fishy smell, and the fishy smell is quite strong. Therefore, cats believe that fish meets the criteria for pursuing fresh food. There seems to be some truth to this, but we scientists often like to use science to explain this problem.

About 10,000 years ago, cats were different from other mammals in that they could not synthesize a very important taurine and could only obtain it by hunting and killing other animals. After domestication, cats became small and exquisite, and gradually lost the ability to hunt large animals. Cats that rely on human feeding retain the need for taurine intake, but for humans, feeding animal meat is obviously inconvenient and wasteful. Therefore, fish, which is also rich in taurine, has become the first choice. The first Egyptians to domesticate cats discovered this characteristic of cats. They used fish to introduce cats into their homes, so they successfully domesticated them. The fish was tender, soft and delicious. This is an irresistible deliciousness!

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What kind of fish is suitable for cats to eat?

When cat owners feed fish, it is best to choose freshwater fish with fewer bones. If there are more fish bones, it is best to carefully select the fish bones before feeding to avoid puncturing the cat's mouth, throat and esophagus. In addition, we must pay attention to the freshness of the fish. This is the healthiest way to cook fish for cats, without boiling or steaming it in water or adding any ingredients. Cook fish carefully. Raw fish can easily introduce parasites to cats.

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