Canned Sardines & Anchovies

[Candybee]

I bought a can of sardines packed in water for Gypsy. She loved them! Do cats also like anchovies? Besides protein, what is the nutritional value of each? I think they have Omega 3 fatty acid in them? What should I look for in a can? Is packed in oil better than water? I assume I should also look for organic and wild caught?

I never bought these before as the smell makes me gag. But if its a good healthy treat for my cat I don't have a problem with that.

 

[Kieka]

Packed in water and without added salt is ideal. Organic and wild caught is a good thing too, but the water packed and no salt is of bigger importance to me. Ideally, just water and the fish. The biggest benefit is the Omega 3.

 

[Candybee]

Packed in water and without added salt is ideal. Organic and wild caught is a good thing too, but the water packed and no salt is of bigger importance to me. Ideally, just water and the fish. The biggest benefit is the Omega 3.

Thank you! I was surprised how many choices there are at the store. I had to be careful I didn't get one with any added flavors like mustard.

I thought I read somewhere that fish oil and Omega 3 was good for a healthy shiny coat?

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi - antioxidants, micro and macro nutrients (vitamins et al) and amino acids are also a great advantage of sardines - but do watch for bones.
Good for skin, bones, brain, eyes, heart - almost everything, anti-inflammatory, etc these little things are powerhouses.
The ocean toxins are less due to sardines being shortlived.
A 3.75 oz can has about 200 calories. The suggested quantity to feed is 1/4 to 1/2 a can a week.
I don't know anything about anchovies, my Big Guy likes mackerel better, and he loves freeze dried minnows

 

[Candybee]

Hi - antioxidants, micro and macro nutrients (vitamins et al) and amino acids are also a great advantage of sardines - but do watch for bones.
Good for skin, bones, brain, eyes, heart - almost everything, anti-inflammatory, etc these little things are powerhouses.
The ocean toxins are less due to sardines being shortlived.
A 3.75 oz can has about 200 calories. The suggested quantity to feed is 1/4 to 1/2 a can a week.
I don't know anything about anchovies, my Big Guy likes mackerel better, and he loves freeze dried minnows

Thanks for the reply. That was very helpful. I have already given her half the can of sardines so will be careful not to feed her more this week.

Yes I did buy the can that said boneless. I knew I should be careful about fish bones.

Don't remember seeing the mackeral. But I was also looking at the pouches of salmon, tuna, etc. thinking one of those might be a good treat for her too. I know salmon and salmon oil is high in Omegas.

I just read about Omegas for cats and looks like they need a balance of both Omega 3 and Omega 6 and its something their bodies don't manufacture so you can only get them from foods with Omegas in them. Good to know!

 

[duckpond]

i get the mackerel and sardines, and sometimes just the sardines from tiki cat. it has the extra vitamin e and Thiamine in it that cats need when eating fish. They like it quite a bit
Tiki Cat Makaha Grill Mackerel & Sardine in Calamari Consomme Grain-Free Canned Cat Food

 

[Willowy]

Sardines are fine, as mentioned, packed in water with no salt.

Anchovies are always, unless you buy them fresh at a fish market, packed in salt or vinegar. So nope, not for kitties.

 

[lalagimp]

orange&white , what is it you give to your group?

 

[Candybee]

Sardines are fine, as mentioned, packed in water with no salt.

Anchovies are always, unless you buy them fresh at a fish market, packed in salt or vinegar. So nope, not for kitties.

That's what I saw at the market today. All the anchovies are packed with oil and salt so no dice.

 

[Candybee]

i get the mackerel and sardines, and sometimes just the sardines from tiki cat. it has the extra vitamin e and Thiamine in it that cats need when eating fish. They like it quite a bit
Tiki Cat Makaha Grill Mackerel & Sardine in Calamari Consomme Grain-Free Canned Cat Food

I was checking out Chewy.com re the Tiki Cat canned foods. I like the choices and was planning to start buying paks of the cans. I already got her started on the Tiki Cat Chicken & Fish Luau. She seems to like it fine. She is still transitioning from the cat chow to the Tiki Cat kibble and should be fully transitioned the end of this week. I think next paycheck will buy some Tiki Cat can paks on Chewy.com and see how she likes it. Hmmmm.... well, first I will buy a couple cans at my local Petco. That way if she hates it I won't have wasted money for a whole pak.

 

[duckpond]

I was checking out Chewy.com re the Tiki Cat canned foods. I like the choices and was planning to start buying paks of the cans. I already got her started on the Tiki Cat Chicken & Fish Luau. She seems to like it fine. She is still transitioning from the cat chow to the Tiki Cat kibble and should be fully transitioned the end of this week. I think next paycheck will buy some Tiki Cat can paks on Chewy.com and see how she likes it. Hmmmm.... well, first I will buy a couple cans at my local Petco. That way if she hates it I won't have wasted money for a whole pak.

i love to get by a petco, or petsmart... or any pet store..lol so i can try cans of new foods. I order a lot from chewy, but its nice to get a can of this and a can of that sometimes.

 

[Candybee]

Our Petco just got the Tiki Cat in so I am happy about that. They also carry Merrick which they tell me is their most popular brand. But I am not familiar enough with either to know which is best. I just want to give her a good grain free diet that is healthy for her.

 

[orange&white]

orange&white , what is it you give to your group?

I finally switched to fish oil caps when I started feeding 3 cats. When it was just 2 cats, I rotated canned mackerel, sardines, and wild-caught salmon. All packed in water. Couldn't find fish with no salt locally, so I'd soak and rinse a bit in purified water...not ideal but I was feeding a fish meal on Sunday instead of supplementing Omega-3 pills.

 

[Candybee]

I finally switched to fish oil caps when I started feeding 3 cats. When it was just 2 cats, I rotated canned mackerel, sardines, and wild-caught salmon. All packed in water. Couldn't find fish with no salt locally, so I'd soak and rinse a bit in purified water...not ideal but I was feeding a fish meal on Sunday instead of supplementing Omega-3 pills.

May I ask what brand fish oil caps do you buy? What do you look for in a fish oil suppliment? I thought about a salmon oil fish supplement I saw on Chewy.com. Just want to get an idea of how fish oil compares to feeding fish like salmon, mackeral, sardines, etc.

 

[duckpond]

Our Petco just got the Tiki Cat in so I am happy about that. They also carry Merrick which they tell me is their most popular brand. But I am not familiar enough with either to know which is best. I just want to give her a good grain free diet that is healthy for her.

I feed some of the Merrick back country, but i prefer Tiki, much lower in carbs.

 

[orange&white]

May I ask what brand fish oil caps do you buy? What do you look for in a fish oil suppliment? I thought about a salmon oil fish supplement I saw on Chewy.com. Just want to get an idea of how fish oil compares to feeding fish like salmon, mackeral, sardines, etc.

I bought this store brand:

Looking at fish oils was pretty confusing, which made it easier to feed tinned fish for a long time.

The first bottle I bought, I've been taking myself because I got home, opened the bottle, then realized that they had high quantities of Vitamin D added...which can build up to toxic levels in cats. Good thing I read the label before giving it to the cats.

So I'd say mainly make sure you're buying pure fish oil, preferably wild-caught small fish, and not getting something that has a lot of other vitamins and supplements added to it.

 

[Candybee]

That's good to know. I didn't know about the vitamin D.

 

[orange&white]

Yes, I found a lot of supplements have "other supplements" added. I'm sure they have found synergistic links between vitamins for human health benefit. Finding pure supplements for the cats was a little more difficult than I thought. Not impossible though. Just read labels.

 

[Gizmobius]

If you want to go the oil supplement route, there is a sardine and anchovy oil from Iceland Pure Pet Products available on Chewy. I use it for my cats and everybody always compliments their soft fur so I recommend it.