Question:
Our 3-year-old male cat is in good health, but his fur has not been as glossy as it should be because he doesn't get enough oil in his diet. We have tried to put a few drops of salmon oil with his food, but he won't touch it. So we tried mixing in a little bit of flax oil and he wouldn't touch that, either. He can tell the difference right away. Then we offered him a little bit of butter from a local dairy and he turned his nose up at that, as well. I suppose he could get good oils from eating tuna-fish-based cat food, but then there's the problem of mercury and other issues associated with eating big ocean fish. Do you have any suggestions so we can get our cat past this problem?
B.B., Washington, DC Oct 11, 2009
Answer:
First, you are correct about the health hazards of ocean fish like tuna. Farmed salmon (and oil) can be loaded with highly toxic PCBs and dioxins. Tempt your cat with low-in-the-food-chain small fish like sardines in oil twice a week. Many cats turn their noses up at anything new in the food bowl, so start with a microscopic portion mixed in well and increase the amount gradually to about 1/2 teaspoon daily. Grass-fed beef, organic butter and eggs from free-range hens contain more nutrients than those from conventionally raised animals. Cats need a range of essential fatty acids that are deficient in flax, borage and hempseed oils (which are fine for dogs and most humans). Nordic Naturals fish oil and Old Grizzly wild-salmon oil are two products I recommend for cats, but always start with one drop in the food. New Chapter also markets one of the best salmon oils.
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