Can fish based cat foods contribute or cause CKD?

There is a scientific study published online on the nature.com website which concludes that there may be a link between fish flavoured (fish-based) foods and chronic kidney disease (CKD) but the link is tenuous. It is however worth flagging so cat owners know about it. More work needs to be done.

My understanding is that the study says the following:

• Domestic cats are fed more fish-based foods that dogs
• Fish-based foods have a higher arsenic content although this is primarily non-toxic arsenic
• Arsenic in tissues and urine is present in higher amounts in cats compared to dogs.
• The arsenic content is a pro-oxidant metallic element which lowers the concentration of antioxidant minerals such as copper and zinc and minerals which protect the kidney such as rubidium and strontium.
• As I understand it this lowering of antioxidant minerals can lead to chronic interstitial nephritis (CIN) which is the most common renal lesion and a cause of chronic kidney disease.
• CIN was present in 51% of cats compared to 15% of dogs. CIN is absent in Scottish wildcats.

That is an essential breakdown. It is very technical and a potential warning to cat guardians, no more.

If you are so predisposed i.e. scientifically minded, you can read the study by clicking on this link (sometimes links to other website break and if that has happened I apologise but I have no control over it). I don’t want to write extensively about this study because it is very technically and I am liable to make a mistake.

Chinese scientist accused of sexism in study about link between ‘girls’ and cats

Science Direct.com have temporarily removed from their website a study that they had published several weeks ago on a possible ...
Read More

Study which shows that cats reflect their owner’s personality is flawed

The internet reports a study conducted at the universities of Lincoln and Nottingham Trent which concluded that the personalities of ...
Read More

Study concludes that human females contribute to increased feral cat population in China

Firstly, I have deliberately specified that this study relates to China and the reason for this will become apparent when ...
Read More

East and west coast USA are the most secular and therefore wealthier resulting in better domestic cat welfare

I am generalising greatly. However, research published in the journal Royal Society Open Science involving almost 500,000 people in 109 ...
Read More

A scientific reminder of the obvious: domestic cats are as friendly as toddlers and dogs

I'll cut to the chase as I have mentioned this study before but Michelle Starr of MSN has nicely picked ...
Read More

The idea that a dog or cat year is equivalent to seven human ones is flawed

You might know this. The classic way of working out the human equivalent age of cats and dogs used to ...
Read More

Japanese study of TNR feral cat colony tells us that cat food is their main food supply

This study came to the conclusion that TNR volunteers managing a feral cat colony on Tokunoshima Island might cause what ...
Read More