Tuna: Good for cats? Or dangerous? And why?

Someone posted in a thread about cat treats that they had learned not to feed tuna to cats because of mercury contamination. I learned years ago that tuna for cats, that is, canned tuna, was not good because there was something in the way it was packed that would rob the cat's system of taurine and that that could even be fatal.

Then, I started to see catfood with tuna that had taurine specifically added. Recently I made friends with a gal who has numerous cats and has taken care of many others, and she does a "tuna night" for her resident FeLions every few weeks or so, where they all get tuna for dinner as a treat.

So I guess there is a wide range of opinion about tuna for cats! I'd like to hear from some others what you know about this and what some more recent information is if anyone has access to it. Googling is all well and good but, as we all know, just because something is online doesn't mean it's accurate. So sharing experience and information sources is a good thing to do I believe, especially where our pets' health is concerned.

So, tuna anyone?

Giving your cats only tuna made for humans is a bad idea because of two things, firstly the high mercury content can give the cats mercury poisoning over time, and secondly the lack of taurine means you will actually be damaging your cat, by not giving it the nutrients its body needs. Cats cannot make their own taurine and require it, all cat food must contain it.

When my cat was sick, we bought him Carlyle's Just tuna for Cats. This was different tuna from human grade, it was the dark meat, and so was not in brine or oil, and had less mercury than other tuna. It also had nutrients added to make it for cats, including Taurine. We fed this exclusively to my cat for about 2 months until his stomach settled. It was the only thing that would spark is appetite, it has a very strong tuna smell and as soon as I opened the can he got exciteed!

We got his weight back up using this, and once he was healthy we switched back to a regular balanced cat food and haven't looked back!

Carlyle's is only around 70c a can, and cats love it! I totally recommend this Tuna only cat food option for anyone who has problems with a cat who has an upset stomach, or wont eat. Tuna is like crack for cats they cannot resist it, so it is a cheap, safe and easy way to get a sick cat to eat, and get their weight up whilst you work out a long term food / healthcare plan.

Awesome reply! I am going to check out the tuna fish for cats because I just enjoy giving my cat a treat once in awhile and she LOVES tuna.

Oh mine too, mine too! They started meowing for Tuna every morning when I switched them to the Tuna for cats. We got the Tuna from Global Pet Foods, but I am not sure if a regular pet store might just stock it as well. Trust me, they will go WILD for it if they are anything like mine!

First off, I never give my cat people food because I really rather stay on the safe side because I would be heartbroken if she got sick.
Another thing to keep in mind is that every cat is different and might have a different reaction if they eat tuna intended for humans in an excessive amount.
I feel that in this situation it is better to be safe than sorry so I would just stick to store bought cat food brands.

9 Lives Essentials makes a tuna just for cats that you can buy at the supermarket.
There are also several brands of tuna cat food and tuna cat treats containing real tuna on Amazon. There are so many options now for giving cats safe pet grade tuna that there's no excuse to buy human grade tuna for your cats. The only human food I give my cat is a little piece of chicken or turkey if I happen to be having some for dinner.