My elderly cat has very little appetite, except for tuna. Will he stay healthy if he only eats this?

It depends on how elderly you are talking. Eating ANYTHING is better then not eating at all (and, just like people, sometimes cats as they get real old do stop wanting to eat so getting them to eat something is far better then having them starve to death). However, tuna, even cat tuna, isn't real good for cats--fish is not a natural food for cats except in situations where there isn't any other meaty thing to eat. Fish lacks tuarine. They add taurine to most cat foods. Human tuna is really not good for cats because it has a high level of mercury (the huge tunas they use for people canned tuna are the top of the food chain, eat a lot of smaller fish so they ingest a LOT of mercury); they even warn people not to eat tuna more than about once a week because the mercury will start messing with your brain and other things in your body (some news reporter ran a test on this for 2 weeks and you could see a noticable difference in her judgment, her ability to focus, her cognitive skills, her reaction time, etc.). Cats are so much smaller then humans so that tuna affects them more and faster.

But, as my vet said when my elderly girl kitty stopped eating, getting [her] to eat anything--human tuna, baby food meats, chicken cordon bleu--is better then her not eating anything. If you haven't done so yet, you need to take your old guy to the vet to get a thorough check up including blood work to find out if he's having kidney trouble, liver trouble, tooth/gum trouble, anything else inside of him which is affecting his appetite.

Not enough info…how old is your “elderly cat”…13yo or 19yo?

Different people have different ideas about when a cat is “elderly”.

Like I’m in my 50s (10yo in cat years) so do you think I’m elderly because I get the elderly discount at my grocery store on Wednesdays?

Do you feed your cat tuna flavored cat food or human tuna cans, not suitable for cats?

Which brand?

I provided my previous cat with euthanasia at 18.5yo (= 90yo in human years).

She started losing her appetite at 18yo (88 years in Human Years) and lost weight for 6 months.

My current cat does not go anywhere near fish, just eat beef and chicken.

Cat’s age vs. HY (Human Years)

1 15

2 24

3 28

4 32

5 36

6 40

7 44

8 48

9 52

10 56

11 60

12 64

13 68

14 72

15 76

16 80

17 84

18 88

19 92

20 96

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_food

NO. Feeding only tuna can cause major health problems. Take your cat to the veterinarian and find out WHY your cat has very little appetite. He has some sort of medical problem and a vet, not tuna, is what is needed!

there is a health problem that needs to be addressed. tuna is a very strong smelling food source so it can be attractive to cats that have diminished appetite from some health issue. cats that eat ONLY fish long enough will develop heart disease and blindness. you need to get to the bottom of the loss of appetite then get your cat on a nutritionally complete diet.

interestingly enough horse lover, the british journal of medicine published a study discounting the mercury toxicity theory in tuna. but i still eat tongol tuna which has the lowest measurable level of any tuna, just in case:)

No, it's not good to feed your kitty only one kind of food, especially if this is tuna. Have you tried her on tuna "flavored" cat food? Different brands and such either just tuna or with other flavors too. My cat is really picky, but she'll eat the Fancy Feast tuna in gravy.

Tuna can lead to dieting problems and upset the stomach if given too much. You didn't give information. Have you tried feeding other types of cat food? How old is the cat, maybe he is getting to where he is resting to kitty heaven? I would like a little more information please. Try to wet the food or add bits of tuna in the food. Just please don't feed a lot, it could cause dihherria or hair balls.

Cats love seafood, and most cats are especially fond of canned tuna and tuna juice. While tuna is fine for cats in moderation or as a treat, too much canned tuna can be bad for your cat. Fish is a great source of protein, but there are a few reasons why a steady diet of human-grade canned tuna can cause health problems for your cat.

Tuna alone is not nutritionally complete, and many cats are allergic to fish. Most fish contain trace amounts of mercury, and the higher up on the food chain a fish is, the more mercury is accumulated in the fish. Tuna is relatively high on the food chain and therefore contains higher amounts of mercury than other fish, leading to an increased risk of mercury poisoning.

Tuna is also high in unsaturated fats. While it is healthy for humans to choose unsaturated fats in their diet, too much can be bad for cats. Consuming too much tuna can cause your cat to develop a Vitamin E deficiency, leading to an inflammation of the fatty tissue, a condition known as steatitis (“yellow fat disease”). Cats that consume large amounts of red tuna in particular are more prone to this painful condition.

Commercial canned “tuna” cat foods are not just straight tuna, but have other added ingredients, vitamins and minerals as well as the amino acid taurine, which is essential to cats. Just make sure to feed your cat a high-quality pet food formulated for cats, and if you choose to feed your cat human-grade canned tuna, limit it to an occasional treat.

Source - http://www.petmeds.org/petmeds-spotlight/is-tuna-b...

Would you? Try boiling some chicken and rice...seeing if that might encourage her to eat. And, if not, maybe soften some of her dry food with the oil/water from the tuna...maybe she has teeth problems. When was the last time she went to the vet???

NO NO NO! If hes NOT eating anything else he is already UNHEALTHY. Take your cat to a vet right now!

no can cause kidney problems no vitamins or fiber