Ocean Fish

The species can change from batch to batch, and owners of cats with a fish allergy cannot tell which fish is in the food.

Ocean fish is a label term for saltwater fish whose species is not named. It supplies animal protein, and Cornell's Feline Health Center describes cats as obligate carnivores that rely on nutrients found only in animal products. Fish is also a common food allergen in cats, and an unnamed species makes it harder to track. If your cat has a food allergy or another medical condition, ask your veterinarian before changing foods.

Source: vet.cornell.edu

Ocean fish means fish caught at sea, used without naming which species. It can be one fish or a mix, and the mix may change between production runs. In cat food it serves as an animal protein source and adds some omega-3 fats. Labels that say salmon, pollock or herring give more detail than a general term like this one.

Cats with a confirmed fish allergy are usually kept away from all fish until a veterinarian says otherwise. The Merck Veterinary Manual lists fish among the most common food allergens in cats. It also advises that a diet trial use proteins the cat has not eaten before. With an unnamed fish, owners cannot tell which species the cat is getting, which makes ocean fish hard to use in an allergy workup.

Source: merckvetmanual.com

There is no way to tell from the label, because the species is not named. Mercury levels differ a lot between fish. FDA and EPA advice written for people puts small fish like sardines and herring in its lowest mercury group and lists swordfish and king mackerel as choices to avoid. Asking the manufacturer which fish they use is the most direct way to find out.

Source: fda.gov

Pettings gives ocean fish 4 out of 5 and lists it as fish with the species not named. It appears on 1 of the 149 dry cat foods we list. It loses a point because the label does not name the fish species. Each food's page shows how the whole recipe scores overall.