Best kept plain and rare. Fresh or unsalted anchovies are small, low-mercury fish that are fine cooked in tiny amounts, but the anchovies most people have are salt-cured and far too salty for a cat. Choose plain, unsalted fish and keep servings minimal.
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Caution — usually very saltyAmount, form, or frequency matters
Can cats eat anchovies? 🐟
Best kept plain and rare. Fresh or unsalted anchovies are small, low-mercury fish that are fine cooked in tiny amounts, but the anchovies most people have are salt-cured and far too salty for a cat. Choose plain, unsalted fish and keep servings minimal.
Source-linked record · Last reviewed July 17, 2026 · Not veterinary advice
Why this answer
As small forage fish, anchovies carry little mercury and provide protein and omega-3s, so the fish itself is not the problem. The issue is preservation: canned and jarred anchovies are heavily salt-cured or packed in oil, concentrating sodium that overloads a small cat. Plain fresh or water-packed, unsalted anchovies in tiny amounts are the only cat-appropriate form.
Watch for
Increased thirst and urination from salt
Vomiting or diarrhea
Lethargy
Reduced appetite
How much is okay
At most a small piece of a plain, unsalted anchovy on rare occasions; avoid the salt-cured, jarred, or oil-packed kind entirely.
Serve it safely
Offer only fresh or unsalted, water-packed anchovies, cooked and boneless.
Rinse and drain well; skip salt-cured and oil-packed products.
Keep the portion tiny and infrequent.
Sources and evidence notes (3)
Feeding Your Cat
Cornell Feline Health Center, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine — Feline nutrition fundamentals: cats are obligate carnivores; complete balanced cat food should be the diet base; treats should stay a small share of daily calories.
People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets
ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center — Multi-species veterinary toxicology list covering alcohol, chocolate, caffeine, citrus, coconut, grapes and raisins, macadamia nuts, milk and dairy, nuts, onions, garlic and chives, raw meat and eggs, salty snacks, xylitol, and yeast dough.
Petfoodology
Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University — Board-certified veterinary nutritionist guidance on pet diets, treat limits (about 10% of daily calories), human-food snacks, and species-appropriate feeding for cats and dogs.
Answer card
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Type what your cat is eyeing — or already stole — and the answer lands right here, without leaving the page.
Remove access. Take the food away and move your cat to another room.
Note the facts. What was it, roughly how much is missing, and when? Keep the packaging.
Call before symptoms. For chocolate, onion, garlic, grapes, raisins, alcohol, or anything sugar-free (xylitol), call a hotline or your veterinarian now — early treatment is easier and cheaper.
Never do this
Do not induce vomiting, feed milk, salt, or oil, or wait overnight to "see how it goes". Signs of chocolate or Allium poisoning can take hours to days to appear.
Go to an emergency vet immediately if
Your cat is collapsing, twitching or seizing, struggling to breathe, drooling heavily, vomiting repeatedly, or wobbly on their feet.
Outside the US? Call your local emergency veterinary clinic — keep the number saved in your phone.
Effective: July 17, 2026
Can Cats Eat It? provides general educational information for cat owners. It is not veterinary, diagnostic, treatment, or emergency advice.
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