977 lines
48 KiB
Plaintext
977 lines
48 KiB
Plaintext
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FELINE NUTRITION
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R. Roger Breton
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Nancy J Creek
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------------------------------
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Basic Needs
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Above all it is important to remember that your cat is a carnivore and
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requires a meat diet. This apparently self-obvious fact is all too
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often overlooked by people who, all well meaning, attempt to make an
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omnivore or herbivore out of their pet. They are slowly killing the
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animal with love.
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Dogs, while carnivores in the strictest sense, are omnivorous to a
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large degree, and have the ability to break down and digest vegetable
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as well as animal protein. A dog can survive quite successfully on
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the same foods humans eat, hence can live on table scraps, or even a
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carefully balanced vegetarian diet, especially if supplements are
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used.
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Cats, despite 5000 years of domestication, remain strictly
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carnivorous. They are incapable of digesting and receiving nutrition
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from the majority of vegetable proteins. There are no and can be no
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vegetarian cats. In addition, cats in the wild are equal-opportunity
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carnivores and devour the whole of their prey: muscles, organs,
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viscera, bones, offal, skin, etc. In this manner, cats ingest not
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only the flesh and organs of their prey but also the partially and
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wholly digested vegetable foods the prey had eaten. With the assist-
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ance of the prey's own digestive processes, the cat then is able to
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derive nutrition from various vegetable sources.
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This evolved approach to eating means that the cat has lost the
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ability to manufacture various vitamins, enzymes and other substances
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necessary to life, receiving these substances directly from its food.
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This "laziness" has caused the nutritional requirements of the cat to
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be radically different from that of the dog, which in turn has caused
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cat food to be considerably more expensive than dog food.
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Food as Fuel
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Food is fuel. The object of food is first and foremost to provide the
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body with the energy it needs to keep functioning. The greater
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portion of this energy is utilized to keep the body functioning as a
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machine. All processes in the body, movement, digestion, breathing,
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circulating blood, even thinking, require energy, all of which must be
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derived from the food consumed. This energy is measured in calories.
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To a scientist, a calorie is a unit of thermal energy: specifically,
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the amount of thermal energy necessary to raise the temperature of one
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cubic centimeter of water one degree Celsius. This is a distinct and
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definite amount.
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Feline Nutrition Page 1
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To a dietitian, a "calorie" is a unit of the potential thermal energy
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of a foodstuff: specifically, the amount of potential thermal energy
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that would raise the temperature of one liter of water one degree
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Celsius. Since one liter is equivalent to 1000 cubic centimeters, the
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dietitian's "calorie" is the scientist's "kilocalorie" (the prefix
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"kilo" means 1000). Dietitian's calories are sometimes called "big
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calories" to differentiate them from the scientist's "true calories"
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or "small calories." To us, they will simply be "calories."
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The Exchange of Energy
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Energy is derived from food and used by the body via a series of
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chemical reactions. All chemical reactions require the input of
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energy to trigger and control them. No input of energy, no reactions.
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Some chemical reactions release more energy than was required to
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trigger and control them. This surplus of energy is stored by the
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body in the form of chemicals such as proteins, fats, and
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carbohydrates, and is available for future use. Other chemical
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reactions release less energy than was required to trigger and control
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them. This energy deficiency must be made up from the body's energy
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reserves by breaking down the storage chemicals and releasing their
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energy. The waste products of this breakdown are passed into the
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bloodstream and filtered out by the kidneys.
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Other Nutrients
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Besides basic energy in the form of calories, it is the task of food
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to provide all essential nutrients, the chemicals necessary for life.
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The vast majority of those chemicals required for life are derived by
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breaking down and rearranging the molecular structures of the
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proteins, fats, and carbohydrates in the foods consumed. This process
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is known as synthesis, and is technically defined as the forming or
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building of a more complex compound from elements or simpler
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compounds.
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It is important to note that virtually all organic molecules are
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synthesized. A glucose molecule synthesized by a cat is identical to
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one synthesized by an apple tree and is identical to one synthesized
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by a chemical laboratory. All molecules of a given type are
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identical: advertising claims aside, there is absolutely no
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difference between "natural" vitamin C and "synthetic" vitamin C.
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They are identical, and the terms "natural" and "synthetic" in this
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context are null words, without meaning.
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Like most higher organisms, the cat has lost the ability to synthesize
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some of the chemicals it requires for life, obtaining those chemicals
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ready-made from the food it eats. Obviously, those chemicals must be
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present in the food, or the cat will fall ill and eventually die. In
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humans, for example, a lack of the chemical ascorbic acid, vitamin C,
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will result in the condition known as scurvy.
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Protein
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Feline Nutrition Page 2
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The primary source of food energy is protein. Like all animals, a
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cat's body is primarily protein, and vast amounts of food protein are
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required to maintain it. Typically, the energy content of a cat's
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diet should be derived at least 25 to 30 per cent from protein, almost
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all of which must be animal protein. The major sources of animal
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protein in commercial foods are meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products.
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Vegetable protein is typically obtained from beans and peas, nuts, and
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cereals.
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Proteins, while providing the basic amino acids for muscle and organ
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tissue, do contain a high percentage of waste, which must be purged
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from the cat's system by the kidneys. An all-protein diet, such as a
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raw meat diet, will not only lack other important and even critical
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nutrients, but will overtax the kidneys, and may lead to urinary
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problems or premature renal failure.
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Fats
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The secondary source of food energy is fats. Fats have received much
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unwarranted bad press, mostly due to the public's preoccupation with
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being slim and total misunderstanding of what constitutes a good,
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well-balanced diet. This preoccupation and misunderstanding are both
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vigorously perpetuated by the advertising industry (the same people
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who define a Twinkie (R) as "wholesome," and who define "wholesome" as
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"not causing death within 48 hours"). While this tendency is bad
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enough for our own collective health, it can be disastrous when the
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same philosophies are applied to our cats. We at least have some
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choice in the matter.
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The cat requires a diet containing a lot of fat, far more than either
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the human or the dog. From 15 to 40 per cent of the energy content of
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your cat's diet should be derived from fat.
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Unlike proteins, fat is little wasted by the cat's metabolism, and
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hence does not provide a burden to the kidneys. Because of this, as a
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cat reaches old age, the fat content of its diet should be increased
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somewhat while the protein content is decreased proportionately. In
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this manner, the proper overall energy content may be maintained while
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easing the burden on the older kidneys. The key here is moderation in
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both rate and amount of dietary change. Sudden or rapid changes in
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diet are especially hard on an older cat, while an all-fat diet is as
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bad as a no-fat diet.
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Carbohydrates
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The tertiary source of food energy is carbohydrates, primarily
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starches and sugars. Like fats, carbohydrates too have received
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unwarranted bad press. Neither we nor our cats can live without
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carbohydrates: they are as essential to life as water.
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Only a small amount of carbohydrates is required in the cat's diet,
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with only about 5 percent of the total food energy being in this form.
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The simple carbohydrates, the sugars, are more easily assimilated into
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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Feline Nutrition Page 3
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the cat's system, while the complex carbohydrates, the starches, pass
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through virtually untouched. Cooking complex carbohydrates such as
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potatoes, corn, pasta, etc., start the conversion from starch to sugar
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and aid in the digestion process.
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Fiber
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Vegetable matter provides another important function besides energy
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content: it helps to keep the bowel functioning smoothly through the
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mildly abrasive and water-absorbing actions of its cellulose content,
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commonly referred to as "fiber." Note that two seemingly opposite
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conditions may arise from a lack of fiber: constipation, from a lack
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of abrasive action, or diarrhea, from a lack of water-absorbing
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action. While fiber is not a nutrient per se, a "regular" cat needs
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some fiber in his diet.
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As with so many other things, fiber requirements and types have been
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completely distorted almost beyond recognition by the advertising
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industry. Fiber is simply cellulose, which is the basic material from
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which the cellular walls (membranes) of plants are made. Cellulose is
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cellulose, regardless of it's source, be it from oat bran or grass.
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In the wild, a cat derives all the cellulose it requires from the
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stomach and intestines of its prey. The pampered cat, too, should
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receive all the cellulose it needs from its normal diet.
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As an interesting aside, many of the smaller wild cats subsist chiefly
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on insects and insectivores (lizards, etc.). At first glance, one
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would think that such cats would have insufficient cellulose and
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carbohydrates in their diet. This is not the case, as insects and
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other arthropods are exoskeletal creatures with a covering of chitin,
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a polysaccaride compound consisting of a simple cellulose-like base
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molecule (chitin and cellulose are chemically related) coupled with
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various simple sugars, thus providing both fiber and carbohydrates
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simultaneously. Good things, those bugs!
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Vitamins
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Vitamins and related compounds are complex organic molecules used as
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catalysts or agents in various metabolic processes. In the wild, the
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cat derives all the vitamins it requires from its prey and from
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sunlight. The domestic cat must receive all its vitamins in its diet.
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Under some conditions, your veterinarian may prescribe a vitamin
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supplement.
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A warning is in order here. If the diet is properly balanced and the
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cat is young and healthy, vitamin supplements are unnecessary. Giving
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vitamin supplements to a healthy cat may actually lead to a condition
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of vitamin toxicity, which can be very dangerous, even deadly. In a
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like manner, a vitamin deficiency can also be very serious. The best
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solution is a well-balanced diet without supplements unless prescribed
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by a veterinarian.
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Each vitamin plays its role in the health of a cat. Vitamin A is
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fundamental to good vision, proper growth, and a healthy skin.
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Feline Nutrition Page 4
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Vitamin B1 is needed for growth and overall body function. Vitamin C
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is important for a healthy skin, coat, and gums, but is not required
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in the diet as the cat synthesizes all it needs. Only very small
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amounts of vitamin D are required for regulating the use of calcium
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and phosphorus, necessary for good bones and teeth. Vitamin E is
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required for a healthy skeleton and reproductive system. Vitamin K is
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required for proper blood clotting, but like vitamin C is wholly
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synthesized by the cat. Vitamin B12 is not required by the cat except
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in very small traces.
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Minerals
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In addition to the proteins, fats, carbohydrates, fiber, and vitamins,
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all of which are complex organic molecules, certain small amounts of
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various inorganic substances are required for life. Life is often
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though of as being composed of six elements: carbon, hydrogen,
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oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorous; the same elements that make
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up DNA. The "big six" are the overwhelming components of life, com-
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prising all but a fraction of a percent of all living tissue. That
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fraction of a percent is crucial.
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The elements iron, sodium, iodine, magnesium, potassium, manganese,
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and a host of others are also required in varying amounts. All these
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inorganic substances are lumped together under the general term
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"minerals."
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Again, atoms are atoms, and there is no such thing as "organic
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calcium," advertising claims notwithstanding. The calcium extracted
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from limestone is identical to the calcium extracted from seashells or
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bone. Limestone was once seashells, after all. By the same token,
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calcium is an element, as are iron, sodium, iodine, etc., and cannot
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be artificially produced. All elements, with the exception of a few
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short-lived and highly radioactive ones such as plutonium, are found
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only in nature (the short-lived ones are also found in nature, but not
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on Earth).
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Like the vitamins, the minerals are necessary for overall body
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function. The three most important minerals are iron, calcium, and
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phosphorus. Iron is crucial to proper blood function: it is the
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"heme" in hemoglobin, which carries oxygen from the lungs throughout
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the body (making the blood red as it does so). Calcium and phosphorus
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are required by the bones and teeth, which together contain over 99
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per cent of the body's calcium and phosphorus, and for proper muscle
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action.
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Unclassified Nutrients
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Like everything else, there are a few nutrients that do not fall
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neatly into the major groups: proteins, fats, carbohydrates,
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vitamins, and minerals. These nutrients are nonetheless essential to
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life. One such nutrient is linoleic acid, a fatty acid midway between
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the fats and the carbohydrates in chemical composition, which is
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necessary for healthy skin and fur, among other things. There are
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many such unclassified but required nutrients.
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Feline Nutrition Page 5
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Cat-Peculiar Nutrient Needs
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It is important to remember the at cat is a cat, it is not and is
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never a dog, or a human, or any other living creature. Cats are
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unique, and have unique needs. Just as a cat needs little or none of
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some of the nutrients required by us, such as vitamin B12, it has a
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definite need for others that we do not, as well as differing
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proportions of those nutrients we have in common.
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Inositol, one of the B-complex vitamins, for example, is definitely
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required by the cat to be present in its diet, but is synthesized by
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dogs and humans.
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In a similar manner the compound taurine is required for good vision
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in certain nocturnal animals, such as cats. It is believed to be
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required for a healthy tapetum lucidum, a lining inside the eye that
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acts as a sort of "light-amplifier," greatly increasing night vision
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and, incidentally, making the eyes very reflective.
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The metabolism of a cat is vastly different from dogs and humans in
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its ability to purge various chemicals from the system. It is this
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metabolic difference that causes cats to be easily poisoned by things
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that a dog or human would shrug off. Common aspirin metabolizes (is
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broken down and purged) in a human in about four to six hours, but
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requires 38 hours in a cat! This difference makes the cat highly
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susceptible to salicylate toxicity.
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An overabundance of certain nutrients or substances, or a deficiency
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thereof, can and often does lead to various medical conditions and
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problems.
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Water
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People don't often think of water as a part of the diet, but without
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water there is no life. About 70 per cent of a cat's body is water.
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A cat requires about one fluid ounce of water per pound of body weight
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per day. In the wild, the majority of this water comes from the cat's
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prey. In the home, this may also be true if the diet consists of
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canned food, but with semi-moist or dry foods this is not the case.
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Fresh water must always be available to your cat, regardless of its
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diet.
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Do not substitute milk or other liquids for water. To a cat, milk is
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a food, not a beverage. The only cat beverage is water.
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Many people are distressed when their cat will drink from a scummy
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puddle, the gutter, a pond, even the toilet, but won't touch its nice,
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clean water dish. There is a simple cause for this behavior: the
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water dish tastes bad to the cat, or used to taste bad (cats have good
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memories). If we think in cat terms for a moment, algae, mud, fish-
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bits, even feces are all natural, normal things it rather expects in
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the wild. But chlorine! Feh! Remember that your cat has a sensitive
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Feline Nutrition Page 6
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sense of smell and taste (plus another sense midway between the two)
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and can readily detect odors and flavors lost on us, while even we can
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taste the chlorine in our tap water. This foul taste is what makes
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the sale of bottled water profitable.
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You may find that your cat will also appreciate bottled water.
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Barring that, you may try boiling your pet's water first, as boiling
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will drive out the highly-volatile chlorine. Even letting it stand
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out a few hours before serving will allow the majority of the chlorine
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to evaporate. Often, adding an ounce of club soda (carbonated water)
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to 16 ounces of ordinary water will do the trick. Cats love car-
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bonation.
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The Natural Diet
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There is always controversy as to what establishes an ideal diet.
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Putting aside such controversies, at least for the moment, we may
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safely say that an ideal diet would be one which meets all the evolved
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criteria of the cat. In other words, a wild diet: whole mouse,
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sparrow, cricket, lizard, etc. It is unlikely that Purina or anyone
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else will be producing canned chopped whole mouse in the near future
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(the government would probably prohibit sale because of excessive
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mouse hairs), so we must look to actual wild cats and actual wild prey
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for the ideal diet.
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The actual long-term diet of a wild or feral domestic cat breaks down
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as follows:
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Total Dry Fuel Energy
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-------------------------------------------------
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Water 70.0% ----- ----- -----
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Protein 14.0% 46.7% 50.0% 35.7%
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Fats 9.0% 30.0% 32.1% 51.5%
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Carbohydrates 5.0% 16.7% 17.9% 12.8%
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Ash 1.0% 3.3% ----- -----
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Calcium 0.6% 2.0% ----- -----
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Other 0.4% 1.3% ----- -----
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The "total" column indicates the percentage breakdown of the diet with
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water included among the nutrients, while the "dry" column indicates
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the percentage breakdown excluding water.
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The "fuel" column indicates the percentage relationship of the fuel
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foods to each other: protein, fats, and carbohydrates.
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The "energy" column indicates the percentage of total food energy
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(caloric) intake among the three fuel foods. Note that while fats
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account for only 9% of the total diet, 30.0% of the dry diet, and
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32.1% of the fuel diet, they account for 51.5% of the total energy
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input. This is because fats contain 9 calories per gram, while
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protein and carbohydrates each contain 4 calories per gram.
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The Natural Kitten Diet
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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Feline Nutrition Page 7
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The natural diet for a kitten is its mother's milk. Cat's milk is
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radically different than that of most other mammals, especially cows.
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The basic components of cat's milk per deciliter, compared against an
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equivalent adult cat diet, dog's milk, cow's milk, and 20% liquid
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reconstituted evaporated cow's milk (canned milk) is as follows:
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Adult Cat Dog Cow Canned
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Diet Milk Milk Milk Milk
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-----------------------------------------------
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Water 70% 72% 77% 87% 80%
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Solids 30% 28% 23% 13% 20%
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-----------------------------------------------
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Calories 187.2 147.9 119.5 68.7 115.4
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Protein 16.8 11.4 7.5 3.5 5.8
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Fats 11.6 7.9 8.3 3.9 6.6
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Carbohydrates 3.9 7.8 3.7 4.9 8.2
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Calories are per deciliter of milk or equivalent adult diet. Protein,
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fats, and carbohydrates are in grams per deciliter (one deciliter is
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1/10 of a liter or 100 milliliters: about 3.38 fluid ounces). The
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carbohydrate content of milk is virtually all lactose, commonly called
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milk sugar.
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Special Requirements
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Some cats require special dietary consideration. The obvious would be
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kittens, pregnant and nursing queens, elder statescats, and
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convalescent cats. If your cat is or has been ill, you should follow
|
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the dietary guidelines prescribed by your veterinarian. Normal cat
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conditions should require only normal dietary variations.
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There is a strong tendency these days for people to follow the advice
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of others in the matter of diet, even the very strangest of diets have
|
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their adherents. This is not always wise, even for humans. When it
|
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comes to our cats, one rule is very simple: unless the advice giver
|
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is well-schooled in veterinary medicine and/or feline nutrition, take
|
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all such advice (especially if radical) with great hesitation.
|
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Remember that some components of food are critical but not obvious,
|
||
and that more is not always better. When in the least doubt concerning
|
||
a new cat diet, ask your vet.
|
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|
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The normal diet of any mammal changes with age. Obviously, a nursing
|
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kitten requires milk, whereas an older cat does not: the myth of cats
|
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and milk is just that, some older cats will in fact become ill if they
|
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drink milk.
|
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Less obvious is the fact that the total caloric intake per pound of
|
||
body weight and the ratio of protein to fat in the diet changes with
|
||
age and other conditions. Following is a simple table giving
|
||
requirements versus age and condition:
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
Feline Nutrition Page 8
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
Cals Protein Fats Carbs
|
||
------------------------------------------
|
||
Newborn 190 42.1% 29.2% 28.8%
|
||
5 weeks 125 47.2% 27.5% 25.3%
|
||
10 weeks 100 50.0% 26.1% 23.9%
|
||
20 weeks 65 51.9% 30.0% 18.1%
|
||
6 months 50 51.3% 33.3% 15.4%
|
||
1-10 years 40 52.0% 35.9% 12.1%
|
||
15 years 35 44.0% 42.0% 14.0%
|
||
20 years 35 43.3% 41.5% 15.2%
|
||
Pregnant 125 45.7% 31.8% 22.5%
|
||
Nursing 125 44.9% 31.1% 24.0%
|
||
|
||
Daily Requirements
|
||
|
||
A good many of us humans are counting calories, the same may be done
|
||
for a cat. A healthy adult cat requires approximately 40 calories per
|
||
pound of body weight per day (for an 8-pound cat this would be 320
|
||
calories per day). Of these 40 calories, about 12-16 should come from
|
||
protein, 20-25 from fat, and 3-4 from carbohydrates.
|
||
|
||
Protein 3600 mg -- 14 calories
|
||
Fat 2500 mg -- 23 calories
|
||
Carbohydrate 840 mg -- 3.3 calories
|
||
Linolic Acid 250 mg
|
||
----------------------------------------------
|
||
Vitamin A 250 I.U.
|
||
Vitamin D 13 I.U.
|
||
Vitamin E 10 I.U.
|
||
Choline 25 mg
|
||
Niacin (B3) 560 ug
|
||
Pantothenic Acid 130 ug
|
||
Riboflavin (B2) 63 ug
|
||
Pyridoxine (B6) 50 ug
|
||
Folic Acid (B9) 13 ug
|
||
Thiamin (B1) 7.8 ug
|
||
Biotin 0.63 ug
|
||
Vitamin B12 0.25 ug
|
||
Vitamin C * trace only
|
||
Vitamin K * trace only
|
||
----------------------------------------------
|
||
Calcium 125 mg
|
||
Phosphorus 100 mg
|
||
Potassium 38 mg
|
||
Sodium Cloride 25 mg
|
||
Magnesium 2.5 mg
|
||
Iron 1.3 mg
|
||
Zinc 380 ug
|
||
Manganese 130 ug
|
||
Copper 63 ug
|
||
Cobalt 25 ug
|
||
Iodine 13 ug
|
||
Selenium 1.3 ug
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
Feline Nutrition Page 9
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
There are, of course, many other subtle and necessary components of
|
||
food that are not obvious in these tables.
|
||
|
||
Commercial Foods
|
||
|
||
The vast majority of us will be feeding our cats commercial cat foods.
|
||
These foods come in four specific types: dry foods, soft-moist foods,
|
||
balanced canned foods, and specialty or "gourmet" canned foods. As a
|
||
simple rule of thumb, the nutritional content of 3 ounces (one level
|
||
cup) of dry food is the same as that of 4 ounces of soft-moist food
|
||
and the same as that of 7.5 ounces of canned food.
|
||
|
||
Specialty or gourmet foods are seldom a balanced diet by themselves,
|
||
and must not be fed without supplements or another, balanced food.
|
||
They are best used as treats or "Sunday dinner."
|
||
|
||
The scientifically-balanced foods available through pet and feed
|
||
stores and from your veterinarian usually contain supplements and
|
||
additives to guarantee the best nutritional balance possible. Most of
|
||
these foods are further classed into pediatric/nursing, maintenance,
|
||
and geriatric blends, assuring a proper protein-fats-carbohydrate mix
|
||
for the specific cat. Specialized diets (weight loss, low sodium,
|
||
etc.) are also available from these same sources and through your
|
||
veterinarian for the problem cat.
|
||
|
||
Commercial supermarket-type cat foods vary little in nutritional
|
||
content between brands. Assuming the food is complete in nutrition
|
||
and the cat is a young-to-middle-aged healthy adult, almost any of
|
||
these foods will suffice.
|
||
|
||
One should be wary of non-nutritional additives and fillers used in
|
||
commercial foods. Most dry foods, for example, use corn meal as a
|
||
bulk filler, while canned foods often use gelatin. Since these
|
||
substances effectively pass right on through a cat, there is no harm
|
||
in them, but you are paying for them, sometimes dearly. As with
|
||
everything else, read those labels.
|
||
|
||
Several popular brands of catfood use excessive food coloring to
|
||
enhance the appearance of the food. One extremely popular brand uses
|
||
so much red dye that it will make your cat's stools orange. The claim
|
||
is that the dye is FDA approved and does the cat no harm. Frankly, we
|
||
feel that the color of the food is of no interest to the cat (texture,
|
||
shape, taste, and smell are different matters). It is put there
|
||
solely for the benefit of the cat owner (who is the purchaser, after
|
||
all) to make the food appear more like meat. Who needs it! If the
|
||
food is good and appeals to the cat, what else matters?
|
||
|
||
A common misconception about cat foods is that dry foods derive their
|
||
protein from cereals and other vegetable sources while canned foods
|
||
derive their protein from meat and other animal sources. In reality,
|
||
all commercial cat foods derive their protein from both animal and
|
||
vegetable sources, with animal sources dominating. Most vegetable
|
||
products in commercial foods, however, may be considered as filler.
|
||
Please remember that in the wild the cat does consume vegetable
|
||
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
Feline Nutrition Page 10
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
protein in the stomach and viscera of its prey, and can utilize this
|
||
protein with the assistance of its prey's own digestive processes.
|
||
These processes are in part duplicated during the manufacture of
|
||
commercial cat food allowing digestion of some vegetable proteins.
|
||
|
||
Unfortunately, an understanding of the molecular structure of proteins
|
||
and the digestive process itself is required to produce the
|
||
"partially-digested" vegetable protein used in cat foods, thus making
|
||
it virtually impossible for home-kitchen duplication. There are still
|
||
no vegetarian cats!
|
||
|
||
Dry Foods
|
||
|
||
Dry foods are the least expensive of the four types and, being dry,
|
||
have the added advantage of an abrasive action which helps to keep the
|
||
teeth and gums clean and healthy and minimize the buildup of dental
|
||
tartar. They derive their protein and fat from meat, fish, poultry,
|
||
and/or dairy products blended into a cereal base, usually corn meal.
|
||
Careful balancing and the addition of vitamin and mineral supplements
|
||
have made the modern dry food a good and well-balanced diet.
|
||
|
||
These foods are typically about 10% water (no matter how dry they
|
||
appear), and thus have long shelf and bowl lives. This means the food
|
||
may be left out at all times and the cat may help himself to many
|
||
small meals rather than one or two large meals. This improves tone
|
||
and digestion.
|
||
|
||
One theoretical disadvantage is a predisposition among male cats,
|
||
especially neuters, to develop Feline Urological Syndrome (FUS). This
|
||
predisposition has not been substantiated at this time (neither has it
|
||
been disproved) and veterinarians are sharply divided on the issue.
|
||
If such a predisposition exists, it would probably be due to the low
|
||
water content of the dry foods. Providing an adequate source of good-
|
||
tasting fresh water will often negate any such problem.
|
||
|
||
Dry foods tend to lose their nutrition slowly over time, especially
|
||
upon exposure to air and light. Avoid using any dry food more than
|
||
six months old. If dry food must be stored for long periods (as on
|
||
board ship), store the food in air- and light-tight containers.
|
||
|
||
Soft-Moist Foods
|
||
|
||
Soft-moist foods have more appeal than dry foods, also more cost.
|
||
They are intentionally designed to make the cat think they are meat,
|
||
both in texture and taste, and do a fairly good job of it.
|
||
|
||
Like dry foods, they derive their protein and fat from a variety of
|
||
sources. Additionally, one particular source, meat, fish, whatever,
|
||
is often emphasized to establish flavor. They run to about 30-35%
|
||
water, as contrasted to dry food's 10% and canned food's 70%. Unlike
|
||
dry foods, they do not inhibit dental tartar.
|
||
|
||
They also have the advantages of minimal odor and long shelf life.
|
||
They are good for about a day in the bowl, and should not be left out
|
||
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
Feline Nutrition Page 11
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
longer than that. Shelf life is extremely long, as they are usually
|
||
packaged in air-tight pouches.
|
||
|
||
Be aware that most soft-moist foods contain an abundance of
|
||
preservatives to prevent spoilage, so labels should be read carefully.
|
||
|
||
Canned Foods
|
||
|
||
Canned foods are the most expensive of the three types, but are still
|
||
the most popular. Their biggest drawbacks being cost and odor.
|
||
|
||
Canned foods are primarily protein and fats from meat, fish, dairy and
|
||
vegetable sources with added vitamins and minerals. Except for the
|
||
specialty or gourmet varieties, most are nutritionally complete.
|
||
|
||
Many canned foods contain 70% water or more, often gelatin is used as
|
||
a filler and literally to trap and hold more water (one brand is 78%
|
||
water). The purchaser pays for this water and gelatin, naturally.
|
||
Read those labels!
|
||
|
||
Unlike the dry foods but like the soft-moist foods, canned foods do
|
||
nothing to inhibit dental tartar. However, the same argument that
|
||
gives dry foods a predisposition towards the development of FUS
|
||
implies a lack of predisposition in canned foods. Again, this has not
|
||
yet been determined one way or the other.
|
||
|
||
If a cat has already suffered a bout with FUS, especially repeated
|
||
bouts, a low magnesium canned-food diet is often prescribed as the
|
||
preventative of choice. We wish to emphasize here that the low
|
||
magnesium canned-food diet is for animals who already have an FUS
|
||
history, and is not indicated in healthy animals.
|
||
|
||
Gourmet Foods
|
||
|
||
Premium or gourmet foods are usually not balanced and must not be used
|
||
as the basis of your cat's diet. Think of them as treat foods.
|
||
|
||
These foods have two distinguishing characteristics. First, they are
|
||
terribly expensive, and second, the tend to be of the "100% beef"
|
||
variety, all one substance.
|
||
|
||
The higher price does not necessarily mean better. Using 100% beef as
|
||
an example, the food may contain lung and udder, which have no real
|
||
nutritional value but are still beef, and most certainly will contain
|
||
hoof, also still beef, in the form of gelatin, also of minimal
|
||
nutritional value. What we're saying here is that if it's part of a
|
||
cow it's "beef," but some "beef" is really bull.
|
||
|
||
With gourmet foods, if you don't mind the price and your cat likes
|
||
them, use them as treats.
|
||
|
||
Fresh Foods
|
||
|
||
We in the U.S. have been almost totally brainwashed into the concept
|
||
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
Feline Nutrition Page 12
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
the "fresh is best." This holds true if and only if fresh is
|
||
balanced, which it often is not.
|
||
|
||
A well-balanced fresh-food diet for a cat would consist of meat
|
||
(muscle tissue) for protein; saturated and unsaturated fats for
|
||
protein (polyunsaturated fats, such as those in margarine, are not
|
||
usually found in a carnivore's diet); sugars, starches, and other
|
||
carbohydrates; cereals, grass, and certain leafy vegetables for fiber;
|
||
various organs for vitamin content; bones for calcium and phosphorous;
|
||
blood and vegetables for iron and mineral content; and small amounts
|
||
of this and that for trace elements and pleasure. All these
|
||
requirements are contained in the average mouse.
|
||
|
||
Since few of us will raise mice specifically for cat food, we may feed
|
||
our pets a varied and well-balanced fresh-food diet with a little
|
||
thought. The following foods have the characteristics and effects
|
||
listed:
|
||
|
||
Meat (muscle tissue): this is the basic food of any carnivore. The
|
||
meat may be beef, horse, pork, lamb, chicken, whatever (even
|
||
mouse). Most meats should be lightly cooked to kill parasites,
|
||
especially pork and fresh-water fish. The cheaper, fatty cuts of
|
||
meat will also provide the fat the cat requires (buy the cheap
|
||
hamburger, it's better for the cat).
|
||
|
||
As a special treat, try giving your cat a mouse-sized gobbet of
|
||
almost-raw body-temperature rabbit or chicken when he is not
|
||
especially hungry and watch the hunter come out. He will probably
|
||
stalk it, throw it in the air, pounce on it, and eventually eat
|
||
it. This is all part of the natural order of life.
|
||
|
||
Liver: cats have a weakness for liver. This is an evolved trait to
|
||
guarantee that the liver of the prey will be eaten and the cat
|
||
will obtain sufficient vitamin A and iron. In the home, the cat
|
||
will take all the liver it can get. If too much liver is given,
|
||
the cat will succumb to vitamin-A toxicity, which can be fatal.
|
||
As in all things, moderation is the key.
|
||
|
||
The liver (especially beef liver) should be very lightly cooked.
|
||
When eaten raw it often causes diarrhea, when overcooked,
|
||
constipation.
|
||
|
||
Kidneys: usually quite inexpensive, kidneys (especially beef kidneys)
|
||
provide a good source of iron and several critical vitamins.
|
||
Because the uric acid content is high, kidneys should be soaked in
|
||
cold water for a hour or two prior to cooking and serving.
|
||
|
||
Heart: heart in general but especially poultry and rabbit hearts are
|
||
a favorite among cats and provide top-notch protein. Do not
|
||
remove the fatty tissue and paracardial sack, as they provide a
|
||
source of needed fats.
|
||
|
||
Lung: lung has little food value and should not be served. Most cats
|
||
won't eat lung by itself.
|
||
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
Feline Nutrition Page 13
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
Udder: like lung, udder has little food value and should not be
|
||
served.
|
||
|
||
Spleen: spleen will often cause diarrhea and should be avoided.
|
||
|
||
Tripe: fine for dogs and large cats, tripe is usually too tough for
|
||
our small cats. Tripe stew, on the other hand, is excellent, as
|
||
the meat is softened by stewing and the broth is good all around.
|
||
|
||
Offal: the offal of small animals, such as rabbits, is fine if cooked
|
||
lightly to kill parasites. It is, after all, what they eat in the
|
||
wild.
|
||
|
||
Bones: bones are good food. The bones of larger animals, such as
|
||
beef bones, are usually too big for a cat to get a handle on, but
|
||
a cartilagineous knuckle or tail bone may be just the ticket. The
|
||
bones of small animals may be served lightly cooked to kill
|
||
parasites, but do not serve the cooked bones of birds, especially
|
||
the long bones, as cooking makes the bones brittle and they may
|
||
shatter and become lodged in the throat or puncture the esophagus
|
||
or stomach wall.
|
||
|
||
Bones of any size may be pressure-cooked until soft, but this
|
||
destroys the marrow, which the cat considers the best part. Bone
|
||
meal may be used to provide needed calcium and phosphorous.
|
||
|
||
Fish: cooked, boned fish is almost always welcome. Avoid raw fish in
|
||
quantity as a vitamin-B toxicity may easily develop, especially
|
||
with cod, tuna and other oily fish. Do not feed fish organs,
|
||
especially fish livers.
|
||
|
||
Milk: milk is a food, not a drink (the only cat drink is water).
|
||
This food will provide an excellent source of calcium and
|
||
phosphorus needed for strong bones and teeth, as well as many
|
||
other vitamins and minerals. Unfortunately, a large percentage of
|
||
cats lose the ability to digest milk as they grow older.
|
||
|
||
To test your cat for milk tolerance, give it a small bowl of milk,
|
||
then watch its stools for the next six hours. If diarrhea
|
||
develops, the cat cannot digest milk, if the stool remains normal,
|
||
it can.
|
||
|
||
An acidopholus-enriched milk, available at most large
|
||
supermarkets, can often be consumed by cats (or people) that
|
||
cannot tolerate normal milk. Acidopholus is the symbiotic
|
||
bacterium that lives within the intestine and produces the enzyme
|
||
that metabolizes lactose (milk sugar). The most common cause of
|
||
milk intolerance is an acidopholus deficiency. Acidopholus-
|
||
enriched milk carries its own acidopholus culture with it.
|
||
|
||
Yogurt: many cats like plain yogurt and, like milk, it is an
|
||
excellent source of calcium and phosphorus. Unlike milk, yogurt
|
||
is one-step removed from fresh. It has already been consumed by a
|
||
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
Feline Nutrition Page 14
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
bacterium, and is therefore partially digested. This makes it
|
||
very easy for cats and people to finish digesting. Being
|
||
sensitive to terms like "digested," the dairy industry calls
|
||
yogurt a "cultured" product.
|
||
|
||
Butter: an excellent source of fats, good for growth and coat, butter
|
||
is a good but somewhat expensive treat upon which a cat will
|
||
gladly pig out. We suggest the occasional small pat as a special
|
||
treat.
|
||
|
||
Cream: combining the tastes and benefits of butter and milk, sweet
|
||
cream is kitty champagne! Treat it as such.
|
||
|
||
Cheese: most cheeses will cause constipation if fed in large amounts.
|
||
The occasional small piece is healthful and appreciated. Cats
|
||
don't seem to care much for the exotic cheeses, such as limburger,
|
||
brie, or bleu, possible they are put off by the smell of the mold
|
||
(we humans eat the damnedest things!).
|
||
|
||
Margarine: since most margarine taste pretty much like butter, cats
|
||
will usually treat them like butter and take all they can get.
|
||
Unfortunately, margarine is not butter, and does not contain the
|
||
calcium and phosphorus that makes butter so beneficial to cats.
|
||
The polyunsaturated vegetable fats used in most margarines go
|
||
straight through a cat. Think of margarine as a mild and good-
|
||
tasting cat laxative (really a lubricant), and use a small pat of
|
||
it as a loving treat/preventative/cure for hairballs and
|
||
constipation.
|
||
|
||
Eggs: raw egg yolk is beneficial and tasty, providing protein,
|
||
sulfur, calcium, phosphorus, and a host of other vitamins and
|
||
minerals. The raw egg white, on the other hand, contains avatin,
|
||
which breaks down and destroys the B vitamins.
|
||
|
||
If you must feed your cat whole eggs, cook them first, which
|
||
congeals the white and destroys the avatin.
|
||
|
||
Vegetables: cats are carnivores, but they do eat the vegetable
|
||
contents of their prey's stomach and viscera. Small amounts of
|
||
vegetable matter such as potato or pasta, about 5% of the total
|
||
diet, can be consumed providing the vegetables have been cooked
|
||
first (cooking breaks down complex carbohydrates into simple
|
||
carbohydrates and aids digestion. If you are feeding too much
|
||
vegetable matter, or not cooking it enough, it will show up as
|
||
constipation or diarrhea, depending upon the vegetable.
|
||
|
||
Fruits: unlike vegetables, fruits contain primarily simple
|
||
carbohydrates and need not be cooked. The author had a calico
|
||
cat, Gigi, who loved melon: watermelon, honeydew, cantaloupe --
|
||
she loved them all!
|
||
|
||
Like vegetables, be moderate and beware intestinal distress.
|
||
|
||
Cereals: many cats like cereals. Again, in moderation, cereals such
|
||
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
Feline Nutrition Page 15
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
as oatmeal, wheat farina, corn-meal mush, etc., are quite
|
||
beneficial as providers of carbohydrates. Avoid raw cereals, as
|
||
cats cannot digest the starches. Absolutely avoid grits (and
|
||
hominy in general), as the residual lye is toxic to a cat.
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
Feline Nutrition Page 16
|
||
|
||
|
||
|