Feline How-To Manual: Nutrition for the Cat ~ Pawprints and Purrs, Inc.

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Any health care links located here are NOT to replace a veterinarian visit; please take your cat to a vet immediately at any sign of odd behavior or any symptoms of illness or injury. Call your vet and describe your cat's symptoms with any of your concerns about the cat's well-being. Your veterinarian may discover changes in your cat's health that you have overlooked. It is always better to err on the side of caution.

Nutrition for the Cat

There are six major nutrients and each has a function within the cat's body: carbohydrates, proteins, fats, minerals, vitamins, and the most important one, water.

Three of the six major nutrients can be used by the body to produce the chemical energy needed to power life processes and heat. The heat released when these nutrients are burned by the body is measured in calories. Carbohydrates and proteins release approximately 4 kcals or calories per gram of weight. Fats contain more than twice as many calories at 9 kcals per gram weight.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates come from plant sources: grains, seeds, vegetables, and grasses. Carbohydrates can be simple in their chemical structure like sugar, or complex like cellulose. Cellulose and other similar complex carbohydrates make up the physical structure of plants. Some of these complex carbohydrates cannot be digested by animals, and are then labeled as dietary fiber. Although it is not digested, fiber plays an important role in normal intestinal function in the cat.

Proteins

Proteins are not one substance, but many substances made up of smaller subunits called amino acids that are linked together. Proteins make up all the tissues and fluids of animals; they serve a structural role. Proteins also function as hormones and chemical transmitters within nerves. The sequence and arrangement of the amino acids in a protein determines the function of that protein.

Proteins are not derived solely from animal tissue; they are also available from plants. Once consumed by an animal, digestion breaks protein down into its constituent amino acids, then they are absorbed into circulation and recombined into structural proteins needed by the animal. Animals can make amino acids on their own, but not all of them. Although there are 23 amino acids, cats require that 11 of them be provided by the diet. Twelve others can be synthesized in the body.

Taurine is one amino acid that is required in the cat's diet, but not in the dog's. This amino acid is critical for normal heart function and vision in the cat. Arginine is another amino acid required in much higher amounts by cats. Arginine is essential for converting the waste product ammonia into urea, so that it can be excreted by the kidneys. Insufficient arginine levels can cause depression and seizures.

No single protein contains all 23 amino acids. That means that a cat must eat several different sources of protein in order to obtain all 11 of the essential ones. The proteins from meat contain a greater variety of amino acids than do proteins from plants.

All 23 amino acids must be present and available in order for the body to synthesis proteins. That means that if a cat takes in a meal that is deficient in any one amino acid, protein synthesis stops. The available amino acids are then burned for energy. Excess energy is stored as fat, and ammonia is released as a waste product. The same holds true if protein is consumed in excess amounts from what is needed to manufacture the body's structual proteins. This becomes very important in diseases like obesity and kidney disease.

Protein, in fact, is a very questionable and controversial energy source, and in most healthy animals should be avoided in excess. The cat is unique among animals, however, because the cat is one species that actually requires some of its energy to come from protein. This is one reason why cats require more protein in their diet than dogs. The reason for this species difference is not known, and because of the cats' additional requirement for the animal tissue derived amino acid taurine, they are true obligate carnivores. This is a very important point. Cats should not be fed dog food or a vegetarian diet.

Fats

Fats serve several functions within the body. First, they are a highly efficient source of energy. Fats are also necessary for the absorption of some vitamins: vitamins A, D, E, and K. They are also important in the formation of certain hormones. Fats are similar to proteins in that they are made up of subunits called fatty acids. Two of the essential fatty acids for the cat are required in their diet: linoleic and arachidonic.

Just as there are different qualities of proteins, some fats are better than others in providing essential fatty acids. Fats can be found in both vegetable matter and animal tissue. Liquid fats like safflower and corn oils consist of 50-70 percent linoleic acid. Arachidonic acid is found only in animal fats. A cat's requirement for arachidonic acid in the diet makes it a truly carnivorous animal. Poultry fat is an excellent source of arachidonic acid. This is an expensive ingredient in pet foods, so most manufacturers use an alternative called beef tallow, which is less expensive but a relatively poor source of essential fatty acids.

Diets high in fat, or those that contain poorly preserved fat that has gone rancid, put cats at risk for a disease called pansteatitis, an inflammation of body fat (also called steatitis or yellow fat disease). Even properly formulated, high-quality diets that have been stored for long periods of time or at high temperatures should not be fed to cats. Toxins present in rancid fats can accumulate in the cat's own subcutaneous fat stores along the back or in that udderlike fat pad that sways to and fro when they walk. These toxins set up an inflammation that is self-perpetuating and very, very painful. Most afflicted cats have been eating a fish diet.

Since the fish in cat foods comes from the by-products of the human canned-fish industry, the quality of the ingredients is highly questionable. In fact, fish is not even a natural part of a cat's diet. Indeed, the need for fish in the cat's diet has solely (no pun intended) come from the advertising and pet-food industries.

Vitamins

Vitamins are used in the energy-producing reactions of the body. They are important in wound healing, tissue repair, maintaining healthy skin, haircoat and bones, and in blood clotting. Many animals, including dogs and people, can synthesis some vitamins, such as vitamin A and niacin. This is not true for cats. Cats require both vitamin A and niacin in their diet. These vitamins are found in animal tissues and again, their requirement makes the cat a truly carnivous animal. Because cats have different requirements for the levels of vitamins in their diets, they should not be fed dog food or vegetarian diets.

Vitamin deficiencies are rarely a problem in healthy cats eating a wholesome diet. Deficiencies occur if a cat is fed a poorly formulated diet or food that is improperly stored or preserved. Vitamins are subject to rapid degradation in high temperatures during the cooking process. This is most often the case with generic or very inexpensive cat foods and with home cooked diets. Improperly processed fish cat foods may also contain a substance that destroys the B vitamin called thiamine. In the most severe form of thiamine deficiency, cats can develop depression and seizures.

Some disease conditions can result in a vitamin depletion. Because the water-soluble vitamins (the various B vitamins and vitamin C) are not stored in the body, they will be depleted rapidly if a cat is allowed to go without food for even a few days, especially if the cat is losing a lot of water from kidney disease, vomiting, or diarrhea. Diseases that result in improper absorption of fats will effect the absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins (these include vitamins A, D, E, and K), too. Because fat-soluble vitamins are in reserve, problems related to deficiencies in these vitamins usually occur after a longer period of time.

Vitamin excesses are potentially a problem when cats are being fed home-cooked diets. It is very difficult to balance these diets with the proper nutrient levels, because the batches are small and the vitamin sources are quite concentrated in comparison. Vitamin excesses are also a potential problem for cats who are given vitamin supplements in their diets or as treats. Never give a vitamin supplement to your cat unless you are instructed to do so by your veterinarian.

Minerals

Minerals serve as an important structural component in the body. Calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium make up the matrix of bones and teeth. Sodium and potassium are important in maintaining cell shape and in nerve conduction. Iron and copper are needed for proper red blood cell function. Zinc is important for healthy skin.

Minerals are needed in trace amounts in the diet. They are provided by both plant and animal sources. Most of the minerals in cat food comes from bone and meat meals used in formulating the diets. Poor quality and cheap meat ingredients used in making cat food have a lot of bone in them. The bone is expensive to remove from the meat scraps, so it is just left in. Most cat foods contain minerals in amounts that far exceed the requirements of the cat. This is especially true of fish containing diets. These excessive minerals have to be eliminated from the cat's body, usually in the urine.

Ash in cat food refers to the mineral residue that is left when a diet is burned to completion. The name does not specify which minerals or how much of any one there may be in the mix.

Water

Water is the most important of the six basic nutrients. Most animals cannot live more than a short time without it, or more than a few days without becoming dehydrated and ill. Water comprises from about 95 percent of the new-born kitten to about 75 percent of the adult cat. Water is the body's primary solvent for chemical reactions and life processes, and maintains cell shape. Throughout the animal kingdom, animals have developed elaborate adaptive mechanisms to conserve water. Of paramount importance in this role is the kidney. And cats, originally from the desert, are particularly efficient at conserving water and producing very concentrated urine.

In Summary

Cats are classified as true carnivores. A carnivore is a true meat-eating animal. Carnivores must consume proteins and fats from animal tissue sources. This is for several major reasons. First, the essential amino acid taurine and the essential fatty acid arachidonic acid are only present in animal tissue. Secondly, of the vitamins, cats cannot convert betacarotene from plants into vitamin A, nor can they convert biotin into the B vitamin called niacin. Both of these vitamins must come from animal tissue. Cats, unlike dogs, require some of their energy to come from protein; they also have higher requirements for some specific amino acids and vitamins. For all these reasons, cats should not be fed diets formulated for dogs or vegetarian diets.

Average Nutrient Content (dry-weight basis) and Amount to Feed of Various Commercial Cat Foods
Variety	Water	Protein	Fat	Ca	P	Kcal/oz.	Ounces to Feed 6-10 lb. Cat Per Day
Dry	6-10%	34%	12%	1.6%	1.1%	105	2 - 3½
Semi-Moist	30 - 40%	36%	17%	2.4%	2.2%	75	2¼ - 4¾
Canned	75%	41%	14%	2.0%	1.4%	29	7½ - 12

Additional How-to Articles:

Article   1: How to Choose a Vet
Article   2: Hospital Admission of Your Cat
Article   3: Preventive Care: Vaccinations, Serologic Testing, Spaying & Neutering
Article   4: Preventive Care - Dental Care, Flea Control, and Grooming
Article   5: Cooperation - Restraint Procedures and Trimming Claws
Article   6: Keeping Records
Article   7: Care in the Sick Room
Article   8: Keeping Watch - Your Cat's Vital Signs
Article   9: Nutrition for the Cat
Article 10: Feeding the Cat - Including Newborn Kitten Feeding
Article 11: Medications and Prescriptions
Article 12: Basic Nursing 101
Article 13: Managing Bandages and Splints
Article 14: Before and After Surgery and Dentistry
Article 15: Pregnancy and Delivery
Article 16: Euthanasia

Page URL: http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/howto9.html

Resource References:
Caring for Your Sick Cat Carol Himsel Daly, DVM and veterinary consultant
Cat Doctor, Mark Evans, B Vet Med MRVCS
Cornell Book of Cats, Cornell Feline Health Center, Cornell University