Cats Physiology
by digiyesica Cats Physiology As a familiar and easily-kept animal, the physiology of cats has been particularly well studied and is...
Cats Physiology
As a familiar and easily-kept animal, the physiology of cats has been particularly well studied and is generally similar to that of other carnivorous mammals. But, several features of cats’ physiology are unusual and are probably due to their descent from desert-dwelling species. For instance, cats are able to tolerate quite high temperatures, with humans starting to feel uncomfortable when their skin temperature passes about 44.5 °C (112 °F), in contrast cats show no discomfort until their skin reaches around 52 °C (126 °F). Unusually, a cat’s body temperature does not vary throughout the day; this is part of cats’ general lack of circadian rhythms and may reflect their tendency to be active in both day and night. As well as being tolerant of high temperatures, cats’ feces are usually dry and their urine is also highly concentrated, both of which are adaptations that allow cats to retain as much fluid as possible. Indeed, their kidneys are so efficient that cats can survive on a diet consisting only of meat, with no additional water, and can even rehydrate by drinking seawater. Cats are obligate carnivores: their physiology has evolved to efficiently process meat, and they have difficulty digesting plant matter. In contrast to omnivores such as rats, which only require about 4% protein in their diet, about 20% of a cat’s diet must be protein. Cats are unusually dependent on a constant supply of the amino acid arginine, and a diet lacking arginine causes marked weight loss and can be rapidly fatal. Another unusual feature is that the cat also cannot produce the amino acid taurine, with taurine deficiency causing macular degeneration, where the cat’s retina slowly degenerates, causing irreversible blindness. Since cats tend to eat all of their prey, they obtain minerals by digesting animal bones and a diet composed only of meat may cause calcium deficiency. A cat’s digestive tract is also adapted to meat eating, being much shorter than that of omnivores and having low levels of several of the digestive enzymes that are needed to digest carbohydrates. These traits severely limits the cat’s ability to digest and use plant-derived nutrients, as well as certain fatty acids. Despite the cat’s meat-oriented physiology, several vegetarian or vegan cat foods have been marketed that are supplemented with chemically synthesized taurine and other nutrients, in attempts to produce a complete diet. But, some of these products still fail to provide all the nutrients that cats require, and diets containing no animal products pose the risk of causing severe nutritional deficiencies.
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Wysong Vegan Canine/Feline Diet
- Four 4-lb bags
A meatless clinical animal diet for use in nutritional management of adverse food reactions in both dogs and cats. Entirely vegetarian, containing no meat or meat by-products. Designed to be used with meats which are non-allergenic for your specific animal. Does not achieve feline protein recommendations. This product is intended for intermittent or supplemental feeding only.
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Price: $ 49.55
Gourmet Pasta Flavor Cat Food 20lb Bag
- Product is 100% Complete for all life stages.
- May be served with or without human grade beef, chicken or fish.
- A high protein, pure vegetarian gourmet pasta flavored petfood.
- Used 30% less food than other brands.
- Expect a 30% to 70% increase in life expectancy.
A 100% Complete For All Life Stages Gourmet Pasta Flavor Dry Kibble. Human Grade Pure Vegetarian Ingredients. One to Three tablespoons of shredded Human Grade Beef, Chicken or Fish may be added to each meal.
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Price: $ 46.10
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Review by Dan Robinson for Gourmet Pasta Flavor Cat Food 20lb Bag
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Unfortunately most people are ill informed about vegan cats, including most veterinarians.
Wild cats are in fact obligate carnivores. But, in domesticating the house cat and bringing it into our homes we have effectively removed the cat from its natural prey of mice, insects, birds, lizards, and other small creatures. During the past 100 years or so, as the human food industry was searching for a way to salvage and use all the waste materials from its processing lines, it came upon a wonderful solution. Lets boil it all up and dry it out and add it to the food we make for cats and dogs. As a result, the vast majority of commercial pet foods contain what are euphemistically referred to as the four D’s, dead, dying, disabled, and diseased animals, along with other quite undesirable materials. Quite frankly, if you are feeding this junk to your pets, you are effectively poisoning them. We are seeing diseases in pets today that we have never seen before because of the wide variety of contaminated ingredients that are finding their way into the food we feed our companion animals. You know “garbage in, garbage out!”
Now the issue here is not meat; it is about providing all the essential and non-essential amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) and vitamins and minerals that are bio-available to the particularly unique physiology of felids (cats). The quality, quantity, and availability of these nutrients can come from any source, and for those of us who are vegan, the best source is vegetable based.
Tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of cats around the world live quite well on one of the several available vegan cat foods that are recognized as nutritionally complete. I personally have had 3 1/2 years of experience in feeding the Evolution kibble product that this review is addressing. It is a high quality product that is AAFCO certified as nutritionally complete for all life stages in cats. Not only is this product safe to feed your cat, but if you follow the recommended feeding procedures, you will find many benefits to both your cat’s health and your wallet.
If you desire more detailed information, I invite you to do a google search on vegan cats. I would place my web page information about this issue on this review, but it is against the policy for writing reviews on Amazon.
Just for everyone’s edification, I have researched this issue for well over 500 hours, read hundreds of technical papers, visited hundreds of web sites, and have made a commitment to specialize in feline nutrition as part of my Veterinary Technician studies. I probably know more about feline nutrition than 95% of all the vets in the world.
My feline son is a vegan and will remain so because I am absolutely certain that his quality of life will be enhanced by his diet and that this choice will not be a detriment to his health.
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Since writing this review in 2006 I have had a change in position about this particular product after 4 years of personal experience. The manufacturer of the Evolution foods was changing the formulation of the food on a regular basis and during that time I found that the Feline Kibble was not able to maintain the pH level in the urine of cats that was promised on the mark and in their literature. At least that wasn’t the case with my former feline son and my current feline son. As a result I can no longer recommend the use of Evolution Feline Kibble for male cats. Since urinary issues are different between male and female cats the Evolution Kibble MAY be satisfactory for feeding to female cats. Nutritionally the Evolution foods seem to be fine for nutrients but not necessarily adequate for maintaining the proper pH levels to avoid urinary issues for male cats.
Consequently I am now recommending male cats use the Vegecat pH diet provided by Harbingers of a New Age. My son has been eating this food supplement in a specially prepared gluten formulation I made called a vegan feline roast. It is 50% protein, 30% stout, and 20% carbs and has a moisture content of about 70%. Nearly a perfect combination of ingredients to mimic natural prey. My son finds this product to be very palatable and his urinary pH has been consistently at 6.2 for the year that we have been producing and consuming this food. The drawback is that it takes about a half hour every 3 days to make the food and the cost is equivalent to a premium cat food. But on the other hand my son is trim, full of energy at 3 1/2 years, enjoys fantastic health, no longer has urinary tract issues, and no other animal had to die in order to provide my son with life-giving nutrition.
Review by Beth Sopko for Gourmet Pasta Flavor Cat Food 20lb Bag
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My 9-month-ancient cat has been eating Evolution for most of his life now; I transitioned him shortly after I adopted him. He’s doing extremely well; he eats Evolution every day and likes it. His coat is glossy and he has crazy kitten energy.
I very recently rescued an adult cat, and I’m slowly transitioning her from conventional cat food to this. (When I first brought her home, she wouldn’t eat for two days and was extremely skinny.) I also was taking care of a friend’s cat for a week, and when I saw she wasn’t eating her own food, I brought a baggie of the Evolution kibble, which she was interested in, and then ate.
Most of all, I want my cats to eat this food because it’s healthier for them; it doesn’t contain the waste animals, beaks, hair, and ear tags that all pet foods (even premium) can contain–and is nutritionally complete, with the protein and amino acids they need. As a plus, it’s a tasty food they like; when water is added–which it should be, to prevent dehydration–it’s economical, too.
It’s a fantastic deal all around!
Review by arimoore for Gourmet Pasta Flavor Cat Food 20lb Bag
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Both our cats absolutely like Evolution kibble. We mix it up with Red Star nutritional yeast and water and they like it even more. They’ve really torn open the bag to get to it, and when they hear me getting it ready they come running. It’s vegan, so it contains no slaughterhouse by-products, euthanasia solution, carcinogens, or dead animals. Yay!
Review by Thomas Hertweck for Gourmet Pasta Flavor Cat Food 20lb Bag
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The two small darlings at my home have been eating this particular cat food since we got them from the local shelter at the ripe young age of 6 months. We chose to switch them over to vegetarian cat food for two reasons: 1) both of us are ethical vegetarians, and 2) we could!
We switched them using the same methods vets have recommended when undergoing any change in diet for felines–slowly mixing them together in differing proportions until all that they eat is the new kind of food. In this way the cats do not undergo any kind of indigestion that might cause them to throw up (those with cats already will know completely).
But what was the surest sign that we were doing the right thing for our cats? Even on the first day, and for everyday it was given to them after, they ignored the meat-based cat food, eating only the vegetable-based pieces from their bowl! Everyday when I went to feed them in the morning, they would be waiting next to a bowl with meat-food detritus, staring impatiently for the vegetable goodness.
As for their level of health, I have literally never known two cats to be sweeter or more active than these. And I don’t mean chaotic, but playful, pouncy, and sweet. Is it all because of the food? I can’t say to 100% certainty. But know this: when we got the kittens they were shy and frightened, seemingly because both only have vision in their left eyes. Now they are more daring than even the most normal of cats.
All this and we don’t have to participate in the inhumane practice of feeding waste animals to our companion friends!
Review by Doctor B for Gourmet Pasta Flavor Cat Food 20lb Bag
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Everytime I run out and get regular kibble or cans, my cats look scruffy and they seem to despise the store-bought stuff and despise me for feeding it to them. On this food for years, my cats are shiny, never gassy, never stout though I leave the food out all the time in a bistro feeder, and their poop ain’t sweet but seems less foul than when on other food. Only down side is that you have to remember to reorder it 2 weeks before you run out because it’s not in any stores. It’s not cheap but with 2 cats a 40 pound bag ($90 including shipping) lasts me about 12 weeks, so under $4 a week per cat, maybe $2 more than Purina, $1 more than Iams and about the same as Blue or Nutro.