6: Nutrient Requirements for Adult Cats Flashcards
What is an ‘adult’ cat? Stages?
Reach adulthood around 12 months
Nearing 7 years = older
1-7 years = young to middle-aged cats
Water requirement varies with… What parts of diet composition should affect water intake
Requirement varies with physiological and environmental conditions
Adjust water intake based on DM content (dry diet = more), protein (more protein = more water to maintain urine), sodium (more= more water)
Recommended water intake for cats?
1 mL water per kcal ME prevents urinary problems/crystals
Allow cats to self-regulate
Where do cats get water? What else would influence water requirement?
From food, water, metabolic water (glucose oxidation)
Climate (hot/dry), lactation
What would influence a cat’s energy requirement?
Age, activity, sex, neuter status (more fat tissue, less muscle tissue = more protein turnover = higher E requirement), breed, hairless cat (less insulation)
Thermoneutral zone of cat? What does it affect
between 30 and 38C
If not in thermoneutral zone, maintenance energy requirement goes up
Is the association between body mass and energy requirement linear?
No. Mouse has a greater E requirement /kg body weight than elephant
What is metabolic body weight in cats? Why is it important
BW ^ 0.67
Create linearity between body weight and maintenance energy requirement
Maintenance energy requirement (MER) calculation in cats
100 kcal metabolizable energy (ME) x kg BW^0.67
Slide 12
body condition scoring
Carbohydrate digestion in cats
- limited capacity to metabolize certain sugars
- low adaptation of disaccharidases at brush border (effectively utilize some monosaccharides)
Safe upper limits of CHOs (g/kg DM diet)
Glucose or sucrose = 50-150
Lactose or raffinose = 50
Fructo-oligosaccharides = 7.5
Cellulose = 100
Is there a known optimal starch inclusion level for the cat diet?
No, from the kibble perspective there is (optimize binding)
Change in lactase activity in the cat
High in first 5 weeks of life, but decreases drastically during weaning period (decrease of lactose in the diet)
Describe starch utilization in cats
- requirement not determined
- limited fermentation (non-functional cecum)
- small amounts recommended
- prebiotics
Recommended & dietary fiber in cat diet
Natural foods of cats contain </=1% of dietary fiber
Recommended </=5% dietary fiber
Why is protein in excess rapidly catabolized
- body maintenance
- stimulate protein synthesis
- excess energy stored as fat
Danger of feeding excess protein
Increased risk for renal disease (need to excrete a lot of nitrogen from deamination)
Compare efficiency of protein utilization in cats to other species
Lower in cats due to lack of ability to conserve N and essential AA
Functions of fat. Essential f.a. in cats
energy source, fat soluble vitamins, palatability
Linoleic, arachidonic, a-linolenic (EPA/DHA)
Fat digestibility in cats
94-99%
Cats tolerate high amounts of dietary fat (high-density lipoprotein mammals)
Deleterious effects of lipid oxidation? How to prevent
Feline pansteatitis (body fat becomes inflamed (yellow fat disease))
High levels of PUFA (e.g. high fish diet) = high levels of vitamin E: prevents free-radical or oxidative damage
When does Ca deficiency occur in cats? P excess causes… Ideal Ca:P ratio
Ca deficiency may occur in cats only eating non-supplemented meat (no bone)
P excess causes lower urinary tract and renal disease
Ca : P ratio = 0.9 to 1.1 : 1
Behavioural, physical and metabolic changes in older cats
- less active
- decreased lean body mass
- decreased digestive function, immune response, glucose tolerance, renal function, smell, taste perception
- less adaptable to metabolic and physiological perturbations (e.g. new foods)
Goals of nutrition in older cats
- maintain ideal body condition and weight (typically by feeding less_
- adequate intake of nutritious food
- good hydration
- minimize disease
Nutritional modifications to slow down aging in cats
- decrease caloric intake
- adequate amounts of other nutrients
- difficult to achieve
How does water intake/requirement change in older cats
- impaired thirst sensitivity
- decline in renal function (increased water losses due to incapability to concentrate urine)
- reduced ability to thermoregulate
How do energy requirements change as cats age?
They decrease then increase with age
Energy requirements of very old cats
Need energy dense diets or else weight loss
- significant reduction in fat digestibility
- slight reduction in protein digestibility
- decline in pancreatic enzyme secretion
Protein requirement in older cats
- no restriction of dietary protein
- maintenance of lean body mass, protein synthesis and immune function
- protein needs higher than young to middle aged cats
- feed high quality protein (high digestibility, ideal aa balance aka animal protein)
Fat requirements in older cats
- risk of death increases 3-fold in obese cats (moderate to low levels of fat may reduce risk of obesity)
- fat sources should be highly digestible (ability to digest fat decreases)
- dietary fat improves palatability (improves food/caloric intake)
Fat digestibility with age
Reduction of fat digestibility in aging cats
Phenomenon for all f.a. groups
Need higher quality fat
Fiber requirement in older cats
- constipation is a common problem in older cats
- Insoluble fiber (<5%) can help in managing constipation (gut health)
- high level of fiber (<10%) = reduced nutrient digestibility, caloric density (cat stops eating)
Why is constipation common in older cats
Reduced water intake, limited activity and reduced colonic motility
Ca and P requirements in older cats
- bone mass of cats declines after 7 years of age
- moderate levels of available dietary Ca recommended to maintain bone mass
- reduction in dietary P levels recommended (30% of cats have kidney disease)
