Cat Nutrition Flashcards
dogs can handle up to __% of their calories from carbs
cats can handle up to __% of their calories from carbs
dogs- up to 65%
cats- up to 35%
why we avoid semi-moist foods in cats
high levels of propylene glycol -> heinz body anemia
high sugar and high carb
vitamins that cats cannot make and need in diet
vitamin A (need from meat or cod liver oil) niacin (cant make from tryptophan)
why cats need taurine (what is it made from)
cannot make taurine from cystine or methionine
arginine, an essential amino acid in cats, is needed for
helps convert ammonia(produced normally from protein breakdown) to urea (to be excreted by kidneys), necessary to prevent ammonia intoxication
% Mg that should be in cat diet
why?
low; <0.1%
found in struvite crystals
how we prevent struvite crystals in cats
low Mg in diet (<0.1%) and keep acidic/low pH (<6.6)
what to feed to lower urine pH
vitamin C, methionine (found in meat or methigel)
cats are usually erratic eaters which means
wont eat all of food in one sitting (eat some, come back later)
why a cat in heat (or w frequent heats) may become run down and thin
decreased appetite during estrus, may also become anemic due to estrogen circulating (suppresses RBC production)
why we increase the frequency of feeding during pregnancy
abdominal crowding, cant eat much at once
sign a pregnant cat is going to birth soon
stops eating 1-2 days before delivery (temp drop not usually seen like in dogs)
during laction, increase the food by __-__x
2-4x (dep on body condtion and numer of kittens)
kittens will start eating food at __weeks and can be weaned at what age
3 weeks, wean= 4-8wks (preferable >6wks, better behaviorally)
why with stray cat babies we recommend bottle feeding or capturing the mom and litter
mom will hide babies after people see; also human interaction important in first few weeks of development (or they will remain feral)
