Chapter 9: The Cat Is Unique (Hill) Flashcards
teh cat needs a continuous supply of what nutrients:
retinol, niacin, taurin, and arachidonic acid
little glutamate and benzoic acid
the cat is a pure carnivore and adapted to what?
high protein, high fat, low carbdiet
why do cats have a high protein requirement?
they are unable to down regulate the enzymes which degrade amino acids
arginine in cats
what does deficiency cause?
is essential because its an integral part of the urea cycle
deficiency causes: hyperammonemia due to:
decreased ornithine synthesis from glutamate and proline due to decreased activity of pyrroline-5-carboxylase
decreased citrulline synthesis because less ornithine amino transferase and carbomyl phosphate synthetase activity
sulfur containing AA’s
increased requirement for them so methionine is usually the limiting amino acid
felinine
unique AA only found in cat urine - not needed in diet
adaptions to low carb diet:
no glucokinase in liver, so liver does not homeostatically control blood glucose.
blood glucose increases easily in response to stress
cannot taste sweetness
amylase activity is low and increased activity is not induced by increased carb in the diet
gluconeogenesis is switched on all the time even in cats fed a high protein diet
arachidonic acid
CONDITIONALLY ESSENTIAL - because its only essential for reproduction in cats
cats lack delta-6 desaturase so are unable to synthesize arachidonic acid from linoleic acid and therefore either need arachidonic acid or gamma-linoleic acid in the diet.
Vitamin A
unable to be synthesized in cats because they can’t use carotene because they lack the dioxygenase enzyme
Vitamin D
required because reduced synthesis of precursor in skin
niacin
cats are unable to use tryptophan as a precursor of niacin. reflects increased proteind egradation
what two intolerances are indicative of heavy protein diets and low veggie diets?
glutamate and benzoic acid intoleraance
taurine structure
resembles alanine except:
taruine has a sulfonyl group and AA resides on the beta carbon
taurine function
most common Sulfur containing AA
- conjugates with bile acids in the liver
- lipophobic (diffuses poorly through intact membranes)
- may play a role in osmoregulation (present in cells without cell walls)
- modulate interaction between Ca and phospholipids
- antioxidant
taurine deficiency
central retinal degeneration and blindness
poor repro
increased collagen-induced platelet aggregation
reversible dilated cardiomyopathy
taurine metabolism
synthesized from methionine and cystein so not essential in most mammals
why is taurine essential in the cat
decreased synthesis of taurine from cystein
bile acids conjugated with taurine instead of glycine
in what species is taurine conditionally essential in perinatal period?
primates!
diagnosis of taurine levels
plasma taurine concentration
whole blood taurine concentration
bioavailability of taurine
purified diets > dry > canned
decreased by heat processing
increased fecal losses with soy-bbased diets
can cats have vegetarian diets
yes though they are difficult to formulate and needs purified substances found only in animal kingdom like arachidonic acid and retinol
can cats eat human or dog food?
no because they contain too little protein, arginine, taurine, etc. cat foods may be fed to dogs but are calorie dense and may cause obesity
can cats have home-cooked diets
yes but its difficult to formulate
can liquiid diets be fed to DOGS?
yes - nutrient requirements of dogs are not that different from people
dogs require the same essential nutrients as people except for which supplements?
they do NOT require vitamin C and DO require arginine
in what way does dog metabolism differ form people
their metabolism of fat
what are the differences in dog vs wolf genome?
indicative of domesticationn:
nervous system
digestion of carbs and fat
amylase initiates starch digestion
maltase-glucoamylase
sodium-glucose cotransporter-1
