Healthy Feline Nutrition Flashcards
Cats are ______ carnivores
Obligate
For the feline, food consumption is based on the _____ of the food, not _______
Density of the food, not bulk
T/F: Food temperature has an effect on a cat’s food preference
TRUE
What kind of food is better at adding more water into a cats diet?
Wet food
T/F: Cats that eat entirely dry food are often sub-clinically dehydrated
TRUE
What kind of enzyme system does the cat have?
Inducible enzyme system - the amino acids required for the body to function will come from lean muscle if the protein in the diet is not sufficient
**takes only 3 days
T/F: Cats have an increased dietary arginine requirement
TRUE
They are not able to synthesize enough ornithine for the UREA cycle so they rely on arginine as a precursor
What can occur if a cat is given a meal deficient in arginine?
hyperamonemia
**this could happen with a vegetarian or vegan diet since the best source of arginine is animal protein
T/F: Striated animal muscle is a good source of taurine
FALSE
Taurine is in higher quantities in organs - so it is higher in the animal by product meals
What is the rate limiting amino acid in the feline diet?
Methionine (MET)
What amino acid causes the strong odor in cat urine?
Cystine
What lipids do cats not tolerate well, and could potentially cause hepatic lipidosis?
medium-chained triglycerides (MCT)
T/F: Cats do not tolerate carbs well
FALSE
They can tolerate carbs well, but don’t necessarily need them
Does feeding a low carb diet to your cat decreased his/her risk of obesity?
Nope
carb intake is not correlated with obesity in cats
What is unique about a cats blood glucose after a meal?
It will have a gradual rise rather than a spike seen in other mammals
T/F: Cats and dogs have similar B vitamin requirements
FALSE
Cats have a much higher B vitamin requirement ***best source is from animal tissue
Cats must have _____ vitamin A in their diet
pre formed vitamin A
They can not convert beta carotene to make vitamin A
Since cats can not convert tryptophan, what nutrient must be supplemented in their diet?
Niacin
The ____ of the Mg in a cat’s diet is more important than the quantity
source
MgO vs MgCl
At what age should kittens be weaned?
between 8-10 weeks
________ kittens have an increased risk of becoming obese
neutered
What nutrient(s) content varies the most between kitten food and adult cat food?
trace minerals/vitamins
What will decrease when a cat is neutered?
Resting energy expenditure
activity level
Why does neutering a cat cause them to increase the amount of food they take in?
The lack of hormones will cause a loss of appetite control
T/F: Carbohydrates within cat food should be cooked
TRUE
Where is the most amount of taurine and copper found in animal products?
in the organs, so by product meals
T/F: it is best to feed a reproducing queen a food that has been formulated for growth/gestation/lactation
FALSE
It is best if the food has undergone a food trial for those stages of life
T/F: Obesity is less common in geriatric cats than dogs
TRUE
Weight loss tends to be more common in older cats
What are some concurrent illnesses that contribute to weight loss in older cats?
Chronic kidney dz
hyperthyroidism
UTIsd
Neoplasia
What nutrient do older cats have a tendancy to be deficient in? What clinical signs may you see?
Cobalamin deficieny (Vitamin B12)
Anorexia, wt loss, pica, unkempt-wet looking hair coat
Must give B12 inj to tx (not B12 complex)
What nutrient do old cats need in higher amounts?
Potassium –> since they will also have a higher protein requirement
